MORE NURSES FOR SASKATCHEWAN

The provincial government is expanding the registered nurse/registered psychiatric nursing education program by 100 positions and the practical nursing program by 16 positions, as part of its commitment to keep and attract health professionals to Saskatchewan.

Enrolment in the Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan (NEPS) will increase over the next three years: first-year enrolment will increase by 25 seats in the 2003/04 academic year, followed by 40 seats in 2004, and another 35 in 2005. This will bring the annual first-year enrolment in NEPS to 400 students by 2005. Staging the increases over three years allows NEPS to build its capacity to accommodate this program expansion. Following this three-year expansion, the number of registered and registered psychiatric nursing seats will have increased by over 120 per cent since 1999.

The government will also increase capacity in the province's practical nursing programs by 16 seats over the next two years. Overall capacity in the practical nursing programs has doubled since 1998. In addition, the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies plans to offer 16 practical nursing seats in Saskatchewan with funding from the federal government.

"Keeping and attracting key health care providers, including nurses, are top priorities of this government," Health Minister John Nilson said. "We are increasing enrolment in our nurse education programs to ensure an adequate supply of nurses for the long term – a key goal of our Action Plan for Saskatchewan Health Care, released in December, 2001."

Once these increases have been fully implemented, the increased annual cost will be approximately $4.4 million.

"I am delighted to announce this expansion," Learning Minister Judy Junor said. "Health and education are linked through a common purpose and a shared commitment to meeting the need for health care professionals in our province. Today's announcement addresses both the need for more nurses and the increased interest by students in the nursing profession".

"We welcome today's announcement of increased funding for NEPS, and we look forward to working with our partners on expanding the program's capacity by 100 seats over three years," Dean of Nursing at SIAST Diana Davidson Dick said. "Today's announcement and the recent addition of 40 NEPS seats in Prince Albert are part of the ongoing response to nursing education needs embraced by all the partners."


"As the degree-granting partner, we applaud the decision to increase seats in the baccalaureate program," Dean at the College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan Beth Horsburgh said. "The plan responds to Saskatchewan's need for more nurses while maintaining the outstanding quality of the program. Perhaps most satisfying, the increased seats will enable us to accept more of the bright young women and men who apply to NEPS each year."

The decision to expand training seats follows an independent report by statistician Doug Elliott regarding the future supply and demand for nurses. The report indicates that a gap will develop between the supply of, and demand for, nurses by 2012; therefore, the system will require additional nurses to meet future needs.

Elliott also found that the number of graduates from nursing programs has increased, more nurses are working full-time, and the retention rate for nurses has increased.

Also released today is The Action Plan for Saskatchewan Health Care: A Progress Report on Saskatchewan's Nursing Strategies, July 2003. It shows that government's retention and recruitment strategies are producing positive results. For example, 100 per cent of 2002 undergraduate bursary recipients and 97 per cent of re-entry bursary recipients remained in the province to pursue their nursing careers.

The progress report may be found on the Saskatchewan Health Web site at www.health.gov.sk.ca

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For More Information, Contact:

Mark Rathwell Health Regina Phone: (306) 787-4083	John Biss Learning Regina Phone: (306) 787-5900
Patricia Gillies SIAST Saskatoon Phone: (306) 933-5376	Tina Merrifield University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon Phone: (306) 966-2213