The United Nurses of Alberta is thrilled Alberta Health Services is finally focusing on hiring full-time nurses.
On Tuesday, Alberta Health Services announced plans to hire 300 new registered nurses by the end of August and 100 are destined for communities outside Edmonton and Calgary.
Where those jobs will be located around the province has not yet been announced, but it’s a good start, said Bev Dick, first vice-president of United Nurses of Alberta.
“If all you can offer someone in rural Alberta is a small, part-time position, what are the chances that they’re going to want to move there,” Dick said on Wednesday.
“If you can offer them a permanent position and a full-time, or close to full-time position, that is much more desirable. Then you might have someone interested in moving to Stettler.”
Dick said it’s been many, many years since more full-time positions have been available. Even new units, like one that opened at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre a few years ago, only offered part-time nursing jobs.
In 2009, Alberta Health Services eliminated hundreds of nurse job postings during cutbacks to health care.
Alberta has a shortage of 1,500 to 2,000 nurses, so the new jobs are a step in the right direction, she said.
Dick said it’s just too bad that the announcement didn’t come in the spring when new graduates were searching for work. Hopefully some stuck around Alberta working casual positions.
“Canadian-educated nurses are a valuable commodity everywhere in the world. They don’t have a problem getting registered in other countries. They take them in a snap.”
United Nurses of Alberta represents about 25,000 registered nurses, most of them working for Alberta Health Services.
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com