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Alberta

Province pours millions into bridging programs for foreign trained nurses

Published

1 year ago

7 minute read

Investing in nursing skills training

Alberta’s government is investing $11 million in nurse bridging programs for internationally educated nurses.

There is a growing need for health care professionals to help address current and future demand throughout the health care system. Alberta’s post-secondaries play an important role in ensuring there are enough qualified nurses when and where Albertans need them.

Through this funding, internationally educated nurses will have access to an additional 1,221 spaces at post-secondary institutions so they can complete the programs they need for certification in Alberta.

“Investing in more seats in bridging programs helps internationally educated nurses get to work in our communities and meet Alberta’s need for highly skilled and dedicated health care workers. Our post-secondary institutions are valued partners in meeting that need, both in their home communities and across the province.”

Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Advanced Education

This funding is enabling Alberta’s government to create 848 new registered nurse pathway seats and 373 new licensed practical nurse seats over three years to help nurses who were trained in other countries become licensed to practice nursing in Alberta. This builds on the more than 600 new seats for registered nurse and licensed practical nurse bridging programs announced in February.

“Adding additional seats for nurse bridging programs is a vital step towards addressing the growing demand for health care professionals in our province. Internationally educated nurses play a crucial role in meeting the health care needs of Albertans and this initiative will help them integrate more easily into communities across our province.”

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health

“Lethbridge will play a major role in this program, as it is uniquely positioned with two leading post-secondary institutions that will be connected to almost one-quarter of the new seats and will help open opportunities for nurses outside of Alberta’s major centres.”

Nathan Neudorf, MLA for Lethbridge-East

“The College of Registered Nurses of Alberta supports the announcement of the investment to create additional seats in bridging programs for internationally educated nurses. The college looks forward to seeing the impact this has on strengthening the health care ecosystem in Alberta.”

Joy Peacock, chief executive officer and registrar, College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA)

Alberta’s government is also investing $3 million for planning and design work at University Hall at the University of Lethbridge. Known for its award-winning design and being the first building built on campus, its former lab spaces will be modernized to better suit the needs of the growing university.

“Investments in initiatives that enhance Alberta’s health care system are of utmost importance. Access to a high-quality health care system not only promotes individual well-being but also plays a pivotal role in fortifying the resilience of Alberta’s communities.”

Digvir Jayas, president and vice-chancellor, University of Lethbridge

“We are always looking for innovative ways to enhance and expand program access for students. This is a great example of collaboration between the provincial government, the Lethbridge College and the University of Lethbridge.”

Brad Donaldson, president, Lethbridge College

Quick facts

  • The $11 million over the next three years will create 1,221 additional seats for nurse bridging programs at:
  • $2.4 million – University of Lethbridge/Lethbridge College: 100 seats
  • $2.6 million – Lethbridge College partnering with Bow Valley College: 108 seats
  • $0.5 million – Bow Valley College: 96 seats
  • $0.5 million – Northwestern Polytechnic: 96 seats
  • $0.5 million – Portage College: 96 seats
  • $0.5 million – Keyano College: 96 seats
  • $2.4 million – MacEwan University: 364 seats
  • $0.5 million – Keyano College partnering with NorQuest College: 40 seats
  • $0.6 million – Red Deer Polytechnic partnering with NorQuest College: 135 seats
  • $0.4 million – NorQuest College: 90 seats
  • Under Budget 2023, Alberta’s government is also investing $7.8 million annually to fund non-repayable financial assistance for internationally educated nurses.
  • Eligible internationally educated nurses can access as much as $30,000 over five years to offset the costs of nursing bridging programs, including tuition. The bursary is non-repayable for those who agree to live and work in rural Alberta as a nurse after graduation for a period of one year for every $6,000 in assistance provided.
  • Budget 2023 investments at University of Lethbridge:
  • Alberta’s government is investing $3 million in planning funding to improve the facility’s energy efficiency and operating sustainability.
  • The funding will support the next phase of the destination project to repurpose vacant buildings and will look for opportunities to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and maximize energy efficiency – all to better meet the needs of students in the future.
  • Budget 2023 invests:
    • $1 million over three years to create 100 new seats in the bridge to Canadian nursing for internationally educated nurses program in collaboration with Lethbridge College.
    • $0.6 million over three years to create 16 seats in the bachelor of nursing program in collaboration with Lethbridge College.
    • $1.7 million over three years to create 40 new seats in the bachelor of science in computer science program.
    • $0.3 million over three years to create 35 new seats in the graduate certificate in data science.
    • Total: $3.6 million
  • Budget 2023 investments in southern Alberta (University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge College and Medicine Hat College):
    • Targeted enrolment expansion: $3.9 million to create 169 new seats in high-demand programs
    • Tech talent funding: $2.1 million to create 135 seats in high-demand technology programs
    • Internationally educated nurses:
      • $2.4 million to create 100 new seats in a collaborative bridging program for internationally educated nurses at the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College.
      • $2.6 million to create 108 new seats in the Bow Valley College practical nurse diploma program at Lethbridge College.
    • Apprenticeship funding: $2.7 million to support seats for apprentices
    • Capital maintenance and renewal funding: $10.9 million to update campus facilities and improve student experiences
    • Total: $24.6 million
Related Topics:

This is a news release from the Government of Alberta.

