More nurses then ever before have renewed their permits to work in Alberta, and Red Deer Polytechnic is helping to fill the need for registered nurses and nurse practitioners.
The College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA) says 40,349 registered nurses and nurse practitioners renewed their permits for the 2023-24 practice year, a net gain of 3,896 nurses or 10.6 per cent more compared to 2022-23.
A total of 39,538 registered nurses (including graduate nurses and certified graduate nurses) renewed permits as well as 807 nurse practitioners (including graduate nurse practitioners).
“The record-breaking permit renewal numbers for the 2023-2024 practice year demonstrate the dedication of our registrants and our unwavering commitment to ensuring the health care system in this province remains robust and responsive,” said Joy Peacock, CRNA registrar and CEO, in a statement.
Related:
Alberta invests $11 million in nurse bridging programs for internationally educated nurses
Sharon Hamilton, RDP’s Dean of the School of Health and Wellness said it’s not surprising that there are more nurses registered to work in Alberta.
“There’s not a single institution that I’m aware of that’s not expanding and growing,” Hamilton said.
RDP nursing programs have expanded. Its Bachelor of Science in Nursing, in collaboration with the University of Alberta, currently has 413 first to fourth-year students. The Licensed Practical Nurse program has 308 first and second-year students, which includes full and part-time students at the main campus, Prairie College in Three Hills and Campus Alberta Central (a joint program between RDP and Olds College). RDP’s new Licensed Practical Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program has 11 students and has 34 enrolled for next spring.
A program to upgrade internationally educated nurses is also in the works.
She said student demand for programs is extremely high but expanding the programs must be done strategically because community partners can only take so many students for clinical practice.
“If we want to keep expanding we’re going to have to find different solutions and get creative on how we can train our students outside of the actual clinical placement. That means really stepping up our simulation game and getting some accreditation around that,” said Hamilton about patient simulation equipment used during the pandemic.
RDP is always on the lookout for skilled nursing instructors as well, she added.
Related:
The CRNA says permit renewal statistics and ongoing interest from first-time applicants indicate that Alberta is a destination of choice for health care professionals. The increase in registrants will benefit the health care system in rural and urban centres.
Throughout the year nurses can continue to join the register as new graduates, transfer from other Canadian or international jurisdictions, or return to practice after taking a leave.
There were 2,146 nurses who chose to move to the non-practising register for 2023-24, and many of them indicated that it was related to retirement.
Another 872 registrants neither renewed their permits nor switched to non-practising, resulting in lapsed permits.