Government of Sask. touts $51.2-million investment in health career training

Funding from the Government of Saskatchewan will add 66 new training seats for health-care careers this year, and add four new domestic training programs to the province.

According to the Ministry of Advanced Education, the government has earmarked $51.2 million in 2024-‘25 to expand opportunities for health-care career training in Saskatchewan, with an emphasis on training more nurses.

The funding will also see the expansion of three nursing programs, adding 24 seats for registered nurses, 16 seats for psychiatric nurses, and eight seats for registered psychiatric nurses. The new spots for registered nursing and registered psychiatric nursing are expected to be available for students this fall.

The move comes as the province continues to struggle with shortages of doctors, nurses and specialists, with some forced to seek care outside of Saskatchewan. The provincial government’s multi-year Health Human Resources Action Plan aims to address the issue by adding 1,000 new workers to the health-care system.

In addition to the 66 new seats, this year’s funding will create new domestic programs to train occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, physician assistants and respiratory therapists.

Premier Scott Moe said the government recognizes the importance of training a new generation of health-care professionals.

“Expanding education opportunities is a key deliverable of our Health Human Resources Action Plan. This investment in training is a part of broader efforts to meet the current and future need for nurses and other health care professionals in our province,” Moe said in a statement.

Dr. Eli Ahlquist, president and CEO of North West College, said training nurses in the province helps ensure local students can pursue rewarding career paths in their own home communities.

“Expanding nursing education seats not only enriches the educational journey of aspiring nurses by granting them access to top-notch instruction but also serves as a proactive response to the growing demand for skilled health care professionals,” Ahlquist said in a statement.

According to the provincial government, $111.5 million has been put towards expanding health-care training programs over the past three years, adding approximately 870 new seats in total.