Dear Editor
A hot political topic has long been lack of accessible, quality, affordable primary health care services, especially in rural and remote areas of Saskatchewan. Nurse practitioners provide high quality, accessible, affordable, sustainable patient care in various settings.
The NP student is a registered nurse with at least two years experience prior to entry to the NP program. Because an NP student has the earning capacity of an RN, they don't qualify for government loans.
The "new" Saskatchewan Student Loan forgiveness program announced April 9 by Minister Randy Weekes, on behalf of the Minister of Advanced Education Don Morgan, is inaccessible to the vast majority of NP students because they don't qualify for the loan. Education programs for NPs have high dropout rates, often due to financial burdens placed on the NP student.
Announcements such as that made April 9 are misleading to the public as far as recruitment and retention, show lack of knowledge of realities for NP students and show lack of regard for NPs in providing health care services in Saskatchewan. The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Advanced Education need to work with NPs to find meaningful and useful solutions to these problems of recruitment, retention and providing primary health care services in Saskatchewan.
Debbie Bathgate RN(NP)
Saskatoon
