Nurse shortage hits St. Amant Centre
Officials hope job shadow strategy will entice nurses to join staff
Last Updated: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 | 3:17 PM CT
CBC News
The St. Amant Centre in Winnipeg is offering to pay nurses to job shadow for a day in a new aggressive recruiting strategy.
The long-term care facility is facing a critical nursing shortage, operating with only two-thirds the number of nurses it needs, say officials.
The centre, a residential and resource facility for Manitobans with disabilities, has advertised for months and tried recruiting both nationally and internationally without much success, said Genevieve Vipond, coordinator of health services.
"It's hard to recruit nurses. They're in high demand and we're competing against everybody in the health care system," she said.
The typical resident at St. Amant has multiple chronic health care issues, which increases the demand for registered nurses, Vipond said.
Current staff members are working extra shifts and overtime to fill the need, she said.
The centre wants to hire a minimum of 15 registered nurses and about half a dozen licensed practical nurses.
The job shadow program is set to begin in the New Year.
"We were hoping by having them shadow, come and do a shadow shift, that they might become more interested in working at St. Amant," Vipond said.
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