The number of nurses working in Saskatchewan has grown 29 per cent since 2007, the provincial government says.
There are now more than 16,000 licensed nurses practising in the province, an increase of 3,700 since 11 years ago.
“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 healthcare 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.”
According to the government, various nursing recruitment and retention initiatives have led to the increased number of nurses in Saskatchewan, including:
- adding 300 new registered nurse/registered psychiatric nurse training seats;
- doubling nurse practitioner training seats to 40 from 20;
- 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.
“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.”
Nurses are being recognized during National Nursing Week from May 7 to 13.
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