The Registered Nurses Union says work is well underway to secure long term funding of primary care clinics led by nurse practitioners.

RNU President Yvette Coffey says expanding the role of nurse practitioners is one solution to providing greater health care access to people without a family physician.

She says work is underway to find a funding model for nurse practitioners currently in private practice. “Premier Wakeham has been very clear; he does not want anybody paying out of pocket for health care, and agrees that no-one should have to pay to see a nurse practitioner.”

Compensation is another conversation being had, and on that matter she says “stay tuned.”

“Their compensation is nowhere near what it should be to reflect their scope of practice and what they actually bring to the health care system – their expertise, their education, all of it. So, we’re having big discussions even this week, with government, with Treasury Board, with the premier about nurse practitioners and the compensation model they are currently under, because it is not working.”