Think I'll go out to Alberta: Eastern Health targets expat nurses
25.09.2008 15:01
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
 Eastern Health's Stephen Dodge says recruiters in Alberta will highlight new career opportunities. (CBC)Newfoundland and Labrador's largest health authority is taking its recruitment drive for new nurses to a part of the country with the highest salaries, believing it has a decent chance for success. Eastern Health recruiters are in Alberta this week, paying particular attention to communities where expatriate nurses from Newfoundland and Labrador have settled. The authority, which manages hospitals, nursing homes and public health services in eastern Newfoundland, recruited in Edmonton on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the campaign heads to Fort McMurray. "Obviously, we're selling the return to the province, and right now I think the province has a really good aura, in terms of the economic climate [and] the opportunities are there," said Stephen Dodge, vice-president of human resources at Eastern Health. With hundreds of nursing vacancies still unfilled, Eastern Health has expanded its recruitment efforts well beyond its normal boundaries. It will, however, be a hard sell, as nurses in Newfoundland and Labrador earn among the lowest wages in the country, topping out at nearly $30 per hour. In Alberta, nurses can expect to earn $40 per hour.  Debbie Forward says nurses who had moved to Alberta will be reluctant to move back to Newfoundland and Labrador for significantly lower wages.(CBC)The Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses' Union last week cancelled conciliation talks with the provincial Treasury Board, complaining that government and institutional boards were inflexible on bringing wages close to national averages. Nurses' Union president Debbie Forward said she expects Eastern Health will have a hard time persuading many nurses with a campaign focusing on a taste of home. "Yes, they can tout our great province and, you know, our puffins and our whales, but what nurses are looking at is what working conditions will I work in, and right now when we're short a thousand nurses [and] that is impacting working conditions," Forward said in an interview. The union's opening demands for the current round of bargaining included a 12-per-cent hike in each of the next two years, plus an increase in both the beginning and top salary scales. Premier Danny Williams has called that demand excessive, and beyond even what his government can afford during an oil-fuelled surplus. Eastern Health acknowledges that higher salaries will help, but said it will emphasize factors such as new career opportunities. "Compensation is certainly an important part of recruitment, but it's not the only piece," Dodge said. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksNurses call off talks, blame N.L. for stalling on wagesEastern Health launches hiring drive for nursesVideo Lee Pitts reports: Think I'll go out to Alberta: Eastern Health aims for expat nurses (Runs: 1:60)Play: Real Media »Play: QuickTime »Health HeadlinesFood recalls grow in Chinese tainted milk crisisFood recalls expanded in Europe and Asia on Thursday as an industrial chemical linked to the deaths of four babies turned up in candies and other Chinese-made exports that were quickly pulled from store shelves. Surgery for clogged carotid a waste if no stroke signs: studyThe vast majority of patients with narrowed carotid arteries but no warning signs of a stroke can avoid plaque-removing surgery and be treated instead with lifestyle changes and intensive drug therapy, researchers suggest.Family angered by man's ER deathSome of the family of a man who died in the emergency room at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre last weekend say they are shocked and angered by his death.16 ready-made sandwiches recalled over listeriaThe Canadian Food Inspection Agency is recalling 16 ready-made sandwiches produced by Alberta-based Hygaard Fine Foods Ltd. because they may contain Listeria monocytogenes. Florida Panther, former NFLers to donate brains for studyNoah Welch of the Florida Panthers is one of a number of pro athletes who have agreed to donate their brains for examination after their deaths to study the long-term effects of concussions, the New York Times reported on its website Tuesday night. Health FeaturesHEALTHMultiple sclerosisHigh rates in Canada and around the worldIN DEPTHSafetyText messaging becomes a road hazardHEALTHPain pillsPros and cons of three popular pain relieversHEALTHExerciseFitness boot camps: Cross-training pulls in recruitsMEDICAL RESEARCHBrain banksCrucial for research, clamouring for donorsHEALTH & FITNESSPeter HadzipetrosZorba the obesePeople who read this also read …
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