Northern Health has been tasked by the province to "create" 100 nursing jobs by the end of March.
That's one slice of the 1,643 nursing jobs health authorities across the province need to fill in order to meet a commitment made in a 2012 contract, said the BC Nurses' Union president.
"It has been a long time coming," said Gayle Duteil, noting the agreement was for 2,100 new hires before March 31, 2016.
"It's a very short time frame," Duteil said. "It's only six weeks away so we need to see this progress made. It's imperative that we see boots on the grounds so that we can move forward in a positive way."
While nursing shortages is a provincial problem, Duteil noted the "northern context is unique," given retention and recruitment in rural and remote areas.
"It doesn't matter whether you are in Prince George or Dawson Creek, nurses are working overtime and they're working excessive amounts of overtime so 100 new nurses to the north will alleviate some of that."
Northern Health has started posting the job openings but spokesman Jonathon Dyck could not say how many had been posted to date or when Northern Health first heard from the province that it would need to post the positions.
"We're going to work hard with the BC Nurse' Union and the Ministry of Health and we are doing that right now to get these positions posted in order to get a good start on them," Dyck said.
There are currently 143 registered nurse positions in the north – 38 of which are in Prince George – posted on Northern Health's external posting page. Dyck noted the health authority also has internal postings.
But having the spaces does not necessarily mean they will be filled. Both Duteil and Dyck acknowledged recruitment is a problem in the north, especially in rural and remote areas.
"We do recognize that there are a number of difficult to fill areas, including specialty nurses. We are working on strategies to fill these vacancies," said Dyck.
Strategies include advanced hiring of new graduates so that nursing staff can leave for training in specialty areas.
Also, "incentive programs for return to service agreements in rural and remote communities and of course continuing to working with post-secondary institutions to recruit graduates to stay in the north," he said.
Offering housing allowances, education opportunities and recruitment bonuses could be other strategies, said Duteil, adding Northern Health has been creative in its efforts to address those hard-to-fill positions.
Dyck said Northern Health is pleased with the province's mandate.
"Anytime that we can add staff is a good thing. We were very pleased with this new way of working with the BCNU and the Ministry of Health and we're looking forward to having those additional positions in place."
The announcement doesn't come with additional funding and Duteil said the some of the health authorities were aware of the March deadline.
"The health authorities have money in their budget to meet these requirements but they have in the past chosen to spend in other ways. The Ministry of Health has indicated they need to start spending it on nursing."
Health Minister Terry Lake said this "spirit of partnership" will continue as the two continue negotiations for a new collective agreement. The last contract ended in 2014.
"Nurses are important, highly-skilled members of health care teams throughout British Columbia, and today's announcement acknowledges their integral role in the health system," Lake said in a statement.
The province and the union have hired HealthMatch BC to partner with the health authorities on a recruitment campaigns.
"This recruitment effort will contribute immensely to maintaining these high standards while supporting our current efforts at the bargaining table as we work to reach a collective agreement over the next couple of months that serves the primary aim of providing the best care possible to British Columbians," said HEABC president and chief executive officer David Logan in Tuesday's statement.
BCNU is asking nurses who are interested in a permanent position to email hireanurse@bcnu.org
Recruitment targets by the numbers:
Fraser Health: 400
Interior Health: 300
Island Health: 290
Northern Health: 100
Providence Health Care: 80
Provincial Health Services Authority: 238
Vancouver Coastal: 235
