Windsor Regional Hospital has recruited 20 new registered nurses thanks to financial incentives offered as part of a Ministry of Health program.
David Musyj, President and Chief Executive Officer, estimates around $500,000 in incentives have been committed to the new nurses as part of the on-going recruitment effort.
The program launched this past May by the province, allows eligible hospitals in Ontario to offer government-supported financial incentives to recruit nurses to address staffing issues.
The incentives include signing bonuses ranging between $10,000 and $75,000, depending on qualifications and where they're being recruited from.
The recruitment drive has been focused on attracting nurses to work in several key areas of the hospital including Critical Care, Medical/Surgical and in Post-Anaesthesia Care Units at the two other campuses.
Musyj says the incentive program has been successful.
"In critical care, the program has been relatively successful, as well as in general surgery and medicine. We've expanded the program to capture those areas as well," he says. "Being on a border town, a lot of United States hospitals, historically, have been offering sign-on bonuses and we face that regularly. Again, this has been a very helpful support from the province."
Musyj says this program will be going on for quite some time and they are actively recruiting.
"There is no limit to how much we can spend, meaning the more nurses we recruit, the more we can spend," he says. "They didn't put a cap on the amount of offers we can provide."
Musyj adds the planned Regional Acute Care Hospital is very appealing to not only nursing staff, but physicians as well, when it comes to recruitment efforts.
Critical care nurses from out of province or out of country, including Canadians working in the U.S., are eligible for up to a $75,000 in signing bonuses as part of the program.
Registered nurses working out of province or out of country, including Canadians working in the U.S., are eligible for up to $25,000 in signing bonuses if they join in general practice nursing.
Retired and currently unemployed nurses in Ontario are eligible for up an up to $25,000 signing bonus for critical care nursing and $10,000 for general nursing.
More information on the recruitment drive and the job openings can be found at www.wrhcareers.ca.