Alberta government to enhance access to healthcare with nurse practitioners

The Alberta government will allow nurse practitioners to open their own clinics, take on patients, and offer services. “It’s unfortunate nurse practitioners have been underutilized in Alberta, because they can provide an incredible service to Albertans,” said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at a Wednesday press conference. “This past year, we’ve seen 255 physicians register to practice medicine in our province.” Nurse practitioners are different from registered nurses because they have additional education and experiences. While they are not doctors, they can do many similar tasks such as diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, prescribe medications, and perform medical procedures. In addition to these numbers, Smith said 248 physicians and surgeons have chosen to remain in Alberta after finishing their training. She added this is important for Albertans to access healthcare. While there are hundreds of new physicians, they are not all family doctors. By creating opportunities for nurse practitioners to open their own offices, the Alberta government will be adding more primary care providers for families. She predicted these offices would help hundreds of thousands of patients. She said it will “stop at nothing to ensure Albertans have access to the care they need when and where they need it.” That is why the Alberta government is providing a grant to the Nurse Practitioner Association of Alberta (NPAA) of $2 million over three years. This spending will help to recruit and prepare nurse practitioners as they take on more responsibilities. It will support them as they move to independent practices and take on patients. She called them “a key part of the solution to ease pressure on primary care providers.” To be clear, she said the Alberta government is pulling out all the stops to strengthen primary care to ensure all people can have access to healthcare when and where they need it.Smith said nurse practitioners are ready to lead, and the Alberta government will give them the resources to succeed. This means help is on the way for Albertans frustrated with long delays for routine care. Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said primary care is the foundation of the healthcare system. “Addressing health workforce challenges is paramount, and delivering on this is something I take very seriously,” said LaGrange. “This is precisely why we are implementing a nurse practitioner compensation model and closing this funding gap, so that we can have much needed capacity to our primary healthcare system and help more Albertans find a regular care provider.” Through the new model, LaGrange said Alberta Health will compensate those who want to practice independently, take on patients and offer services reflecting the full extent of their training, skills and experiences. The College of Registered Nurses of Alberta will be responsible for the regulation of this work. NPAA President Susan Prendergast thanked Smith and LaGrange for recognizing the role of nurse practitioners in improving access to primary care. “The Nurse Practitioner Association of Alberta is thrilled for the opportunity to support our neighbours across the province in accessing a care provider in all healthcare environments,” said Prendergast. “With this announcement and this grant, the association will be perfectly positioned to ensure our members are fully prepared to meet the needs of Albertans in both rural and urban communities.” Prendergast acknowledged there is a large nurse practitioner workforce in Alberta ready and willing to step up. This grant will help them open clinics and improve access to primary care for people without a dedicated provider. The Alberta government attempted to address the growing need for healthcare professionals by announcing $11 million in nurse bridging programs for international nurses on October 17.READ MORE: UCP puts $11 million into training for international nursesThis spending will create an additional 1,221 spaces at post-secondary institutions, enabling internationally-educated nurses to complete the necessary programs for certification in Alberta.Alberta Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney said the initiative will create 848 new registered nurse pathway seats and 373 new licensed practical nurse seats over the next three years.