Nurse practitioners would like to see Newfoundland and Labrador adopt an approach similar to that of Alberta where they are compensated as other providers of primary care.

Currently, nurses with advanced training who set up a private practice charge the patient directly as they are not eligible for inclusion in MCP.

It’s estimated that 100,000 people in Newfoundland and Labrador are without a doctor and have to access a non-continuous care option such as a collaborative care unit or ER.

Travis Sheppard, President of the Nurse Practitioners Association of NL, believes that more registered nurses would opt to proceed to the next level if they were part of MCP. Nurse practitioners can renew prescriptions including those for a narcotic.

Sheppard says the Alberta model benefits the health care system in many ways.

Right now, the options for nurse practitioners are limited to whatever government initiatives are offered.