Nova Scotia Health expands nursing training programs to fight staffing crisis

Nova Scotia is facing a healthcare crisis. Emergency room wait times are far too long, and part of the reason for this is nursing staff vacancies.  

To help combat nursing staff shortages, Nova Scotia health is expanding the training programs that will allow Nurses to widen their scope of practice and get into emergency room roles.

“We’re working very quickly to make sure what we do will be responsive to the recruitment of new nurses,” said Gail Tomblin Murphy, chief nurse executive at Nova Scotia Health.

Nursing training and on-the-job peer support program are being expanded and accelerated to get more new practicing nurses where they need to be.

The program includes elements of in-person classroom learning, online education and clinical work. 

Currently 120 nurses do this training yearly across the province, this new plan would bump that to 200 and offer them ER jobs right out of the program.

Another benefit of the training programs, according to Tomblin Murphy, is they allow trainees to have their ideas for improving nursing heard and tested.

“We’re seeing good ideas that come to fruition,” said Tomblin Murphy. As nurses train to expand their scopes are prepare for triage and emergency room work, they are able to purpose certain solutions to problems they face in these roles. 

“We're investing in practical nurses, we're investing in their ideas and we believe in them,” said Tomblin Murphy.

Tomblin Murphy recognizes this is only part of the solution, “just as important is the retention, we need to make sure nurses are enjoying the work and staying in the roles.”

Tomblin Murphy says NS Health is discussing retention strategies, including the possibility of competitive compensation with other provinces.