{"id":35134,"date":"2023-03-20T13:56:05","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T16:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=35134"},"modified":"2023-03-20T13:56:05","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T16:56:05","slug":"province-announces-retention-bonuses-for-nurses-healthcare-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=35134","title":{"rendered":"Province announces retention bonuses for nurses, healthcare workers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;127&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;169&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>From a release<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>DARTMOUTH:<\/strong> As a way of thanking Nova Scotia&#8217;s nurses while encouraging more of them to keep working in the province, Premier Tim Houston announced a $10,000 bonus for nurses in Nova Scotia&#8217;s publicly funded healthcare system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The announcement was made at the Dartmouth General Hospital on March 20. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another $10,000 incentive will be paid next year to nurses who commit to staying in the system for another two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Our nurses do such an amazing job day in and day out. I&#8217;m proud to recognize our nurses with these bonuses &#8211; because they&#8217;ve earned it,&#8221; said Premier Houston. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;My message to every nurse in the province is &#8216;We need you.&#8217; As long as you keep working in our province&#8217;s healthcare system, our government will have your back.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;31&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;34&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Frontline nurses working for publicly funded employers will soon get a bonus of up to $10,000. They will be eligible for another $10,000 retention incentive next year if they stay in the system and sign a two-year return of service agreement by the end of March 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>N.S. will also pay a $10,000 incentive to nurses who have left the publicly funded system if they agree to come back and sign a two-year return of service agreement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To qualify for this incentive, they will need to agree to take a publicly funded position by March 31, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;126&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;192&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other healthcare workers, including paramedics, telehealth staff, respiratory therapists, continuing care staff, ward clerks, housekeeping and food service staff, among others, will receive a retention bonus of up to $5,000 in the coming weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eligible employees work for publicly funded health authorities, Emergency Medical Care Inc. (EMCI), Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia, the continuing care sector and disability support programs.<br \/><br \/>&#8220;Through the pandemic and beyond, we know the last few years have been long and hard,&#8221; said Premier Houston. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Many healthcare workers have contributed so much, sacrificed so much to keep us healthy and safe, but don&#8217;t feel seen or recognized. We see you and this bonus is our way of saying thank you.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bonuses and incentives will be prorated based on the percentage of a full-time equivalent position that an employee holds and when they were hired. For example, if an employee holds a 50 per cent position, they will be eligible for half of the bonus. If they started work after January 2023, they will be eligible for a portion of the bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;71&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate group=&#8221;7&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These bonuses are being offered outside any wage agreements that may be negotiated at the bargaining table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Negotiations are now underway between the health authorities, the Council of Nursing Unions and across the long-term care sector.<br \/><br \/>Quotes:<br \/>&#8220;Our healthcare teams have been doing more with less for years, and they&#8217;ve told us they&#8217;re worried about the impact of constantly working short. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bonuses and incentives aren&#8217;t a silver bullet, but they can help keep people on staff and bring others back, which will help fill shifts and support the healthcare workers already on staff.&#8221;<br \/>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0&#8211; Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;92&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate group=&#8221;6&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Quick Facts:<br \/>&#8212; about 11,000 registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nurse practitioners work for health authorities, EMCI, continuing care and disability support programs and will be immediately eligible for a $10,000 thank you bonus<br \/>&#8212; another 44,000 people work for publicly funded healthcare and disability support program employers, and will get the $5,000 retention bonus<br \/>&#8212; managers (except those who provide direct clinical patient care), physicians and medical residents are not eligible, nor are those working in federally regulated groups, or those not directly employed by a provincially funded health employer<br \/>&#8212; initiatives to recruit and retain healthcare workers are part of Action for Health, the government&#8217;s plan to improve healthcare<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;148&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;194&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;127&#8243;] [adrotate banner=&#8221;169&#8243;] From a release DARTMOUTH: As a way of thanking Nova Scotia&#8217;s nurses while encouraging more of them to keep working in the province, Premier Tim Houston announced a $10,000 bonus for nurses in Nova Scotia&#8217;s publicly funded healthcare system. The announcement was made at the Dartmouth General Hospital on March 20. 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