 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What are we doing in Saskatchewan to educate, retain and recruit nurses? What are we doing to improve the quality of the workplace for nurses? Nursing Bursary Program ($6M for all nursing and non-nursing bursaries annually) • Recruits health employees for the entire province (on one website) on behalf of the regional health authorities and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. Representatives of the Agency have been to career fairs all over Canada and have advertised in key nursing journals. The recruitment agency has been in contact with more than 4,000 students (all types) and has forwarded over 1,000 applications to the health regions and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. On the website there are links to what it is like to live, work and play within different locations in our province. In addition, there are links to human resource contacts, licensing bodies, testimonials, and a link to the Saskatchewan Advantage page. Recruitment Grants ($8M total for nurses; $12M for program) • The relocation and recruitment grant program has been so successful that the target of 400 nurses has been doubled to 800 nurses with an additional $4M allocated to the program. As of December 31, 2007 , 383 nurses have received grants in the funding amount ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 for a one to four year return in service commitment, and 76% are working full time hours within our province. Retention Program ($6M for nurses and health employees) • Proposals are submitted from health employees and/or employers addressing retention issues in the workplace based on the themes of leadership, teambuilding and communication, professional development, effective staffing and workload management, flexible and safe work environments, technology and professional image. Retention Bonus ($6M over 3 years) • In the last round of negotiations with the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN), the government committed an additional 0.5% each year to the SUN member's salary – this amounts to an additional $6M in wages over three years of the agreement. Mentorship and Graduate Nurse Job Program ($12.4M) • The purpose of the program is to provide needed supports for new nurses who are transitioning from the education programs into practice and to provide a full-time job guarantee of supernumerary positions for new registered nursing graduates in the province. In addition, the program will support experienced nurses through providing them with recognition and a reduced workload in order to participate in the program. Continuing Education and Professional Development for Nurses ($2M) • Funding is for enhanced nursing professional development activities to complement the quality workplace and continuing education funding already provided to the health regions. Increase in Nursing Seats ($10M annually) • An increase of 120 seats in the Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan. The total number of seats will be 520 by the fall of 2010. • A new diploma Psychiatric Nursing Program with 30 seats, implemented in the fall of 2008. • Eighty-six additional seats added to the Practical Nursing Program for a total capacity of 210 seats in 2007-2008. Educational Opportunities for Aboriginal People • The government continues to show its commitment to providing Aboriginal people with improved access to training programs for select health professionals. Dedicated seats within already established training programs, a Native Access Program for Nursing ($170,000 annually), the Northern Health Sciences Access Program ($428,000 annually) and the Northern summer student program ($50,000 annually) all provide enhanced opportunities for Aboriginal people to enter into the field of healthcare.
• The Native Access Program for Nursing (NAPN) supports Aboriginal students enrolled in the Practical Nurse Program as well as the Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan (NEPS) in dealing with academic and personal issues that may be preventing academic success. • Funding under a contribution agreement with Health Canada for conducting IEHP projects such as situational analysis of barriers, on-line portal for integration and preparedness; career pathing; research and development • Funding for Saskatchewan Registered Nurses' Association (SRNA) to improve their capacity to assess internationally educated nurses. ($0.3M) Quality Health Workplace Initiatives (Over $34M) • Funding for regional health authorities and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency in support of learning and professional development opportunities for employees and quality workplace initiatives ($500,000 annually) • Funding to purchase patient-lifting equipment ($31.7M over 4 years) • Employee opinion survey to work with employees on improving quality workplaces ($200,000) • Provincial occupational health and safety strategy ($500,000 annually) • Safety engineered needles in the workplace ($2.7M) • Representative workforce training for full participation of Aboriginal people ($300,000 annually) • In addition, funding for pilot projects examining various nursing models and staffing levels. Health Careers in Sask. will have been present at 38 career fairs/conferences across Canada in 2007-08; includes post secondary institutions in Sask., Winnipeg, Calgary; fairs in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria, Windsor, London, Hamilton, St. Johns, Halifax and Fredericton; Philippines Nursing Recruitment Trip (2) and the British Medical Journal physician career fair in London, England We want to protect our health professionals from overwork and undue fatigue.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||