Released on May 8, 2019
Province Marks National Nursing Week, May 6-12
Saskatchewan continues to see an increasing number of nurses providing care to residents across the province. Since 2007, 3,800 nurses have joined the province’s nursing workforce, a 30 per cent increase. In total, almost 16,500 nurses of all designations are now practicing in Saskatchewan.
“Nurses are on the front lines of our health care system, making important contributions to the health and well-being of our residents,” Health Minister Jim Reiter said. “We’ve made significant investments in recruitment and retention of nurses over the past decade, and we’ve seen solid growth.”
According to the latest available data, 11,533 registered nurses, 267 nurse practitioners, 3,820 licensed practical nurses and 835 registered psychiatric nurses are practicing in Saskatchewan. Overall, there has been a 30 per cent increase in the number of nurses compared to 2007. Nurses are being recognized during National Nursing Week, May 6-12.
“I want to thank nurses of all designations for their service to Saskatchewan people,” Rural and Remote Health Minister Greg Ottenbreit said. “Our government remains steadfast in its commitment to continue building a strong nursing workforce in our province.”
Targeted investments in education initiatives are supporting recruitment and retention efforts:
- 280 new training seats were added for Registered Nurses in 2011;
- training seats for Nurse Practitioners doubled from 20 to 40 in 2015;
- 56 new seats for Registered Psychiatric Nurses have been added since 2008, including 16 seats in North Battleford starting this fall.
Also, a number of incentives are being offered to address recruitment and retention challenges in rural and remote locations:
- clinical placement bursaries with a return-in-service commitment to rural and remote parts of the province;
- grant funding to the Saskatchewan Health Authority to support recruitment and retention of hard-to-recruit positions; and
- funding for bursaries to support the recruitment of up to eight Nurse Practitioners or Midwives in hard to fill positions.
The theme of this year’s National Nursing Week is “Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Health for All”, reflecting the potential of nurses to improve the health system and enable individuals and communities to achieve a high standard of health.
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For more information, contact:
Colleen Book
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: media@health.gov.sk.ca