With demand for nurse practitioners rising, UPEI looks to keep up

UPEIsays the provincial governmentwon't have any problem filling the seven new nurse practitioner positions recently postedas long as it's willing to wait a few months for new graduates.

The PEI Nurses' Union questioned this week how easy it will be to fill the seven new positions without "some great recruitment strategies"by Health PEI.

"Where are these nurse practitioners coming from?" asked union president Mona O'Shea. "There's theprogram here at UPEI.But it's only [graduating students] every two years... And right now on P.E.I., I don't believe there are any casual nurse practitioners out there."

But Terri Kean, who is responsible for the nurse practitioner stream of UPEI'smaster of nursing program, said the university is graduatingfive students in May, all of whomarekeen to live and work on the Island.

She said there are also other Islanders graduating at the same time from other nurse practitioner programs in Canada.

"It won't be a problem to get those filled, and I bet if we talk again in June or July, they'll be all filled," Keansaid.

'We don't want to overpopulate'

KeansaidsinceUPEI'snurse practitioner program started in 2011, the aim has been to respond to the growing demand for nurse practitionerson the Island.

The three-year master's program started with just three nurses.Since that time, as the number of nurse practitioners working for Health PEI has grown from four to 22, UPEIhasadded more seatsinto the program. Last year, the university accepted eight nurses.

Kean saidwhile that may not sound like a big number, it's as many nurse practitionersas the university is comfortable graduating.

"We want to control the growth, in terms of making sure there's a market demand for the services," Kean said. "We don't want to overpopulate have students come in and have no hope of a job, or have to leave the province for a job. The people in our programs are highly committed to the Island."

Turning down recruiters

It's not that other provinces wouldn't hire them in a heartbeat,Keansaid.

Across Canada, communitiesstruggling to recruit and retain enough physicians have hired nurse practitioners to take on some of the patient load.

Nurse practitioners are trained to do "about 70 per cent" of the work of family doctors, Kean said.

I always ask our students if they'd like the recruitersto come. But to date, no one's taken recruiters up on that.- Terri Kean, UPEI School of Nursing

The demand for nurse practitioners has also been driven by a move to a more collaborative model of health carethat sees doctors working in a team with nurse practitioners, social workersand other health professionals.

Kean said she regularly hears from recruiters in other provinceswanting to win over UPEI'sgraduates.

"And I always ask our students if they'd like the recruitersto come," Kean said. "But to date, no one's taken recruiters up on that."

Health PEIsaidIslanders can expect to see more nurse practitioner positions added in the future, which Kean saidwill likelyprompt UPEI to accept more students into its program.

She says the program will continue to adapt how it trains nurse practitionersas well.

"We know it's an aging population, so what could our focus be around aging? We know we have concerns around mental health, so could we put more NP's into mental health?" she said.

"As the needs of the province unfolds, we'll be able to be reflexive and responsive to that."

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