Almost 400 conditional job offers to qualified registered nurses from the Philippines have been extended by the Saskatchewan government.
Its first in-person recruitment mission to Manila last November saw 162 Filipino RNs being offered the opportunity to work in the province’s health sector. The government says since December, these individuals have been moving through the RN pathway, which includes language training, bridging education and licensing.
In March another in-person mission yielded a further 236 candidates to bring the total to 398 RN’s being offered conditional jobs.
As well, the Saskatchewan Health Authority has hired 114 grad nurses from Saskatchewan and across Canada since December and another 81 conditional job offers have been made to nursing students who will be graduating this spring.
Also, the SHA says that conditional offers have been made to nine Saskatchewan-based RNs who are currently participating in the bridging education program and from Ukrainian newcomers, 10 have been added to the healthcare workforce.
Physician Recruitment and Retention
- Rural Physician Incentive Program:
Health officials are offering an enhanced rural physician incentive program for physicians who establish a practice in rural Saskatchewan. The total incentive will be up to $200,000 over five years, more than four times the amount that was previously offered.
- Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) program:
Under this second initiative, 15 new physicians are practicing in rural Saskatchewan, after completing the SIPPA program. These physicians are among the 278 internationally-trained family physicians currently working in the province as a result of the SIPPA program. The vast majority (77 per cent) practice in rural communities, according to the government statement.
More details on Saskatchewan’s health sector staff recruitment effort are available online.