Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're just a few short months away from having another class of Aurora College nursing graduates. And so I'm wondering if the Minister of Health and Social Services can tell us how many students she is expecting to graduate from Aurora College nursing program this year? Or how many sorry, how many are currently enrolled and may graduate I should probably ask. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. There are a total of 20 students in the final year of the bachelor of nursing program, and NTHSSA has made a conditional offer to each of them. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm very happy to hear that. That was going to be my next question for the Minister so that is wonderful news.
I'm wondering if the GNWT has also looked into potential LPN graduates that will be graduating this year as well and if there have been any conditional job offers offered to them as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the human resources unit that deals with staffing for medical professionals in the NTHSSA is working to finalize the process for hiring licensed practical nurses from Aurora College, and we know that there are 12 possible hires in that group. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering what kind of a timeline Health is working with so that we don't risk losing these LPNs to other jurisdictions who might be already waiting with a job offer somewhere? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the point of having the LPN program there is to provide a local workforce for the functions of that particular job. While I don't have exact timing for when their process will be complete, it's my expectation that it will be complete in time to offer the LPNs work in the NWT. We need them. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I absolutely agree with the Minister. So I'm wondering, given the healthcare staffing shortage that we are experiencing as well in the Northwest Territories, and the pressure on primary care in health centres across the territory and, in addition to that, the availability of nurse practitioners to work alongside physicians, is the GNWT facilitating temporary certificates for all nurse practitioner graduates so that they can work while they're waiting for their national exam results? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services doesn't license medical professionals who are nurses. They are licensed by the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. And each graduating nurse would work with that entity to ensure they submit the necessary documents to be licensed in the NWT, whatever duration, whether they plan to be here on a temporary basis or fulltime. So once they're licensed, they would be eligible for employment and to compete on longterm employment and competitions within the GNWT because they would be cleared for work here. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
