Health care facilities in Humboldt, Wadena, Wynyard and Watrous are among those in rural Saskatchewan hoping to take advantage of a provincial initiative. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Saskatchewan Health Authority is advancing the Government of Saskatchewan's commitment to create more full-time positions in rural and northern communities across the province. It’s part of Saskatchewan's Health Human Resources Action Plan, says a government release.
The government reports that over 125 new, full-time, frontline health care positions have been posted on HealthCareersInSask.ca. Over 50 existing part-time positions have also been enhanced to full-time. The new and enhanced positions span 49 communities across the province, and include Registered Nurses, Registered Psychiatric Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Continuing Care Aides, Medical Radiation Technologists, Medical Laboratory Assistants, and Combined Lab and X-Ray Technicians.
"Bolstering our health care workforce through our aggressive Health Human Resources Action Plan will serve to attract more health professionals to practice in communities where they are most needed," Health Minister Paul Merriman said. "The creation of more permanent, full-time positions will lead to better retention of our health care workforce in these rural and northern areas."
The hope is to see health care in rural and northern communities benefit from creating more full-time positions and focussing on difficult to recruit positions.
"Following the announcement of Saskatchewan's Health Human Resources Action Plan, the SHA worked directly with its teams on the ground at local health facilities to determine what staffing enhancements would help them the most," SHA Chief Human Resources Officer Mike Northcott said. "We are pleased to have the support of the Ministry of Health in taking a flexible approach to aligning new resources with local needs."
A new one-time incentive of up to $50,000 is available to attract new employees to targeted positions in rural and remote areas. The incentive packages will range from $30,000 to $50,000 depending on the position.
The province is offering one-time incentives of up to $50,000 for new employees heading to rural or remote postings. The province also offers a suite of financial incentives including loan forgiveness programs, bursaries and supports to those interested in a health care career in Saskatchewan, particularly in rural and northern communities. Details are on www.saskatchewan.ca/HHR.