Staff recruitment, retention remain paramount for Saskatchewan’s health-care industry

The aftermath of the fourth wave of COVID-19 remains evident within the Saskatchewan health-care system.

One of the most prominent struggles lies with the recruitment and retention of health-care professionals.

According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority, from January to September of this year, 10.5 per cent more SHA staff members left the organization than over the same time frame a year before.

CUPE local 5430 is the representative for CUPE health-care workers in the province.

Their president, Bashir Jalloh, explained the burnout and stress that his members are facing, saying, “the stress of working short-staffed is having such an impact that some members are thinking of early retirement or changing careers.”

4:41 Nurses leaving medical industry in droves

According to Jalloh there are currently 1,400 government health-care job postings in Saskatchewan with only 180 of those being full-time, permanent positions.

For Jalloh that is a focal point of the issue.

“Most of the jobs being posted today are temporary jobs with most ending in March of 2022,” Jalloh said. “That is a problem; you can recruit but you cannot retain them. The moment they see a full-time job they will move to those positions.”

At the Canadian Medical Association, president Dr. Katharine Smart admits that short-term solutions in a human and health resource crisis are hard to find.

“One of the first things governments could do is really listen to physicians and nurses and reflect their feedback into their decision making,” Smart said.

“That would go a long way to making health-care professionals feel valued. Feeling like we have a seat at the table and our voices are being heard is a critical short-term move.”

The Provincial Government and SHA have taken steps to address the staffing shortage. In an effort to increase recruitment, Saskatchewan Polytechnic will now have 53 extra critical care nurse openings per year.

“There’s been robust interest and we will continue this practice over the upcoming academic year and into the future as long as it’s needed,” said Christa MacLean the Interim Dean at Sask Polytech’s School of Nursing.

While robust interest is promising, the competition is fierce, as the whole country faces a shortage of health-care workers.