Each Vitalité and Horizon Well being Networks have been hiring journey nurses from personal temp businesses with the intention to fill gaps in nursing workers.

At a press convention on Monday, Horizon interim CEO and president Margaret Melanson mentioned the community has employed “lower than 10” journey nurses because the summer time.

“We have been in a state of affairs that we did attain out to some journey nurses as properly. Significantly requesting if any journey nurse can be out there to help us in our emergency division or in our vital care areas,” she mentioned.

In an announcement despatched to International Information, Brenda Kinney, VP Chief Nursing Officer for Horizon Well being, mentioned, “At current, journey nurses are offering non permanent aid at Horizon’s Saint John Regional Hospital and the Moncton Hospital.”

Vitalité senior vice-president of Scientific Applications and Nursing, Sharon Smyth-Okana, didn’t specify what number of journey nurses the community has employed, however informed International Information in an announcement: “It is very important say that hiring journey nurses shouldn’t be a observe advocated by the Community. Nonetheless, our precedence is high quality of care.

“We do it solely as a final resort and for the shortest time period doable.”

The New Brunswick Nurses Union opposes the observe of hiring nurses by personal businesses.

Hiring journey nurses by businesses is considerably costlier than hiring by conventional means.

Nurses employed by businesses may be paid one and a half to 2 occasions the wage of an everyday worker, in response to the union.

“It’s unlucky that we’ve come to this in our province that we have to depend on the personal sector company nurses,” NB Nurses Union president Paula Doucet mentioned in an interview on Monday.

“We’ve been sounding the alarm bell for various years that we might be within the staffing scarcity that we’re in at present,” she mentioned.

Well being Minister Bruce Fitch mentioned he believes this can be a vital stop-gap measure.

“It does price extra, unquestionably. However it’ll additionally (be) a price if now we have to shut an emergency room, or shut a wing, or not have the ability to present the providers to the folks that present up. So it’s an funding within the well being care system within the province of New Brunswick,” he mentioned at a press convention on Monday.

Doucet believes a key consider avoiding the necessity for journey nurses is retention along with the province’s recruitment efforts.

“We have to begin retaining the expertise and the information that now we have in our system now, in order that once we do recruit these new nurses in they’ve an ideal mentor and orientation, assist system in place, and it makes all of our lives simpler with a lighter workload,” she mentioned.

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Union urges province to behave rapidly, as long-term care workers shortages proceed

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