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Alberta

Alberta takes big step towards shorter wait times and higher quality health care

Published on April 9, 2025

By

From the Fraser Institute

By Nadeem Esmail

On Monday, the Smith government announced that beginning next year it will change the way it funds surgeries in Alberta. This is a big step towards unlocking the ability of Alberta’s health-care system to provide more, better and faster services for the same or possibly fewer dollars.

To understand the significance of this change, you must understand the consequences of the current (and outdated) approach.

Currently, the Alberta government pays a lump sum of money to hospitals each year. Consequently, hospitals perceive patients as a drain on their budgets. From the hospital’s perspective, there’s little financial incentive to serve more patients, operate more efficiently and provide superior quality services.

Consider what would happen if your local grocery store received a giant bag of money each year to feed people. The number of items would quickly decline to whatever was most convenient for the store to provide. (Have a favourite cereal? Too bad.) Store hours would become less convenient for customers, alongside a general decline in overall service. This type of grocery store, like an Alberta hospital, is actually financially better off (that is, it saves money) if you go elsewhere.

The Smith government plans to flip this entire system on its head, to the benefit of patients and taxpayers. Instead of handing out bags of money each year to providers, the new system—known as “activity-based funding”—will pay health-care providers for each patient they treat, based on the patient’s particular condition and important factors that may add complexity or cost to their care.

This turns patients from a drain on budgets into a source of additional revenue. The result, as has been demonstrated in other universal health-care systems worldwide, is more services delivered using existing health-care infrastructure, lower wait times, improved quality of care, improved access to medical technologies, and less waste.

In other words, Albertans will receive far better value from their health-care system, which is currently among the most expensive in the world. And relief can’t come soon enough—for example, last year in Alberta the median wait time for orthopedic surgeries including hip and knee replacements was 66.8 weeks.

The naysayers argue this approach will undermine the province’s universal system and hurt patients. But by allowing a spectrum of providers to compete for the delivery of quality care, Alberta will follow the lead of other more successful universal health-care systems in countries such as Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland and create greater accountability for hospitals and other health-care providers. Taxpayers will get a much better picture of what they’re paying for and how much they pay.

Again, Alberta is not exploring an untested policy. Almost every other developed country with universal health care uses some form of “activity-based funding” for hospital and surgical care. And remember, we already spend more on health care than our counterparts in nearly all of these countries yet endure longer wait times and poorer access to services generally, in part because of how we pay for surgical care.

While the devil is always in the details, and while it’s still possible for the Alberta government to get this wrong, Monday’s announcement is a big step in the right direction. A funding model that puts patients first will get Albertans more of the high-quality health care they already pay for in a timelier fashion. And provide to other provinces an example of bold health-care reform.

Nadeem Esmail

Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
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Alberta

Alberta’s embrace of activity-based funding is great news for patients

Published on April 9, 2025

By

From the Montreal Economic Institute

Alberta’s move to fund acute care services through activity-based funding follows best practices internationally, points out an MEI researcher following an announcement made by Premier Danielle Smith earlier today.

“For too long, the way hospitals were funded in Alberta incentivized treating fewer patients, contributing to our long wait times,” explains Krystle Wittevrongel, director of research at the MEI. “International experience has shown that, with the proper funding models in place, health systems become more efficient to the benefit of patients.”

Currently, Alberta’s hospitals are financed under a system called “global budgeting.” This involves allocating a pre-set amount of funding to pay for a specific number of services based on previous years’ budgets.

Under the government’s newly proposed funding system, hospitals receive a fixed payment for each treatment delivered.

An Economic Note published by the MEI last year showed that Quebec’s gradual adoption of activity-based funding led to higher productivity and lower costs in the province’s health system.

Notably, the province observed that the per-procedure cost of MRIs fell by four per cent as the number of procedures performed increased by 22 per cent.

In the radiology and oncology sector, it observed productivity increases of 26 per cent while procedure costs decreased by seven per cent.

“Being able to perform more surgeries, at lower costs, and within shorter timelines is exactly what Alberta’s patients need, and Premier Smith understands that,” continued Mrs. Wittevrongel. “Today’s announcement is a good first step, and we look forward to seeing a successful roll-out once appropriate funding levels per procedure are set.”

The governments expects to roll-out this new funding model for select procedures starting in 2026.

* * *

The MEI is an independent public policy think tank with offices in Montreal, Ottawa, and Calgary. Through its publications, media appearances, and advisory services to policymakers, the MEI stimulates public policy debate and reforms based on sound economics and entrepreneurship.

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