UNB launches Nutsihpiluwewicik (Indigenous) admission pathway for Indigenous nursing applicants

The University of New Brunswick has launched a new admissions pathway to help increase the number of Indigenous nurses practicing in the province. The Nutsihpiluwewicik (Indigenous) admission pathway will allow applicants with Indigenous ancestry to undergo a review by an Indigenous selection committee. Students will still write the Casper Situational Judgement Test, but will participate in the pathway rather than having their test scores count toward admission. UNB partnered with the Mi’kmaq-Wolastoqey Centre and Nutsihpiluwewicik (Healing Clan) to create the pathway. “It is important that we expand the number of Indigenous nurses, and to do so in a way that recognizes the value of Indigenous knowledge,” said UNB VP Saint John Dr Petra Hauf. The university has also increased Indigenous student enrolment to 10% in each nursing program in order to help the provincial workforce more accurately represent the Indigenous population.