The health recruiter position which was abolished by the previous government two years ago is being reinstated as a full-time position within the Department of Health, Minister of Health Doug Currie announced today.
“Recruitment and retention of health professionals is an immediate priority for this government,” says Minister Currie. “Bringing the health recruiter position back is a critical first step in our plans for a concentrated and more effective overall recruitment strategy.”
“The province used to have a full-time health recruiter but, during the restructuring of the department in 2005, the position was eliminated. As a new Minister, I was surprised to learn that in a department as large as health, there was no dedicated resource to something as fundamental as the recruitment of nurses and other health- care providers. This will change,” said Currie.
The health recruiter will focus on recruiting health professionals in areas in which shortages exist such as nursing, radiation therapy, medical laboratory technology and diagnostic imaging. The role of the position will also support the Department of Health’s broader recruitment initiatives, such as the Nursing Recruitment and Retention Strategy, and will further complement existing physician recruitment programs.
“Given the current recruitment challenges we face in the health sector, it’s essential to have a position dedicated to recruitment initiatives and to actively promote Prince Edward Island’s work and lifestyle opportunities in an extremely competitive market,” said Currie. “Reinstating this position is a positive first step towards improved recruitment efforts and it should also help alleviate some of the pressures on current Department of Health employees.”
A staffing process will take place in the near future to fill the health recruiter position.