During the last election, Premier Ed Stelmach promised the province would open its colleges and universities to more medical and nursing students. This was in response to a feared shortage of nurses that would be hitting us very soon, and a shortage of family doctors that was already well-documented, especially in rural communities.
Eventually, the goal was set for Alberta to graduate 295 new doctors a year by 2013-14, plus 2,000 registered nurses and 1,000 licensed practical nurses.
But somebody forgot to tell the schools that train these professionals. Or at least — as the institutions claim — forgot to forward them the cheque they need to do the work.
The University of Alberta — which planned to accept 190 applications for its medical school in September — recently announced it may have to cut that number by 50. The University of Calgary also confirmed that funding for its 180 student spaces came about 40 spaces short, and some of them would be cancelled.
Not so fast, said Advanced Education and Technology Minister Doug Horner, you can’t cut spaces at all, unless the government says so.
“In order for them to pull back on the number of positions we’ve already paid for, they’d have to get our approval,” said Horner. He said his department is looking at the numbers, to see if the funding is really there to hit the government’s targets.
“It’s the same money we gave them last year,” Horner added. Which is not to say it was adequate last year, either. Or that costs could not rise year to year — as they certainly have for students.
At any rate, when the universities say they need to cut back for funding reasons, one would tend to believe the universities.
Grant MacEwan University’s bachelor of nursing program was targeted to take 280 students, but a year ago cut that back to 240, and they report they will be holding the line again this year. They say of the 1,195 total of students currently in their program, only 975 are funded.
This spring in Red Deer, there will be 75 grads in their Bachelor of Science in Nursing, which is a four-year collaborative program with the U of A.
Four years ago, says department chairman Sheila McKay, the college decided to increase enrolments. So they have 130 students going into their second year next year, 110 going into third year, and 89 going into fourth year.
The plan was to accept 112 first-year students next September, but that was cut to 96. The two-year LPN program will remain stable with 64 new students next year, she said.
Not for lack of qualified applicants, but the money just isn’t there.
McKay said Red Deer College receives its student funding globally, and decides each year how to allocate the money according to its own priorities.
But overall, the money just isn’t there, for Red Deer, Grant MacEwan, or the two provincial medical schools.
And for all its boasting about the new doctors and nurses to serve areas of the province that aren’t being served right now, or to replace the surge in retirements that is expected to begin soon, it is quite evident the targets will not be met.
We’ve had a recession since the last election and the setting of the targets. But people can’t hold off getting sick until the economy improves.
Long-term goals have to hold through our boom-and-bust cycles.
The targets had been researched, and the plans were made to finance the universities and colleges so they could be achieved.
Or weren’t they?
It’s not the educational institutions that haven’t stuck with the program. Horner should know that much.
Greg Neiman is an Advocate editor.