USask expands health-professional education across 13 programs

Since 2019, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has expanded health-professional education across 13 programs, introducing eight new ones and expanding five. This growth is creating more opportunities for learners in Saskatchewan while increasing USask’s capacity to educate future health professionals.

Eight new programs are creating educational and career pathways that were not previously available through USask, including occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, physician assistant studies, international dental degree training, dental therapy, dental assisting, dental hygiene, and periodontology. Nursing, nurse practitioner, undergraduate medicine, physical therapy, and clinical psychology have also expanded.

When the new and expanded programs reach full implementation, USask’s annual health-professional learner capacity is expected to grow from approximately 530 learners before the expansions to nearly 900. The additional capacity will create opportunities for more than 350 additional learners each year through targeted Government of Saskatchewan investments in health-professional education and training, along with growth through the USask College of Dentistry.

The university has expanded health-professional education in two distinct ways: creating new pathways for learners and increasing capacity in established programs. Expansion of the five existing programs will create opportunities for 135 additional learners each year when fully implemented.

For learners, the expansion creates more opportunities to pursue health-professional education, including programs offered through multiple campuses and sites across Saskatchewan.

“What’s exciting about this growth is the opportunity it creates for learners. More people can pursue health-professional education here in Saskatchewan, across a wider range of professions, while USask continues to build its capacity to educate the people our province will need in the years ahead,” said Dr. Patricia McDougall (PhD), USask provost and vice-president academic.

Targeted Government of Saskatchewan investment has supported growth in health-professional education at USask, including Saskatchewan’s first occupational therapy and speech-language pathology programs and a new physician assistant studies program. The College of Dentistry represents a separate area of growth, adding new health-professional education programs.

“Education has the power to change lives, and every new pathway we create represents an opportunity for someone to pursue a career they may never have imagined possible. At the College of Dentistry, we are not simply expanding programs; we are creating opportunities for learners, developing the next generation of oral health professionals, and building a stronger, more accessible oral health-care system for Saskatchewan and beyond,” said Dr. Walter Siqueira (DDS, PhD), dean of the USask College of Dentistry.

Across USask, the new and expanded programs are part of a broader period of growth in health-professional education. Together, they broaden the education available through the university and create new possibilities for how USask can continue to contribute in the years ahead.

AI disclosure: This article was developed with assistance from Microsoft Copilot.