THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay's hospitals are taking advantage of a provincial government program to try to fill job openings for registered nurses, registered practical nurses and nurse practitioners.
Under the health ministry's Community Commitment Program for Nurses, hospitals can obtain grants to offer nurses an incentive of $25,000 in exchange for a commitment to stay with their new employer for 24 months.
When the program was launched in 2021, it initially required applicants to work for just a year.
The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre announced Wednesday that it has received approval for more than 70 grants.
"There are significant health human resources pressures both provincially and regionally, and we are not immune to these challenges," said Jeannine Verdenik, the hospital's vice president for people and culture.
"While we hired many personnel in 2022, the challenges of recruitment are not going away, so this incentive will help fill some of the nursing vacancies we currently have moving forward."
So far in 2023, five new hires have qualified for the $25,000 incentive.
St. Joseph's Care Group is also using the incentive program for recruitment.
The organization reported last October that it had 18 participants in 2021-2022, with a further 24 approved for 2022-2024.
To be eligible for the program a nurse must:
- not have been employed as a nurse in Ontario in the six months prior to being hired
- hold a Certificate of Registration in good standing from the College of Nurses of Ontario
- begin employment no later than March 31, 2024
- commit to two years at a full-time work schedule offered by the employer
- not simultaneously receive funds from the Ministry of Health for the Tuition Support Program for Nurses
Ontario Health - Health Force Ontario provides further particulars about the Community Commitment Program for Nurses online.
Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, the president and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, said incentives can attract people to work at the hospital, but it is also using other recruitment tools.
"We are actively exploring enhanced professional development opportunities, work-life balance initiatives, flexible scheduling mechanisms, and the development of mentoring programs," she said.
Last fall the two city hospitals reported they had 195 openings for RNs, RPNs and nurse practitioners between them.
As of this month, St. Joseph's Care Group still had 104 vacancies, but an up-to-date figure could not be obtained from TBRHSC, where a spokesperson said the number is constantly fluctuating.
Information about current job openings at TBRHSC is available on the hospital website.
Details of vacancies at St. Joseph's Care Group can be found on its website.
NOTE: A previous version of this story has been updated to reflect new data provided by St. Joseph's Care Group concerning the number of current vacancies
