As rural Saskatchewan deals with heavy staff shortages in the health-care system, the Saskatchewan Health Authority has posted job opportunities for 175 full-time health-care positions.
“Bolstering our health care workforce through our aggressive Health Human Resources Action Plan will serve to attract more health professionals to practise 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.”
Over 125 new, full-time, frontline health-care positions have been posted on Health Careers in Saskatchewan’s website. Over 50 existing part-time positions have also been enhanced to full-time.
The positions span 49 communities across the province, and include opportunities for registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, licensed practical nurses, continuing care aides, medical radiation technologists, medical laboratory assistants, and combined lab and X-Ray technicians.
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The government said the full-time positions are part of the Saskatchewan Health Human Resources Action Plan.
“A key pillar of Saskatchewan’s Health Human Resources Action Plan is to create more full-time positions and enhance existing, difficult-to-recruit part-time positions to full-time in rural and northern communities,” a press release read.
“Posting 125 new, full-time positions and enhancing over 50 existing part-time positions is the first step under this pillar of the Action Plan, with further postings anticipated as needs arise based on local circumstances.”
Any of the available jobs are posted at HealthCareersInSask.ca.
The SHA said the searches to fill those positions are actively occurring both nationally and internationally.
Many positions qualify for new incentives provided by the Government of Saskatchewan as part of the recently launched Health Human Resources Action Plan. The goal of the plan is to recruit, train, incentivize and retain more healthcare workers to strengthen the provincial health-care system.
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.
“We have heard directly from frontline health care workers that more permanent full-time positions are integral to enhancing health care services across our province,” said Everett Hindley, Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health Minister.
“By offering competitive incentive packages and focusing on key retention practices, we will expand our health care workforce, stabilize health care services across the province, and build a stronger health care system ready to meet the needs of a growing province.”
The list of communities benefiting from this initiative is on Saskatchewan.ca.
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