Initiatives

Collaborative Practice: Nurse Practitioner Implementation

The priorities of the Primary Health Branch include the need to improve access to primary care services and to support the implementation of multidisciplinary teams in providing comprehensive care.

One of the strategies is to provide support to the regional health authorities in the implementation of nurse practitioner practice.

A nurse practitioner or Registered Nurse (Extended Practice) is a registered nurse with additional education in health assessment, diagnosis and management of illnesses and injuries.
Grounded in the nursing profession's values, knowledge, theories and practice, the nurse practitioner role complements other health care providers and is a valuable member of primary care teams.
In addition to the services a registered nurse can already provide, a nurse practitioner can prescribe medications, order and manage the results of diagnostic and screening tests and perform minor surgical and invasive procedures.
Public and patient education about health promotion and illness prevention is also a significant focus of their work.
The nurse practitioner consults and collaborates with other health care professionals as appropriate to ensure that the overall health care needs of clients are met.

What is being done to support nurse practitioner practice?

The branch focus is to work with the Regional Health Authorities to implement Nurse Practitioners throughout the province. This plan includes the following components:

Providing financial and consultative support for the creation of new positions which improve access to primary care. In February 2008 12 new positions were created and an additional 18 were announced in May 2008.
Providing consultative support to ensure that positions are an appropriate fit with the nurse practitioner scope of practice.
Providing leadership in the development and implementation of nurse practitioner positions as a component of multidisciplinary primary health teams.

For more information contact Marta Crawford, Primary Health Care Branch, Manitoba Health, telephone: (204) 786-7342 or email Marta.Crawford@gov.mb.ca.