The Government of Saskatchewan announced on Friday that five more communities will be added to the Saskatchewan Loan Forgiveness for Nurses and Nurse Practitioners program.
The program was originally launched in 2013 and applied to rural and remote communities with a population of less than 10,000 at its inception.
The five new communities include Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Yorkton, the Battlefords, and Prince Albert.
Nurses or nurse practitioners who have worked a minimum of 400 hours of in-person service in one of the listed communities over 12 consecutive months could get loan forgiveness of $4,000 annually. The maximum potential forgiveness amount could be $20,000 with 5 years working in the community.
The applications must be sent for processing within 90 days of each completed year of work. Those who began their employment on or after January 1, 2023 in one of the added communities could potentially apply as early as January 1, 2024.
The move is aimed to aid with hiring and keeping nurses in rural areas of Saskatchewan. You can find more information about the program here.