Rural Health Professions Action Plan

03/14/2026

RhPAP was pleased to fund an Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course (ENPC) through the Rural Education Fund in High River on March 5 to 6, 2026.

18 participants from the High River area — including 13 RNs and 5 LPNs — took part in the training, strengthening their skills and confidence in providing emergency pediatric care in rural settings.

Thank you to all who participated and helped make this important learning opportunity possible! 👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️🩺

Town of High River

03/12/2026

March is Social Work Month — a time to celebrate the dedication, compassion, and impact of social workers in our communities. 💙

Learning new skills is powerful. Learning them alongside a colleague? Even better.

For two rural social workers, teaming up for training through RhPAP’s REAL program elevated collaboration to a whole new level.

Ardelle Layden and Desiree Morris, who both work at Canopy Cove Counselling in Olds, completed the Four Day Essentials and Emotionally Focused Family Therapy training in May 2024.

“Having several clinicians trained in the same model who work in the same clinic—it’s amazing to see the growth that happens,” says Morris, a social worker who specializes in pediatrics, teens, and couples.

Now, when Morris begins working with a youth, she often recommends that parents connect with Layden or another colleague trained in the same approach.

“It supports the entire family unit using the same model, so they’re able to come together.”

When clinicians learn together, communities benefit. 🌱

Read the full story on the blog: https://loom.ly/frOinIo

Town of Olds Olds and Area Health Professionals Attraction and Retention Committee

03/11/2026

👩‍⚕️White coat fever hit the community of Lamont in February, but there was no need to panic.

Forty Grade 1 students donned the quintessential physician’s white uniform during a Doctor for a Day initiative at Lamont Health Care Centre.

The event was arranged by the area’s Rural Health Committee, an attraction and retention committee recently established with support from RhPAP to encourage health professionals to work in the community.

“It was good, it was fun,” says Linda Mills, who represents the hospital board on the committee.

“Everybody who was involved stepped up to the plate. Those kids were so inquisitive. There wasn’t one kid crawling on the floor or turning circles. They were just entranced.”

Mills got the idea for Doctor for a Day after attending RhPAP’s 2024 Rural Community Conference in Wainwright. There, Dr. Sam Ogbeide spoke about how his community invited young students to experience healthcare in a non-threatening environment and even plant a seed for them to become health professionals in the Killam area down the road.

🔗Read the full story: https://loom.ly/xhsxflM

Town of Lamont Lamont County Town of Wainwright Alberta Health Services

03/11/2026

Kallie's dream to be a medical examiner took a big step forward thanks to an RhPAP Let's Go Rural! Skills Event in Taber.
Kallie attends Lomond Community School. It was one of five Taber area schools that participated.

Town of Taber Lomond Community School Alberta Health Services Municipal District of Taber

03/09/2026

📢 Rural communities — your healthcare workforce support just got stronger.

RhPAP’s new AIR Toolkit is your free, step-by-step guide to help attract, integrate, and retain healthcare professionals in rural Alberta.

💡 Designed for community members, leaders, employers, and volunteers, the toolkit offers flexible modules, downloadable tools, and real examples from rural Alberta.

Use one section or all seven, it’s built for where you are.

🔗 Explore it now: rhpap.ca/ruralcommunities/air-toolkit

03/06/2026

Great day of learning in Brooks! 🚁

On March 3, 19 healthcare professionals from Brooks and Bassano came together for a STARS Mobile Education Day, funded through RHPAP’s REF program. Participants from three disciplines—physicians, RNs, and an LPN—built hands-on skills in airway management, trauma care tips and tricks, and intraosseous insertions with guidance from the incredible STARS crew.

Thank you to the STARS team for sharing your expertise and helping strengthen emergency care skills in rural Alberta. And thank you to all the participants who made the day such a success!

City of Brooks Town of Bassano

03/05/2026

We’re excited to share another great example of rural healthcare learning in action! 👏

On March 1 in Ponoka, RhPAP was pleased to support Neuro Rehab Aquatic Therapy Certification training through the Rural Education Fund.

