Rural Education and Advanced Learning Program (REAL)
Starting September 9:
The REAL Program is moving to continuous applications. Funding will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Invest in your skills to strengthen community care
Our REAL Program helps you access continuing professional development and education to enhance the care you provide close to home. Through the REAL program, RHPAP provides funding of up to $5,000.00 for approved course costs.
Who can apply?
The REAL Program is designed for nurses, midwives, nurse practitioners, and allied health professionals working in rural Alberta. REAL serves those who may face greater challenges accessing training or who can share new skills with colleagues. This includes professionals working:
- In a primary care network
- In out-of-scope or non-union roles
- In independent or private practice
- As a clinical nurse educator, clinical resource nurse, clinical nurse specialist, or hospital department lead
In addition to the above, applicants must also meet the following expectations:
- Have worked in their current position for at least six months
- Hold an active practice license, and be in good standing, in Alberta through their applicable professional regulatory body.
- Currently live and practise and do the majority of their work (must be at least 10 hours per week) 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.
Please note: Starting in 2027, health professionals working in North Zone communities with a population larger than 15,000 will no longer be eligible for REAL funding.
funding inclusion
Eligible applicants may apply for funding for a single course, each semester of a long-term program or a comparable training opportunity.
Training opportunities must fit the following criteria:
- Be relevant to your current role and scope of practice
- Be on a healthcare subject
- Benefit patients and your rural community
- Be upcoming, ongoing, or have started within 90 days of application (with limited exceptions)
- Not have received funding for the same course previously
Funds may not be used for the following elements of the training:
- Staff salaries
- Participant travel and accommodation costs
- Fees not associated with the course cost or tuition (example: Student Association Fees, health insurance, etc.)
Applications are open throughout the year until all available funds have been allocated.
Examples of Eligible Training Include:
- Accelerated Resolution Therapy
- Master of Nursing - Nurse Practitioner
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Wounds Canada National Conference
- Trauma Nursing Advanced Course
- Professional Certificate of Skin Cancer Medicine
- Foundations of Play Therapy
- Advanced Footcare
- Critical Incident Group Debriefing
- Perinatal Mental Health Certification
Application guidelines
Expectations from Applicants
Applicants must be willing to:
- Commit to a return of service
- Repay funding if training is not completed or service commitments are not met
- Participate in program evaluation and feedback
Important Program Update
Starting September 9:
The REAL Program is moving to continuous applications. Funding will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Instead of three application cycles each year, applications will remain open until available funding is exhausted.
We encourage eligible health professionals to apply as soon as possible once applications open September 9.
Enhance the care you provide at home through REAL funding.
