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Health authority to hire new nursing grads

The Vancouver Island Health Authority will offer temporary full-time positions to all graduates of registered nursing programs on the Island this year.

Graduating nurses from Vancouver Island University, North Island College, the University of Victoria and registered psychiatric nurses from Stenberg College will be offered positions in a range of locations and practice settings that require additional support.

Diana Campbell, the health authority’s practice consultant, said VIHA’s new graduate transition program, which started in 2005, helps student nurses make the transition from school to practicing nurse and a component of this is job placement opportunities.

But difference this year is the one-year job offer to all new graduates from Island programs – an estimated 270 students, including about 70 from VIU.

“We haven’t provided a job offer to everybody for a temporary full-time job since 2005,” said Campbell. “They would be going into places that were appropriate for a new graduate to start in. They need to have a mentor.”

The health authority is concerned with recruitment and retention of new nurses, as the need for skilled nurses will continue to grow as the Island’s population ages and nurses retire.

Also, a lot of nurses working for the health authority are taking on extra shifts, said Campbell, and the new grads are intended to help reduce overtime rates.

“What we’re hoping is that by bringing new grads into positions, we’ll see some cost savings,” she said. “I think it’s quite an innovative approach.”

The program gives new nurses a chance to transition to the workforce in a supportive, stable environment, added Campbell.

“It’s guaranteed employment and it’s guaranteed in one area,” she said. “What we’ve found is having that regular schedule and support of the same staff makes the transition easier for new graduates.”

Campbell said last year, VIHA hired about 85 per cent of Island graduates and roughly two-thirds were put into a six-month, full-time position through the transition program, while others were hired on as casual labour or found a qualified position. The health authority does not track how many graduates stay on after their temporary employment is up.

Leslie Sundby, interim chairwoman of the bachelor of science in nursing program at VIU, said working in one area, as opposed to moving around, for a year will give new nurses a chance to build trust, get better feedback and consolidate skills.

“This is what they hope for,” she said. “This sends a strong message to them that they are valued and supported.”

Some years nurse graduates struggle to find jobs, added Sundby, so VIHA’s offer will be a relief to students worried about finding work after spending four years in school.

Jo Taylor, chairwoman of the Pacific Rim with the B.C. Nurses’ Union, said this is good news, although the union wants to make sure this initiative won’t take away hours from casual workers.

“It’s a pretty positive move after what new grads have gone through in the last few years,” she said. “We knew lots of new grads that were coming out that weren’t getting hired. I’ve been in the schools twice since January and there is a lot of angst.”