The Government of Yukon is committed to improving Yukoners’ access to healthcare services, and recruiting and retaining health professionals to ensure Yukoners are able to live healthy, happy lives. Keeping with this commitment, the Government of Yukon has tabled Bill No. 33, an amendment to the Registered Nurses Profession Act, which will cut red tape and make it easier for nurses and nurse practitioners to work in the Yukon.
Changes to the Registered Nurses Profession Act were requested by the Yukon Registered Nurses Association, which is responsible for regulating the profession in the Yukon. The proposed changes will help create new membership classes and ways to register qualifications in the territory.
The amendment will allow the Yukon Registered Nurses Association to enter into multi-jurisdictional agreements that will make it easier for nurses and nurse practitioners to work in the territory. While keeping professional standards in place, this amendment will allow for regulations to establish special registration procedures, allowing registered nurses, nurse practitioners from other places, recent graduates and internationally educated nurses to apply directly for work in the Yukon. Student nurses will also be permitted to practise in the Yukon.
We’re competing with a worldwide demand for these highly skilled services so we need to remove barriers so that we can attract the nurses needed to protect and serve Yukoners. The amendment will help enable the Yukon Registered Nurses Association to engage in multi-jurisdictional agreements, simplifying the process for nurses and nurse practitioners to practise in the territory.
The amendment tabled by our government today aims to streamline the licensing and registration process for nurses and nurse practitioners in the Yukon. This reflects our commitment to both increasing access to health care as well as better enabling nurses and nurse practitioners to focus on what they do best – providing high-quality, person-centred care to our communities.
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Putting People First recommendation 6.6 encourages all providers in the healthcare system to work to their full scope of practice.
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The Minister for Health and Social Services’ mandate letter directs her to “accelerate efforts to recruit and retain health care providers”.
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Premier Pillai recently signed an memorandum of understanding with the Government of Nova Scotia to work together to enhance collaboration on training, recruitment, retention, and labour mobility for Health Human Resources.
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While on an economic development mission to Asia, Premier Pillai signed a letter of intent with NORKA ROOTS, a Kerala state government agency that supports the recruitment of healthcare professionals by international governments, and met with officials from the Government School of Nursing.
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The term "annual" will be removed from the description of licences to add greater flexibility.
Renée Francoeur
Cabinet Communications
867-334-9194
renee.francoeur@yukon.ca
Bonnie Venton Ross
Communications, Community Services
867-332-5513
bonnie.ventonross@yukon.ca