The B.C. government says it will fund more than 1,000 seats each year at the B.C. Institute of Technology's specialty nurse training program — more than doubling the current number of specialty nurse training opportunities in the province.

Health Minister Adrian Dix made the announcement Monday morning at BCIT's Burnaby campus.

"Specialty nurses help us when we need emergency care; they help deliver our babies and they care for us when we are seriously ill," said Dix in a statement.

"Increasing the number of specialty nurse seats helps people get trained for some of the most important and in-demand jobs in B.C."

The province added 611 training seats to a 389 seat specialty nurse program last year and will maintain that level of funding this year and next.

"[The funding] announcement is a promising step toward addressing the province's nurse shortage and the impact it's having on patient care," said Christine Sorensen, president of the B.C. Nurse's Union.

The minister says specialty nurses are in high demand for high-skill areas ranging from emergency rooms to intensive care units for high-risk cardiac care patients, obstetrical and newborn care or working with complex patients facing multiple health challenges.

According to the ministry, nursing is one of the fastest-growing job sectors in the province due to a growing and aging population. Approximately 60 percent of B.C.'s nurses work in complex or acute settings in health authorities, up from 44 per cent four years ago.