The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A new report provides a better understanding as to why the NOR-MAN Regional Health Authority has a tough time filling vacant nurse positions. An analysis released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows that Manitoba has lost 220 registered nurses since 1999. Health Minister Dave Chomiak, however, is confident that trend is reversing itself. "You'll see in the next report a significant increase because of our training of diploma and other baccalaureate nurses," Chomiak told the media. "As you probably know, this year we've graduated more nurses than any other time in the history of the University of Manitoba." The report found that there were 9,942 RNs working in the province last year, down from 10,162 in 1998. That represents a drop of 2.2 per cent. During the same period, the number of RNs working across Canada increased by 1.4 per cent, according to the report. The report also showed that 73 per cent of RNs who train in Manitoba stay to work in the province while the Canadian average was 87 per cent. The NOR-MAN Regional Health Authority has some 40 health care staff vacancies and has had a particularly difficult time finding nurses. "Nursing is really our most difficult group at this point," Wanda Reader, executive director of Human Resources, told The Reminder.
