New nurses commit to Pontiac thanks to MacLachlan bursary
Dale Shutt
Local Journalism Initiative
Published in the Pontiac Journal on March 12, 2025.
SHAWVILLE – On March 3, the Pontiac Community Hospital Board (PCHB) announced two new recipients of the MacLachlan Family Bursary Program for nursing students.
The bursary program, launched in April 2024, provides $100,000 to support nursing students in achieving their education goals. Full-time students receive $5,000 per academic year, while part-time students are awarded $2,500.
Students in the program are guaranteed work at Pontiac Community Hospital or the CLSC in Mansfield during their studies and summer vacations. After graduation, they must commit to working one year in the Pontiac for each year they received a bursary.
There are currently seven students enrolled in the program. One of the two new recipients, Annie Claude Durocher of Fort-Coulonge, will graduate this year and be the first in the program to begin full-time nursing at Pontiac Community Hospital (PCH). While working full time, she will continue studying part time in Gatineau to complete her bachelor’s degree.
“It’s a give-give situation,” Durocher told the Journal. “They help with our schooling, and we return to help our community. I intend to keep working in the Pontiac.”
The second recipient, Jessica Jewell, who already holds a bachelor’s degree in health sciences, is currently pursuing her nursing degree at Algonquin College in Pembroke. Jewell comes from a nursing family. Her mother works at PCH’s external clinic, one sister recently graduated as a registered nurse, and another sister is studying nursing also with the help of the PCHB bursary fund.
“I worked at PCH this past summer,” Jewell said. “The atmosphere at the hospital is pleasant, and I enjoyed working with the people there, so I will be happy to return when I graduate.”
PCHB Vice-President Alan Dean said the program is working well, with an eighth student expected to join soon. As each student graduates, a new candidate will be selected. Students planning to study nursing or already enrolled in a nursing program can apply to the PCHB to become part of the program.
“We have had good feedback about the students from doctors and personnel at the hospital,” Dean told the Journal. “It is truly a win-win situation for all.”
Photo: L/R – Pontiac Local Services Network Coordinator Nicole Boucher Larivière, nursing students Annie Claude Durocher and Jessica Jewell, and PCHB Vice-President Alan Dean. (DS)
