Thanking nurses for all they do

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/05/2023 (954 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I was honoured to proclaim National Nursing Week in Manitoba on May 8, alongside Indigenous Nurses Day on May 10.

During National Nurses Week, I had the opportunity to stop by the University of Manitoba to welcome and congratulate the 120 nursing students who began the inaugural summer intake at the College of Nursing. This expansion of nurse-training seats works in tandem with the Health Human Resource Action Plan to train, retain and recruit nurses, and our government remains committed to adding 400 nurse training seats across multiple education programs in the province.

In 2021, the Undergraduate Nurse Employee (UNE) program was created to complement the added seats and ensure that these students receive an enhanced, hands-on clinical education. It provides third and fourth year nursing students with the opportunity to be paid to work – and continue to learn – in their chosen profession. These students are able to make a competitive wage providing care in our hospitals, under the mentorship and supervision of registered nurses, while continuing to learn and develop their skills.

The Health Human Resource Action Plan was announced last year, with the goal of training, retaining, and recruiting health-care professionals. The plan included $123 million of incentives for nurses here in Manitoba, which includes — a new hourly premium for nurses who work weekend hours; reimbursement of nurses’ professional licensing fees; and a provincial float pool to support nurse staffing needs across the province. It also includes a wellness incentive that adds additional funds to the health spending accounts of full and part-time nurses to help to cover the costs of eligible expenses. Since its launch, we have hired 259 additional nurses in Manitoba.

Nurses are incredibly valuable members of our health-care workforce, who provide critical services every day in Manitoba under sometimes extraordinary pressures. We are thrilled to be making significant investments to expand the pool of trained nurses in the province and to ensure that these students are receiving the best hands-on clinical education. Thank you for all that you do.