New training will upgrade skills for Ontario primary care nurses

The Ontario government says $30 million in funding will add to the skills of nurses to provide primary care, as well as increase the number of healthcare providers in the province.

According to the Ministry of Health, this new funding will upskill over 1,400 registered nurses for primary care, create 170 educational opportunities for primary care nurses, and add up to 150 physician assistant education training spots.

Primary care is the first point of medical contact in Ontario, delivered by nurses, family doctors and other healthcare teams.

“Our government is continuing to take bold action to further protect Ontario’s world-class health-care workforce now and for years to come,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, in the announcement made in Brampton today. “By increasing the number of nurse practitioners and physician assistants, while upskilling registered nurses, we are taking one more step towards our goal of ensuring everyone can connect to primary care.”

To support the recruitment and retention of nurses in primary care, Ontario is funding over $4.5 million for a new, innovative program that will help over 1,400 registered nurses gain skills and experience in primary care, including:

• chronic disease management
• cancer screening
• maternal and child care
• immunizations

The primary care upskilling program for registered nurses is a 12-week program that provides additional education and training to support working in primary care settings. Upon completion, registered nurses will receive a certificate from the program.

Launching this year, the program will be delivered in partnership with Conestoga College, Lakehead University, Trent University and Western University to equip registered nurses with the skills they need to immediately work in a primary care setting. As one of the first programs of its kind, it is meant to free up more time for family doctors and nurse practitioners to focus on patients with more complex needs.

“Today’s investment builds on our government’s critical work to protect Ontario’s health-care workforce today, and into the future,” said Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. “This new upskilling program and seat expansions will ensure that Ontario continues to have highly skilled workers to connect more people across the province to compassionate health care, close to home.”

Ontario is also spending $8.5 million to add up to 170 new primary care nurse practitioner education training seats starting this year. Nursing schools implementing this training include Lakehead University, Laurentian University, McMaster University, the University of Ottawa, Queen’s University, Toronto Metropolitan University, the University of Toronto, the University of Windsor, Western University and York University. This expansion is expected to create more nurse practitioners in Ontario working in primary care, enabling faster and easier access for families across the province.

In addition, starting in 2026-27, the government is investing a further $16 million to add up to 150 new physician assistant education training positions at Ontario universities. Physician assistants help reduce wait times and improve patient access to primary care services across Ontario. Under the supervision of a physician, physician assistants may work with other members of healthcare teams to provide healthcare services.

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