Rob Kenny, vice president of human resources for Western Health, says the health provider is working diligently to recruit new nursing staff to fill the area’s needs.

“We’ve had major success hiring nurses in this region,” says Mr. Kenny. “In 2007, we hired ten permanent nurses and one casual nurse into the Bay St. George area.”

Mr. Kenny says the provincial government has provided Western Health with bursaries, or signing bonuses, to entice new nurses to come and work in the area.

Western Health is offering $6,000 bursary for a two-year contract, permanent work status, and relocation funds up to $3,000 for nurses who sign on to work in the Bay St. George area.

“Up to last year, we had no bursaries for nurses, and so $6,000 and a permanent job … in our view, is a pretty good deal,” he says.

Western Health human resources staff, nurses and management from the Bay St. George area recently returned from a recruiting trip to the province’s nursing schools and mainland Atlantic Canadian universities, where they spoke to pending graduates about coming to work in the Stephenville area. Read more