Nurses key to ensuring AI will improve patient care, says new course lead

The University of Alberta is training Canadian nurses to play a critical role in how AI is adopted in health care.

The new online graduate certificate in AI and health is taking applications until Aug. 15, 2026. 

“It’s really about empowering nurses and other health-care professionals with the knowledge and skills to think about the technology they’re using, and at the same time ensuring that this technology serves to improve care, not burden care or the care provider,” says associate professor Manal Kleib, who will teach the first course. 

“Nurses are 24/7 at the patient’s bedside,” says Kleib. “They literally know everything about the patient, so those nurses really are key to making sure that we’re collecting the right data and that these data are used responsibly to improve care.” 

Kleib focuses on preparing nurses and nursing students to deliver safe, ethical, human-centred care with the help of digital tools. She says innovations such as Alberta’s Connect Care and MyChart have reduced duplication and improved access to care. 

She sees potential for AI to help with everything from faster research and better diagnostics to improving hospital workflows. But at the same time, increased record-keeping, constant electronic alarms and the need to combat online health disinformation — to name a few of the downsides of digital change — can all lead to “technostress” for nurses in the workplace, Kleib notes. 

Rather than replacing nurses, AI and other digital tools should support nurses so they have more time for their most important role, she says. 

“When they become competent and confident, then they will be better able to navigate these massive technological shifts and remember to use technology in a mindful and reflective way, so they can put that computer aside and have a real conversation with their patient or just hold their hand.” 

Manal Kleib’s research is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. She is a member of the Women and Children’s Research Health Institute and the AI + Health Hub.