Lingering mandatory vaccination policies in Alberta continue to affect workers and students in the healthcare sector at a time when medical workers are in short supply. .Alethea Berger, a nursing student at Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP), is one of many students struggling to complete her training in Alberta after she was denied her clinical placement due to her vaccination status. .Tune in Tuesday, Sept. 6 @ 7 p.m. for the full interview with nursing student Alethea Berger and civil litigation lawyers Ben Ferland and Derek From..Berger enrolled in the five-semester program at RDP in the fall of 2021 with an expected graduation of April 2023. Because she chose to remain unvaccinated for personal reasons, Berger was unable to attend her spring clinical and ended up postponing it until the fall, hoping for a change in the policy. After Alberta Health Services (AHS) fully rescinded its mandatory vaccination policy on July 18, Berger said she was elated..After a few emails with the dean of her program, Taren Taylor, and Jo-Anne Macdonald-Watson, chair of the Practical Nurse (PN) program, Berger said she received confirmation on August 9 she would be eligible to attend her clinical placement in September. .Then, on August 30, Berger said she was shocked to receive another email from RDP's placement office on behalf of the dean notifying her she was not eligible as she had not submitted her proof of vaccination to the school. .Berger said she has since sent several emails to Taylor and Macdonald-Watson and was told "despite the earlier email confirmation from the chair of the PN program, the site I was placed at for my clinical still required the vaccine." .She said her dean also informed her "there was absolutely no transferring of students from one clinical site to another" after placement, and said she was not permitted to "request a site that does not have the COVID vaccine mandate." ."Despite RDP knowing I am not vaccinated, and despite the AHS policy which rescinded the vaccine at many long-term care facilities in central Alberta, I was placed at a site that still required the vaccine," Berger told the Western Standard. ."I have now been removed from the clinical and barred from continuing forward with the program at this time.".Berger said she has already paid her tuition for the fall and fears she will lose a $2,500 scholarship she is eligible for based on her GPA of 3.8 should she not attend fall semester. ."Despite many hoping and believing that these days were behind us, the fight still continues," said Berger. .This loophole is not new to medical workers or students in Alberta. In March, when AHS partially lifted its mandatory vaccination policy for all previous workers and medical students, those who remained unvaccinated ran into a new roadblock. .EXCLUSIVE: Alberta medical students hit roadblocks with loophole vax mandates.The partial lifting of AHS' vaccination policy created a "grey area" where medical students permitted to return to their post-secondary institutions to continue their learning were still not able to attend their residency or clinical placements. The Western Standard spoke with several students whose training was still being derailed at the time..Then, a day after AHS announced it was fully lifting its COVID-19 mandatory vaccination policy on July 18, another nursing student spoke with the Western Standard about her ordeal with her post-secondary institution. .READ MORE: Alberta healthcare workers, lawyers, student have mixed reviews over AHS lifting vax mandates.Cara Schoenroth is registered at Prairie College, but Bow Valley College (BVC) in Calgary oversees LPN training for the small Christian college located in Three Hills, AB. .Schoenroth said due to her choice not to take the COVID-19 vaccine, she was "discriminated against for 10 months."."Bow Valley basically denied me my right to go into my clinical," Cara Schoenroth told the Western Standard. "In around April they basically said, 'Get it, or you won't be able to finish your program.'".Schoenroth said the college told her the decision was out of their hands and there was nothing they could do to help her. She said she even lined up her own placement with a homecare nurse in Drayton Valley, which would have started mid-July, but did not hear back from the college when she inquired about its approval of the option..At the time of the interview, Schoenroth said she had not been contacted by anyone from BVC regarding her situation following AHS' lifting of its vaccination policy. .“As a public post-secondary institution, Red Deer Polytechnic has always complied, and continues to be compliant and fully aligned with all Government of Alberta COVID-19 mandates," said Dr. Maureen Toews, associate vice president of Teaching, Learning and Research at RDP, in a statement to the Western Standard. ."The Polytechnic does not require students or employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19. However, as Red Deer Polytechnic continues to work with its partner organizations, we have identified that there are still a number of organizations who require COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees and practicum students."."Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Red Deer Polytechnic communicated with all students that they must meet the vaccination requirements of governing bodies, agencies, organizations or other post-secondary institutions where they may have their practicums, work-integrated learning activities or placements. This is the same protocol that the Polytechnic has always had in place, and that all Alberta post-secondary institutions use.".Based on the current status of some organizations that still require practicum students to be vaccinated for COVID-19, Red Deer Polytechnic has contacted students who are not currently eligible for clinical placements during the Fall term. Students who are not eligible for clinical placements in Fall 2022 Term have received information from Red Deer Polytechnic to help identify learning pathways and courses that they can [enroll] in during the Fall 2022 and Winter 2023 Terms.."In particular, recognizing some long-term care facilities and other organizations still have COVID-19 vaccination policies in place, the Polytechnic will continue to work with students who are currently not eligible to complete their clinical placements (due to the organizations current vaccination policies) to find appropriate placements in the Spring 2023 Term.".Toews said RDP is "committed to helping our students meet their graduation requirements" and will do "everything we can to support our students in their educational journey." .“AHS rescinded its Immunization of Workers for COVID-19 Policy, effective July 18, 2022, which means it no longer applies to students," AHS spokesman Kerry Williamson told the Western Standard. ."Post-secondary institutions are responsible for their students and instructors and can determine if they will implement or maintain their own immunization policies. As well, non-AHS facilities that take students can determine their own immunization policies.”.Minister of Advanced Education Demetrios Nicolaides said the Government of Alberta "expects post-secondary institutions to align their public health policies with that of Alberta's government." .“I first wrote to board chairs and presidents in early February and outlined my expectations for a return to pre-pandemic delivery without the need for proof of vaccination, masking or physical distancing," said Nicolaides in a statement to the Western Standard. ."In July, I emailed board chairs informing them that Alberta Health Services would no longer require COVID-19 immunization as a condition of employment, effective July 18th 2022. I also stated my expectation that institutions offer meaningful learning options to students whose education had been impacted because they did not get vaccinated, as many students education has been negatively impacted by the AHS’ immunization of workers for COVID-19 policy.".Nicolaides said his expectations "remain unchanged" and said he has confirmed RDP is "compliant with these expectations." .Sam Blackett, press secretary to the minister of Advanced Education, added it is "Advanced Education's understanding that [RDP] is supporting all students impacted by AHS and non-AHS vaccination policies to ensure they can continue to make graduation requirements." .The Western Standard requested direct comments from Alberta’s minister of Health, Jason Copping, and out-going Premier Jason Kenney, but received no reply..UCP MLA, Grande Prairie-Wapiti, and UCP leadership candidate Travis Toews provided told the Western Standard nearly every community he has visited in Alberta is "suffering from a severe staffing shortage." ."In light of this, these reports are alarming," said Toews.."We cannot let vaccine mandates prohibit Albertans from completing their education — especially when that mandate is preventing a new professional from providing healthcare during a capacity crisis.".After the Western Standard's leadership debate on August 9, UCP leadership frontrunners Travis Toews, Danielle Smith, and Brian Jean each said they would take steps to protect Albertans from future COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccination mandates. .When asked how they would ensure private businesses in the province were not mandating COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment, Toews said under his leadership he would get private businesses in line with the government's guidance..Smith said she was disappointed to hear facilities in the province are still requiring proof of vaccination as a condition of employment and called it "irresponsible." She confirmed she is exploring options to protect those in private and federally-regulated positions and will ensure those businesses are not protected from civil litigation. .Jean said if he was leading the province, he would "let the market take care of itself." In doing so, Jean said he believes private businesses will "find out very quickly, that they're not going to be in business very long if they continue to do that."."Private businesses will learn, just like many of the oil companies have learned, that they can't do that kind of thing to people, and ... it will not be supported by the government and it will not be supported by people," said Jean..Berger said she is still hopeful for change and will wait out this delay in her learning in hopes the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies will eventually be dropped and she can complete her training.
