During National Nursing Week, running May 11 to 17 under the theme "The Power of Nurses to Transform Health," Albertans rightly recognize the skill, compassion, and dedication nurses bring to patients, families, and communities every day.
That theme is more than a celebration. It is a reminder of what is possible when nurses are supported to build long, meaningful careers in the communities they serve.
Nurses Are Essential to Alberta's Economy and Health System
Nurses are essential to Alberta’s health-care system, economy, and communities. The province’s health-care sector contributes more than $16.7 billion to GDP and employs roughly 247,000 Albertans, with nurses as its largest occupational group.
Alberta continues to attract people to nursing, and that is a strong foundation. The opportunity now is to ensure the system they enter supports them to stay, grow, and thrive.
Early Career Support Is Critical
Many nurses need more support early in their careers. The Alberta Association of Nurses (AAN) member polling found that 68 per cent of respondents were thinking of leaving the profession. Data cited by AAN also suggests that for every 100 young nurses entering the profession in Alberta, about 48 under the age of 35 do not renew their registration within the first five years.
This matters for nurses, but it also matters for patients.
When nurses leave, patients feel it. Turnover can mean more handoffs, longer waits, more pressure on remaining staff, and less consistency for patients and families. Workforce instability is not an abstract human resources issue. It is felt in exam rooms, hospital units, emergency departments, and communities across Alberta.
Retention Must Be a Patient-Care Priority
That is why retention must be treated as a patient-care priority. For years, health workforce conversations have focused heavily on recruitment. Recruitment matters, but it will not solve the problem if the system is not designed to keep nurses.
Retention is not built in slogans. It is built shift by shift, in the conditions nurses experience every day.
Key Factors for Retention
- Strong leadership at the point of care
- Mentorship for new nurses
- Access to professional development
- Opportunities to grow
- A meaningful voice in decisions that affect patient care
It is also built through stability. In Alberta, nurses are significantly more likely to work part time than the average worker — 31 per cent compared with 20 per cent. Flexibility can be valuable, and many nurses want it. But when part-time, casual, or temporary work becomes the default rather than a supported choice, it can make it harder for new nurses to find stable footing.
Point-of-Care Managers Are Overlooked
Point-of-care nurse managers are one of the most important and often overlooked parts of the retention conversation. They shape the daily experience of nurses, manage workload, support new staff, resolve concerns, build trust, and create the conditions where nurses can do their best work.
