More than 1,350 nurses, nursing assistants and respiratory therapists have been hired by health establishments since Quebec announced, on September 23, financial incentives to attract and retain staff. These new employees did not all leave the private sector or their retirement to join the public network. Far from there. It was, however, one of the main aims of the program.
The duty asked health establishments to provide it with the number of nurses, nursing assistants and respiratory therapists that they have hired since the announcement of the government incentives. Twenty-six offered a response. About half of these gave figures on the origin of new employees (private sector or retirement), such asThe duty had asked.
At the CIUSSS du Center-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, 10 of the 95 or so professionals hired since the incentives were announced come from the private sector, and 2 are retired. The CIUSSS du Center-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal recruited 65 nurses, nursing assistants and respiratory therapists, including 4 from the private sector and 6 retired.
Among the 122 professionals hired by the CISSS de Lanaudière, 7 left the private sector for the public and 24 came out of retirement.
But where did the other recruited people work? The CISSS des Laurentides provides some answers. He said he recruited 48 employees, including 8 from private employment agencies, 7 from the private sector, 10 retired and 23 from the public network (that is to say working in another health establishment).
Professionals already working in the network, therefore. What about new graduates? “They can be new graduates, yes, but also resources from the private sector, other regions, etc., answers the spokesperson for the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Marie. -Hélène Giguère. We recruit a lot from abroad as well. Its CIUSSS has hired 166 nurses, nursing assistants and respiratory therapists since September 23.
No exodus from the private sector
The Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, hoped to attract some 4,000 nurses to the health network thanks to these financial incentives.
However, the exodus from the private to the public did not take place, according to the president of the association Private companies of nursing staff of Quebec, Hélène Gravel. “We had very few resignations,” she said. This is because a good majority of the people who work for us work part time and don’t want to work full time. “
To obtain a bonus ranging from $ 12,000 to $ 15,000, new employees in the public network must commit to working full-time for 12 months. The same obligation applies to nursing and cardiorespiratory care personnel already in place, with a premium of $ 15,000 or $ 18,000, depending on the region.
According to the Interprofessional Union of the CHU de Québec (SICHU-FIQ), the new retention bonuses offered by the government have had little effect on human resources. “It did not attract crowds at the CHU,” said its president, Nancy Hogan. TSO [temps supplémentaire obligatoire] is still there, it has not diminished. “
Since September 23, the CHU de Québec has hired 52 professionals. However, it was impossible to know how many of them came from the private sector or were retired, this data being “difficult” to establish, according to the hospital center.
For the Interprofessional Health Federation of Quebec-FIQ, “the government’s attraction strategy which is based solely on the payment of very restrictive temporary premiums” has shown its limits.
According to the latest MSSS report, published Thursday, 4,254 employees of the public network have gone from part-time to full-time since the announcement of the bonuses. Discussions are also underway with nearly 4,619 “potential candidates”, indicates Quebec.
“Despite the relaxations announced three weeks ago, the government is not able to move the needle or bring back enough healthcare professionals to relieve the pressure on the shoulders of those who remain in the network”, denounces the interim president of the FIQ, Nathalie Levesque.
Attractiveness measures
In Minister Christian Dubé’s office, they say “understand the frustration of nurses”. “We are already at work so that [les heures supplémentaires obligatoires] be an exceptional measure, and not a management method, ”said his press secretary, Marjaurie Côté-Boileau.
Minister Christian Dubé recently announced an additional lump sum to help remote regions such as Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec, as well as the Outaouais, to attract labor. Employees who choose to settle there for two years and work there (full-time, full-time with reduced working time, or part-time) will receive an additional bonus of $ 12,000 per year.
In light of the data obtained by The duty, these regions really need this boost. The CISSS de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue has hired 7 nurses and nursing assistants – including 5 from the private sector – since the premiums were announced. The establishment indicates that 46 employees have increased their hours and occupy a full-time position.
Other establishments are doing much better. The McGill University Health Center (MUHC) has hired 121 over the past two and a half months. “I am convinced that working conditions are a game-changer,” says Alain Biron, assistant director of nursing at the MUHC.
Mandatory overtime does not exist at the MUHC, he emphasizes. 12-hour shifts, self-management of schedules, rotation of work shifts help attract staff, he said. “A nurse who is just starting out will work during the day,” says Alain Biron. She won’t be doing a near-night “life sentence” until she’s doing her time and after that she’s going to have a day job. “
With Isabelle Porter