New investments in Budget 2013 will help train more nurses to meet the growing demand for health care across the province, Premier Greg Selinger announced.
“Our priority is ensuring Manitoba families have access to the health care they need when they need it, and nurses play an essential role in making that happen,” said Selinger. “With a growing population and an increasing number of seniors, as well as more and more nurses reaching the retirement age, we need to invest to train more nurses to meet the needs of patients today and for years to come.”
Over 60 additional training seats are being created to train more nurse practitioners and licensed practical nurses including:
- six new nurse practitioner training seats at the University of Manitoba;
- a new, 25-seat francophone nursing program at Université de Saint-Boniface;
- a new, 25-seat rotating rural site for practical nursing run through Assiniboine Community College; and
- a new, six-seat doctoral nursing program at the University of Manitoba.
“These investments will enable the faculty of nursing to build capacity in health-care delivery, teaching and research,” said Beverly O’Connell, dean of nursing at the University of Manitoba. “The Government of Manitoba is an important partner that is helping us ensure that the nursing profession continues to meet the ever-changing needs of the health-care system and the patients it serves.”
The Manitoba government is investing $2.1 million to add the new nurse training seats at the University of Manitoba, Université de Saint-Boniface and Assiniboine Community College, the premier said. Budget 2013 also invests over $3.7 million into the Nursing Recruitment and Retention Fund including grants to recruit nurses to Manitoba from outside of the province, grants to attract more nurses to personal care homes and continuing education funding for existing nurses.
“We committed to adding 100 nurse training spaces over four years to keep expanding our ability to produce well-trained, professional nurses and we’re ahead of schedule,” said Advanced Education and Literacy Minister Erin Selby. “More training means we can hire more nurses and nurse practitioners in personal care homes, hospitals, QuickCare clinics and for other health services that Manitoba families need.”
Since 1999, the number of nurse training seats in Manitoba has been doubled, which has helped the province’s nursing workforce grow by more than 3,100 nurses, Health Minister Theresa Oswald said.
“There was a time when economic uncertainty meant cuts to health care. Manitoba’s health-care system lost over 1,000 nurses during the 1990s and it took years to undo the damage,” Oswald said. “Families count on our hospitals, doctors and nurses to be there for them, regardless of the economic outlook. That’s why we’re training and hiring more nurses and keeping our nursing workforce strong.”
