Nursing licence renewals rise slightly in Manitoba

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This article was published 29/12/2023 (1016 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The rate of licence renewals for nurses in Manitoba has increased slightly, but that doesn’t mean more nurses are working in the public system, the nurses union warned.

The College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba says 95.6 per cent of nurses have renewed their licence this year. Typically, the rate is 94.4 to 94.8 per cent.

The one per cent increase comes after the college streamlined the renewal process to address complaints.

As of the beginning of 2024, 13,623 nurses will be eligible to practise in Manitoba, a number the college says is expected to rise as prospective nurses graduate.

When it comes to assessing the state of public health care in Manitoba, nurse vacancy rates are the best barometer, said Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union.

“I always take (licence renewal) numbers with a grain of salt,” Jackson said.

Numbers obtained by the union in June show more than 2,800 nursing positions were vacant in the province, Jackson said.

“There is not a corner of this province where we are not in a critical nursing shortage,” she said.

She noted it’s uncertain how many of the nurses who have registered with the college work in the public system — some may work at private clinics, for example.

However, things could be looking up. Jackson said she’s had positive conversations with the new NDP health minister, Uzoma Asagwara, who’s a nurse, more often in the last three months than she did with the Tory predecessor, Audrey Gordon.

In a statement, Asagwara said the government is “encouraged to see a slightly higher renewal percentage for this year, as every nurse we recruit or retain is critical to our health-care system.”

The minister said the NDP is committed to changing “culture” by listening to front-line staff and implementing their ideas.

“Our health-care system cannot be fixed overnight, but we are hoping to see more indicators as time progresses,” Asagwara said.

The college took steps to improve the renewal system after nurses said they had tried and failed to register in recent years. Nurses must renew their licence on an annual basis and can’t practise in Manitoba without one.

Primarily, it implemented a “conditional renewal option” which allows applicants who aren’t able to meet the Dec. 1 background check deadline to submit the required documents by Feb. 1. In previous years, applicants would not be eligible for renewal if the documents were not received by deadline.

The college also “pre-approves” reinstatement applications from registrants who want to practise in 2024 but missed the Dec. 1 deadline. In the past, applicants had to wait until the next calendar year, possibly leaving a gap in registration.

The college said the improved system may have contributed to the higher number of 2024 registrants.

“An increased supply of registered nurses in Manitoba is good for helping to meet the health-care needs in the province, but it’s only a part of the picture,” said Deb Elias, college registrar, in a statement.

“We continue to work with our partners across the health system to bolster the overall health human resource outlook in Manitoba.”

katrina.clarke@freepress.mb.ca