Rural Education and Advanced Learning (REAL)

Rural Education and Advanced Learning (REAL) Program

Applications open again on May 8, 2024.

RhPAP’s REAL Program helps rural health professionals access continuing professional development and education opportunities that help them enhance the healthcare services they offer in their communities.

This initiative is aimed at nurses, midwives, nurse practitioners, and allied health professionals working in rural Alberta in one of the following contexts:

a primary care network
an out-of-scope or non-union position
independent or private practice, or
a clinical nurse educator

Applicants may apply for funding for courses, a semester of course, or other training opportunities.

Some recent examples of funding include:

Bonnyville speech-language pathologist Alaina Gamache works with five-year-old Abigail on some orofacial myofunctional exercises after receiving training on the speciality from an RhPAP-sponsored course.

Subscribe to RhPAP’s communications to stay informed on when to apply as well as other programs that may be of interest to you.

Eligibility

To be eligible, the following conditions must be met:

Work in rural Alberta in one of the following contexts for at least six (6) consecutive months: a primary care network, private practice, non-union position, or as a clinical nurse educator.
Hold an active practice license, and be in good standing, in Alberta through their applicable professional regulatory body.
Currently live and practise in a rural Alberta community located outside the Census Metropolitan Area boundaries of Calgary or Edmonton, with a population of fewer than 15,000 people, or fall within Alberta’s North Zone

Training must meet the following criteria:

Applicants may only apply for one course, semester of courses, or other training opportunity per application cycle.
Course or training opportunity must support your clinical area of practice, be relevant to your current position and scope of practice.
Course or training opportunity must benefit patients within your community as well as your personal practice or skill competency.
Course or training opportunity must not have already received funding from or subsidy through REAL or another source.

Applicants must be willing to agree to the following terms and conditions:

a return-of-service term
repayment of REAL funding in the event that the course is not successfully completed or the return-of-service commitment is not fulfilled
participation in the evaluation of the REAL Program and provision of feedback as requested
other terms and conditions that may apply

Please note: Preference may be given to applications based on the following criteria:

the remoteness/ need of the community from which the applicant is applying as determined by Alberta Health’s Rural & Remote Program Isolation Scores.
the benefit of the type of course/ training/ program to the community (Considerations include the following: what kind of value would local patients/clients receive from this training?; does another provider in the community already offer the services that this training would facilitate?, etc.)
amount of REAL funding previously provided to applicant

If you have questions, please email REAL@rhpap.ca.

Continuing Professional Development