Released on May 10, 2018
Access to health care continues to improve for Saskatchewan patients, thanks to 3,700 more nurses providing services than in 2007 - an increase of 29 per cent. In total, more than 16,000 nurses are licensed to practise in the province, including registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, nurse practitioners, and licensed practical nurses.“Our government has shown strong commitment to recruit and retain nurses in Saskatchewan over this past decade,” Health Minister Jim Reiter said. “Nurses are highly valued members of the health care team, and their contributions are key to quality care for Saskatchewan residents. Working together with our nursing partners, I’m pleased with the solid progress we’ve made in increasing the nursing workforce.”
“We have more nurses in the province than any other time in our history,” Rural and Remote Health Minister Greg Ottenbreit said. “While we are pleased with this growth, we continue to work with partners to recruit for vacant positions across the province.”
A number of nursing recruitment and retention initiatives have resulted in the increase of nurses in Saskatchewan, including:
- adding 300 new registered nurse/registered psychiatric nurse training seats;
- doubling nurse practitioner training seats from 20 to 40;
- offering clinical placement bursaries with a return-in-service commitment to rural and remote parts of the province; and
- providing grant funding to the Saskatchewan Health Authority to support recruitment and retention of hard-to-recruit positions.
-30-
For more information, contact:
Shirley Xie
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: shirley.xie@health.gov.sk.ca