On March 1, the British Columbia (BC) government announced it would become the first province in Canada to establish nurse-to-patient ratios. A minimum number of nurses has been established in six acute care settings. In high-acuity units, which require more care, there will be two patients per nurse.
Adrian Dix, BC’s Minister of Health, said, “Nurses play an important and central role in providing high-quality care,’ and the government is working hard to secure nurses to achieve the ratios set. I’m talking about it. The state government has set aside $237 million to retain existing nurses and recruit more nurses. In 2023, 6,567 new people will be registered as nurses.
The amount also includes a one-time grant of $169.5 million, which will be used to fund things like community health and mental health nurses.
Another $681 million will go towards expanding the Bridge Program to admit overseas-educated nurses and the Kwantlen Institute of Technology’s Practical Nurse to Registered Nurse Transition Pilot Program.