Huge demand for nurse practitioners in Canada
Collaborative nurse practitioner program unique in Canada
For anyone who has waited days to see a doctor, or who has wished they could spend more time with their doctor, think of the advantages of having someone who is easier to reach, and who can spend more time addressing your questions — a primary health provider who has the authority to diagnose, treat and prescribe. That is the role of the nurse practitioner (NP), a member of the medical team who is gaining increasing prominence in our health care system.
There is “a huge demand” for nurse practitioners, according to Dr. Stan Marchuk, president of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Canada (NPAC). “In the United States, it is the fastest growing medical profession, with about 355,000 NPS, compared to only 8,500 in Canada. We have some 700,000 people who are without a primary health provider — a professional who provides the first step in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Nurse practitioners can make a substantial contribution federally and provincially if given the opportunity to do so, but we need to roll up our sleeves and develop a clear two-pronged approach as to how we train them and employ them.”
In Saskatchewan, the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic have “rolled up their sleeves” to address the need for nurse practitioners with a unique collaborative program. “A nurse practitioner can provide access to cost-effective, high-quality care and decrease wait times throughout the health care system in our province,” says Christa Maclean, interim dean of the School of Nursing at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
Sask Polytech had delivered a successful nurse practitioner program for several years, but, as Dean Maclean explains, “It was a certificate program. As the role of nurse practitioner evolved, we needed a graduate level master's degree education, which we couldn't deliver on our own. We had the nurse practitioner expertise, but we needed to partner with the University of Regina to deliver the graduate level education.” The first class of the new program, with 18 students, was launched in the fall of 2014.
This partnership between a polytechnic and university is unique in Canada. According to Cheryl Pollard, dean of the University of Regina Faculty of Nursing, “There's a real nice blend of clinically-focused faculty within Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the research-based faculty out of the University of Regina.”
To qualify for the two-year program, applicants must already be a registered nurse. They take all of the theoretical components of the course online. Adding to the program's flexibility, nurses don't have to complete the course in two years. “Some nurses in the program might take three or four years to complete it, which is just fine,” says Maclean.
“There is a lot of clinical experience required as well, where they spend time with a nurse practitioner who acts as a preceptor, so they can practice their skills at diagnosing and treating patients and prescribing medications.”
Students must attend Sask Polytech for one week in April for an intensive residency and on-line lab involving faculty from both institutions. Students will also have to pass a national NPAC exam that ensures consistent standards for all NPS.
Once he or she graduates, the NP is qualified to practice in a wide variety of clinical and other settings. Dean Pollard puts it into context: “In a hospital team hierarchical model, the nurse practitioner would be just before physicians. In the morning, the doctor and NP would do the rounds together. The doctor would then finish their rounds and go off to their clinic. The nurse practitioner would stay in the hospital all day, to monitor the patient a number of times a day, and really be managing the hour-to-hour and day-to-day changes in a patient. They will give instructions to nurses about what medications to administer, what diet is appropriate, what diagnostic tests need to be done, or make a referral such as to an occupational therapist.”
Although nurse practitioners were predominantly working in rural areas, in communities that often had difficulty attracting and retaining a doctor, they are becoming more prominent in urban centres. “They have a vast scope of practice,” says Pollard. “Some work in acute care, some work in oncology, palliative care, neonatal, intensive care, home care, or are engaged with a whole variety of community agencies.”
Institutional collaboration and cooperation are the hallmark of Saskatchewan's Nurse Practitioner program. “It's not like Sask Polytech does one year and the U of R another,” says Dean Maclean. We co-manage and co-deliver the program entirely.”
The program will graduate 20 students in 2022, bringing the total number of graduates to 62. This fall, 30 new students will begin their quest for nurse practitioner designation. No doubt, they will be needed.