Thirteen participants completed the training, including two physiotherapists, nine recreation therapists, and two therapy assistants. Twelve practice at the Halvar Jonson Centre for Brain Injury in Ponoka, and one participant travelled from Vegreville to take part.

Training opportunities like this help strengthen rehabilitation services in rural communities and support people living with neurological conditions through innovative therapies like aquatic rehab. 💧

Thank you to everyone who participated and continues to advance care for rural Albertans!

Town of Ponoka Town Of Vegreville

03/03/2026

💻 Join RhPAP and rural community leaders on March 5th for an free webinar spotlighting the realities of healthcare in rural Alberta. Hear firsthand stories about local challenges and learn how communities are driving innovative, grassroots solutions.

This session celebrates the resilience, collaboration, and leadership shaping stronger, more sustainable healthcare across rural Alberta.

🔗 Register now: https://loom.ly/ZBFyIhQ

02/27/2026

A multi-year research project, funded in part by RhPAP, found that community and workplace support play a critical role in the success of Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) working in rural Alberta.

The study, Internationally Educated Nurses’ Experience of Rural Alberta Nursing Practice: A Mixed Methods Study, examined the experiences of registered nurses (RNs) who recently relocated to rural Alberta through an initiative sponsored by Alberta Health Services (AHS).

The researchers found that IENs are most successful when they receive what they describe as “wrap-around support” — a mix of professional, organizational, and community-based assistance tailored to individual needs.

“It’s support that is holistic, it’s individualized to that person’s needs, and it brings together a variety of resources from community, the professional bodies, the employers, and all of those people that they work with,” explains Dr. Monique Sedgwick, a registered nurse and professor with the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge (U of L).

Beyond formal workplace support, informal community connections are just as important. These supports often came from community members, other immigrant families or employees, faith leaders, childcare providers, local businesses, and others.

Read more on the blog: https://loom.ly/bZsPWfE

Download PDF Community and workplace support play a critical role in the success of Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) working in rural Alberta, according to...

02/26/2026

👩‍⚕️A Sundre resident is on her way to becoming a rural physician several years after a spur-of-the-moment decision to attend a medical career awareness event as a high school student.

Davina Choi’s guidance counsellor nudged her to participate in an RhPAP’s Let’s Go Rural! High School Event in 2018, despite the fact the student wasn’t considering a medical career.

Back then, Choi was set to become a teacher. Regardless, she thought it might be fun to participate in the experience arranged by local attraction and retention committee representatives and area health professionals to introduce students to medical professions in her community.

🪡“I loved suturing, I loved the airway management, I loved talking to staff back then. It really helped me appreciate the medical programs and the medical services we had in Sundre,” recalls Choi of her participation in Let’s Go Rural!

Now in her first year of medical school, the one-day experience proved influential for her and many others.

“I also know that a lot of my friends and classmates went into medical fields like nursing or emergency medical services because of the event,” she says.

Choi is now enrolled in medical school in Grande Prairie with the Northern Alberta Medical Program (NAMP), hosted by Northwestern Polytechnic and offered through the University of Alberta. NAMP offers medical students an opportunity to complete their education in the northwestern city and communities across northern Alberta.

📸Pictured: A heavy snowfall led to a slower day in the Sundre emergency department recently while medical student Davina Choi was shadowing Dr. Adam Penkul through RhPAP’s Rural Mentorship Program. It gave Dr. Penkul (shown) and fellow resident physician, Dr. Sonia Rawat, the opportunity to discuss fractures with Choi and show her the steps involved in casting. Not only did she learn about casting, but Choi was also able to experience what it’s like having one applied.

Town of Sundre Sundre Hospital Futures Committee

02/26/2026

Even though he's prone to fainting when he sees blood, that didn't stop Kade Haslam from attending an RhPAP Let's Go Rural! Skills Event in Taber.

He was one of 39 Taber area students who spent the day learning medical skills and getting to know more about the healthcare career opportunities in their community.