Prairie Mountain recruits four new nurse practitioners

Prairie Mountain Health has recruited four nurse practitioners to provide medical treatment in Westman — including Shoal Lake, Melita and Rossburn, which have been without a full-time doctor, says Treena Slate, the health care region’s CEO.

The nurse practitioners have started seeing patients in those communities as well as Canupawakpa First Nation, the Brandon Minor Injury and Illness Clinic and Dauphin Primary Care Outreach Clinic, PMH announced in a news release Monday.

Kiersten McNabb, the new nurse practitioner for Rossburn and Shoal Lake, grew up in Minnedosa and understands some of the challenges people in rural communities face in trying to find a primary health-care provider.

“I am excited to be providing care to communities who need more primary care providers,” she said in an email statement on Tuesday.

McNabb graduated with a bachelor’s in nursing in 2013 at the University of Manitoba and worked full-time as a registered nurse for 10 years before completing her master’s degree in nursing to become a nurse practitioner last month.

She is joined by Stacie Gardiner-Graham, who began practising in Melita and Canupawakpa First Nation; Erin Ryback, who is practising in Brandon; and Jolynn Harder, who will be working in Dauphin.

Nurse practitioners can work independently — similar to a doctor — by diagnosing patients, prescribing medication, ordering diagnostic tests such as blood work, X-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans and MRIs, and by completing minor procedures like suturing and biopsies, Slate said.

“We know that if we can support nurses within our own region … who know the region and their communities, they will stay here and work with us on a long-term basis,” Slate said.

She said there is a greater need for nurse practitioners in rural areas like Shoal Lake, which has three nurse practitioners after the new hire, compared to urban centres like Brandon that have more doctors available to see patients.

Shoal Lake receives physician support from Hamiota on an “infrequent” basis about once per week, Slate said, adding that Rossburn has not had any physician support recently, but may see increased support once there are more doctors in Russell.

Rossburn has two nurse practitioners now that McNabb is providing care in the community.

Melita also has two nurse practitioners and receives physician support from Virden once a week and support from Deloraine once per month, Slate said.

“The consistent primary care there in that community has been provided by nurse practitioners historically, or for the last few years, and the same for Shoal Lake.”

The addition of four nurse practitioners will strengthen the primary care support in rural communities and limit the need for people to seek medical attention in emergency rooms or hospitals, she said.

Prairie Mountain Health expects six nurse practitioner students to complete the second year of their program and begin working in the fall of 2026, the release said.

As of this month, there are 31 nurse practitioners working in the PMH region — 11 of them in First Nation communities.

Slate said the health region has ongoing recruitment and retainment initiatives to attract more nurse practitioners to the area.

Health, Seniors and Long-term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the new nurse practitioners will make a “tremendous difference” for people living in southwestern Manitoba.

“Onboarding nurse practitioners isn’t, you know, to replace or in the absence of a doctor. They’re invaluable no matter what health-care team or setting they’re a part of,” Asagwara said.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com