HALIFAX: Strait area communities are among those that will be served by nurse practitioners (NPs).
Last week the provincial government announced it will invest $900,000 over two years into the Nurse Practitioner Education Incentive.
The incentive covers the salaries of six registered nurses while they attend Dalhousie University’s two-year Master of Nursing nurse practitioner program full-time. In return, recipients will commit to work in one of several designated communities for five years.
Heather Fairbairn, media relations advisor with the Department of Health and Wellness, told The Reporter that communities in Guysborough and Inverness counties have been designated this year. She said eligible nurses should be from the designated geographic areas, have an affiliation with that geographic area, or be willing to relocate there.
“Since we know that people are more likely to stay and work in communities where they already have a connection, this program is one of the ways we are supporting recruitment and retention efforts in areas where there is a need for NPs in primary care,” Fairbairn explained. “This year Inverness, the [villages] of Guysborough and Canso, including the communities and town[s] within a 60-kilometre radius, are among the designated areas.
“The designated regions do not apply to the patients they serve. It’s common for rural practices to serve patients from a broad geographic area.”
An expression of interest will be issued to those already accepted to Dalhousie’s Nurse Practitioner program, family all-ages stream. Recipients will be selected based on whether they live in or are affiliated with one of the designated communities and are willing to relocate upon completion of the program. Recipients must commit to work in one of the designated communities for five years.
An arrangement between Dalhousie and Cape Breton University will continue to allow students in Cape Breton to complete some program requirements locally, the province noted.
“The arrangement between Dal and CBU will continue to allow students in Cape Breton to complete some program requirements locally, minimizing the need to travel to Halifax and help to further support recruitment and retention in that part of the province,” Fairbairn said.
This expands on the 10 spaces announced in 2018. Three of those participants have graduated and are working as nurse practitioners in Digby, Cumberland County and Victoria County.
Four more will graduate this fall and will practice in Shelburne, Cape Breton County, Inverness and Pictou, and the final three will graduate next May and will practice in Cumberland County, Digby and Sheet Harbour.
Fairbairn said the initiative supports the recruitment and retention of health professionals to rural areas.
“Nurse practitioners (NPs) play an important role in the delivery of primary care,” Fairbairn noted. “Since their scope of practice means they can initiate treatments, diagnose diseases, disorders and conditions; prescribe medications, and order lab tests, x-rays and other diagnostic tests, NPs are able to provide comprehensive care to Nova Scotians in collaborative care models, on their own and in long-term care.”
According to the province, this is one of several initiatives underway to improve Nova Scotians’ access to primary care, including additional family medicine residency spaces, a practice-ready assessment program, and a streamlined immigration process for doctors.
“Supporting more registered nurses to become nurse practitioners will fill a growing workforce need and improve Nova Scotians’ access to primary care,” said Health and Wellness Minister Randy Delorey. “There are registered nurses who took part in the first round of this incentive program who are now nurse practitioners working in smaller, underserved communities.”
This initiative is also part of Nova Scotia’s Nursing Strategy, designed to ensure Nova Scotia has the right number, mix and distribution of nurses now and in the future.
“Today’s announcement is great news, especially for rural Nova Scotia as these new nurse practitioners are committed to working there,” said Janet Hazelton, president, Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union. “It’s also in line with our 2019 Nursing Potential report which recommended government continue to invest in nurses so that underserviced areas receive the care they deserve. Educating more nurses in the nurse practitioner program gets us closer to achieving NSNU’s goal of having a 500-strong nurse practitioner network across all sectors of care, based on our projected needs, by 2028.”