Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) has recently hired 3 new Nurse Practitioners (NPs) increasing the number to 26 NPs providing service in 27 PMH communities in our region, 9 of which are First Nation Communities.

The communities of Carberry, Swan River and Virden are added to the already established NP services at medical clinics, 7th Street Health Access Centre in Brandon, the Brandon Emergency Department, Souris acute care, First Nation Health offices, multiple long-term care sites, and the PMH Mobile Clinic (primary care bus).

"Nurse Practitioners can work independently and can provide that primary care," explains Chief Nursing Officer for PMH, Treena Slate. "We can provide that comprehensive primary care especially as a compliment to more complex cases and where cases are simpler.  They certainly complement the work the physician does with a patient."

Slate says they are always recruiting for more NPs which has become a welcome addition to their medical staffing throughout the region. 

"The Nurse Practitioner is offered through the University of Manitoba, and also some other provinces including Athabasca University in Alberta. It is a 2-year program post baccalaureate degree of Nursing," she explains.  "So, it's a Master's Degree in the Specialty of Nurse Practitioner."

"The graduating class would have just completed in April, and so we don't know if we will have any more recruits into the region, but we certainly hope so," she adds.  "We have some outstanding postings throughout the region."

"This is a really welcome addition to this level of care," Slate shares, "This provides a complimentary approach to care, where it's not just a family physician providing that primary care anymore, it can come in the form of a team offering those services.  And so, I do think that future models will support more of that going forward."

Please listen to more with Treena Slate and CJRB's Betty Sawatzky as the shortage of doctors in the Prairie Mountain Health Region is discussed below.