The University of Calgary is expanding the career potential for health-care practitioners and making health care more accessible for the public with a new graduate certificate.
The Professional Practice Entrepreneurship graduate certificate offered through the Faculty of Nursing is designed specifically for Registered Nurses (RNs), Nurse Practitioners (NPs), and other healthcare providers to equip them with essential entrepreneurial skills.
"We're empowering skilled health-care professionals with the entrepreneurial tools they need to launch and lead their own practices - expanding access to care and addressing the evolving needs of Albertans and Canadians," says Lorelli Nowell, PhD'17, an associate professor and associate dean, graduate programs in the Faculty of Nursing.
The key target for this certificate are NPs, as policies defined in the new Canada Health Act state that from 2026 physicians and physician-equivalents will be remunerated for medically necessary services. The Professional Practice Entrepreneurship graduate certificate will help students specializing in areas such as addictions, mental health, or aging to establish clinics to address these areas of need.
"Nurses are faced daily with challenges, and have great ideas," says Kimberly Shapkin, certificate lead and associate professor (teaching) in the Faculty of Nursing.
"The nurses coming into this certificate program have fantastic solutions to take to the public to improve the delivery of health care."
The certificate is offered online, allowing students to continue working while they study. Mandatory online connect days are built into the program to provide interactive learning experiences and networking opportunities for students.
"We have students from coast to coast across Canada who will have access to this education," says Nowell. "A majority of our students stay in practice full-time and choose to look at other ways to advance their education without leaving their roles."
The Nurse Practitioner Association of Alberta will potentially be providing scholarships to nurse practitioners for ten seats in the certificate over the next two years.
Practitioners will build upon their clinical expertise to develop a greater understanding of how to create and lead business opportunities, develop business operations skills, ensure compliance using technology, and develop a strategy to grow their professional practice.
By building up a strong coalition of healthcare providers, the medical needs of Albertans can be better met.
"We are trying to create opportunities to provide care that is accessible for people in the community from the right practitioner, at the right time," says Shapkin.
The certificate also opens more avenues for nurses, allowing them to pursue their own businesses in areas they are passionate about.
"With nearly half of Canadian nurses leaving the profession within just a few years of graduating, we're creating an opportunity to reimagine what's possible in their careers, offering pathways for entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership, rather than resignation," explains Nowell.
Applications for the Professional Practice Entrepreneurship certificate are open until June 30. Learn more about the program here.
