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From day one, the faculty of nursing and health sciences puts students in long-term or extended care settings and builds skills that follow them into every area of practice.

The faculty of nursing and health sciences at the University of New Brunswick is responding to the province’s aging population with targeted learning, hands-on experience and a partnership with long-term care provider Shannex.

The goal is to shift perceptions of long-term care relative to acute care and to demonstrate how registered nurses lead in these homes.

First-year students focus on care for older adults and are often placed in long-term care facilities. In their second year, they work with clients who manage chronic illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and hypertension. These experiences reflect how often older adults are present across health care in New Brunswick.

“It isn’t just one specific thing. It is how we interact with the older adult across all areas,” said Dr. Lorna Butler, faculty dean.

The Nursing Education Design Summit at UNB in May 2024 helped faculty identify gaps between classroom learning and practice. In 2025, the program launched a five-year Shannex-funded initiative built on that work. The Mentoring To Lead in Long-Term Care Summer Institute gives students a week of intensive classroom learning, followed by placements in Shannex facilities in Fredericton, Saint John or Moncton. Students work with registered nurses, complete projects based on identified needs and see the demands of leadership in these homes.

“It engages everyone. You engage the people who are working there. You expose the students to all the different aspects of a leadership role, too,” said Dr. Butler.

The Summer Institute also ties into UNB’s extended reality initiative, which will bring Shannex and Horizon Health Network facilities into the classroom through virtual headsets. Butler said this integration of technology and education was strategic, combining provincial and Shannex funding to build a future-focused model.

Licensed practical nurse (LPN) Madelyn Patricia Wheaton studied to be a registered nurse (RN). She joined the Summer Institute to expand her nursing skills beyond the LPN role and is engaged in a qualitative research project to assess the impact of registered nurses in long-term care settings.

She found that transitioning from the classroom to working at Shannex “was a seamless experience, marked by robust support.”

“The skills we acquired in class and through online modules were supplemented by additional training courses, such as LEAP (Learning Essentials for Palliative Care) and shift supervisor training, which enhanced our competencies,” Wheaton said.

“At Shannex, we applied our learning in a practical setting, which built our confidence significantly. Working closely with registered nurses allowed us to establish strong routines within our interdisciplinary team, fostering a sense of trust and collaboration.”

The facility and staff were eager to learn how to mentor students and, in turn, mentor their teams. Students learn wound care, palliative care and medication management, with emphasis on the reasoning behind each task.

“We used the data we had to make decisions for the best nursing training and patient care. We want New Brunswick to be a model for other places,” said Dr. Butler.

Photo 1: MacLaggan Hall, the UNB Fredericton campus location of the faculty of nursing and health sciences. The faculty is also on the UNB Saint John campus and the UNB Moncton site.

Photo 2: Dr. Lorna Butler, dean of the faculty of nursing and health sciences.