Province seeing improvement in recruitment of health professionals The province is making headway with recruitment of health professionals. Roger Grimes, Minister of Health and Community Services, said today that recruitment efforts underway are seeing more physicians, nurses and other health professionals working in this province compared to this time last year. The most recent success story comes as a result of the province�s announcement only three weeks ago to provide a $3,000 signing bonus to graduating nurses who commit to work in Newfoundland and Labrador for at least one year.
Three weeks ago, Minister Grimes agreed to follow-up with the Human Resource Sub-Committee on nursing to map out a longer term provincial nursing recruitment program. The committee has met on several occasions in the past three weeks, and has recommended further input be sought from student nurses. The minister has taken the group�s advice and asked them to complete their work on a timely basis so it can be addressed in the upcoming provincial budget. The committee is made up of representatives from the department, student nurses, the Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses Union, the Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the health care boards. Minister Grimes also encouraged nurses, licenced practical nurses and social workers to cooperate in the classification review process announced last Friday in Corner Brook by government. "The purposes of the review are clear: to ensure current classifications properly reflect the complexity of the work employees perform and to complete the review on a timely basis. This reflects the changing nature of many health care related professions which is evident by classification reviews already underway for such classes as physiotherapists, pharmacists and dieticians represented by the Association of Allied Health Professionals," said the minister. "As I said on Friday of last week, we have heard the concerns of nurses, licenced practical nurses, social workers and the health care boards. Many of their concerns are related to classification levels. The review will commence as soon as possible, and be completed by this summer." Media contact: Carl Cooper, Communications, (709) 729-1377. 2000 02 23 11:30 p.m. |
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