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VICTORIA – The government is launching a new program of nurse practitioners to improve health services by expanding the range of health professionals to care for patients, Health Planning Minister Sindi Hawkins and Advanced Education Minister Shirley Bond announced today for National Nursing Week.
The program will begin with the addition of a total of 30 new spaces for nurse practitioners at the University of B.C. and University of Victoria in September. The spaces are part of the 547 new nursing education spaces added this year. The Health Professions Amendment Act tabled in the legislature today allows for the regulation of nurse practitioners by the Registered Nurses’ Association of B.C. The next step in implementing the new program will be defining the scope of practice in regulations.
“Nurse practitioners are an important resource that will help modernize patient services,” Hawkins said. “Nurse practitioners will help to complement traditional hospital and doctor services, particularly in smaller communities, by providing a more integrated and complete range of care options for patients.”
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced knowledge and decision-making skills in assessment, diagnosis and health-care management of patients and clients. They are one component of the province’s primary-care initiative, which is aimed at providing a broader range of integrated health services that are more appropriate to meet the needs of patients.
“The addition of these spaces will assist us in meeting the needs of patients and addressing the skills shortages and staffing levels in communities across the province,” said Bond.
The additional 547 spaces will bring the total number of nursing spaces added since 2001-02 to 1,813. The new spaces are part of the government’s New Era commitment to develop a 10-year human resource plan that properly provides for the training, recruitment and retention of health-care professionals across British Columbia.
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