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Algonquin College - Expansion Proposal |
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Algonquin College - Expansion Proposal |
Quick Facts
Cost: $46.4 Million
Anticipated new student spaces: 3366
Projected completion: 2014
The Algonquin Centre for Health and Wellness (ACHW) will address one of the most critical issues facing the Province: the need to increase new health care graduates to replace retiring health care and community service workers and to meet the needs of a growing and aging population.
Nursing, the largest health sector occupation, is poised to lose half of its complement to retirement within the next 10 years. Shortages of other core occupations are also predicted including anesthesia assistants; medical radiation technicians; CT and MRI scanning technicians, health information managers, pharmacy technicians, laboratory technicians, and clinical nurse specialists. Expanding Algonquin’s ability to train new workers is essential to assisting the Province in filling these gaps and promoting wellness for Ontarians.
This College-wide initiative demonstrates Algonquin’s commitment and long-term strategy to implement the new health and wellness education model. For example, under the healthcare pillar, the College has a nationally-recognized Simulation Centre and has developed a Medical Radiation Technology program in partnership with local hospitals. Under the community and family support pillar, the College has submitted a proposal for a Family Health Team clinic to the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care. Under wellness and lifestyle, the College is expanding and enhancing programs in fitness, fitness assessment, lifestyle and performance coaching, nutrition, recreation for older adults, spa and esthetics. Under the public safety pillar, the existing Police and Public Safety Institute is an innovative partnership with City of Ottawa Police Services integrating interprofessional education for police, fire safety, and paramedics training.
The total cost of the project is $46.4M which includes new construction, renovation of vacated space, changes to campus infrastructure, and related equipment. The College has created an external advisory committee to develop a fundraising capital campaign for the ACHW. Algonquin is asking for a Ministry contribution of $27.8M.
The Algonquin Centre for Health and Wellness will:
Provide space for increased enrolment in existing programs
The Faculty of Health and Community Studies currently has in excess of 10,000 applications per year but due to space constraints only has 1,700 spaces available. As well, through our Virtual College initiative, Algonquin will be able to improve access to programs by training students and practicing professionals in their homes and places of work and by offering theoretical course components online, freeing space for additional on-site applied training.
The proposed Centre will enable Algonquin to build on its diploma, degree and graduate certificates in the priority area of health and community studies.
Programs proposed or under consideration:
Interprofessional Education
The cornerstone of Algonquin’s Health and Wellness Initiative and the new Centre for Health and Wellness is a continuing commitment to implementing the principles of interprofessional education (IPE) for the purpose of improving the quality of care patients/clients receive. This will require not just physical resources, but a significant investment by the College in human resources. IPE is loosely defined by Health Canada as “learning together to promote collaboration”. The goal of IPE is to develop personnel capable of engaging in collaborative patient/client-centred practice, which is at the heart of global health reform. Implementing this approach will bring Ontario’s health and community workers to the forefront in their professions.
To implement IPE, through the ACHW project, Algonquin will ensure that curriculum is redesigned, faculty members are trained in new delivery models, links with external stakeholders are strengthened, and physical resources are adapted or constructed to support this priority. Key IPE elements include:
The benefits of IPE are promoted in the professional literature; the ACHW will provide a laboratory for researching and documenting the impact of IPE in the workforce.