REGINA — Over the last decade, Saskatchewan's supply of nurses has grown by more than 2,700 according to a recent Canadian Institute for Health Information report.
The report, Nursing in Canada 2024, shows that the province continues to rank higher than both national and Western Canadian averages in several key supply and workforce measures.
Nearly 17,500 nurses were licensed to work in Saskatchewan in 2024, with 1,411 nurses per 100,000 population. Saskatchewan is served by: registered nurses (1,009), nurse practitioners (23), licensed practical nurses (315) and registered psychiatric nurses (64).
Almost 2,300 nursing graduates were hired by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) between April 2023 and June 2025;
- Nearly 400 Filipino RNs have been recruited and are working in communities across the province;
- Over the past fiscal year (2024-25), the SHA hired more than 1,420 new RNs/RPNs and saw a net gain of more than 900 new nurses;
- As part of 315 new and enhanced permanent full-time positions added in high priority health occupations since 2022 to stabilize staffing in rural and northern areas, 250 new full-time permanent nursing positions were filled and another 65 permanent full-time RN positions were added in 30 rural and northern locations, with 60 now filled; and
- The SHA recently announced the addition of 77 new and enhanced permanent full-time positions to benefit 30 rural and remote communities, which will include RNs, LPNs and RPNs, along with other health professionals in high demand.
- Over 340 first-year nursing seats have been added in Registered Nursing, Registered Psychiatric Nursing, Licensed Practical Nursing and Nurse Practitioner programs at post-secondary institutions across the province.
The successful recruitment efforts to date have also played a key role in the SHA achieving an approximate 30 per cent reduction in the use of contracted nurses.
A Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive of up to $50,000 is available to high-priority health care professionals, including nurses, who receive a permanent full-time job offer from the SHA or its affiliates to work in a rural and remote area of the province. A relocation grant of up to $40,000 paid over five years is available to support NPs who are willing to relocate to rural or northern communities with a population of 10,000 or less. The province offers up to $20,000 in Saskatchewan student loan forgiveness to nursing graduates who choose to work in designated rural and mid-sized communities across the province, and the Graduate Retention Program was recently increased to provide up to $24,000 in tax credits to post-secondary graduates who build their careers and lives in Saskatchewan.
To learn more about nursing and other health care opportunities, and details on the Health Human Resources (HHR) Action Plan visit saskatchewan.ca/HHR.
