Vitalité Health Network steps up recruitment efforts
Bathurst, June 8, 2022 – Vitalité Health Network’s many recruitment initiatives underway are proceeding well. In the first of these initiatives, Network representatives are currently participating in an overseas recruitment mission organized by Opportunities New Brunswick.
“Despite all our regional and provincial recruitment efforts, demographic challenges mean that the pool of available candidates is insufficient to fill all our available positions and enable us to meet the demand for care. The most pressing needs involve registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and patient care attendants,” stated Dr. France Desrosiers, President and CEO of Vitalité Health Network. “My heartfelt wish is that this mission will be successful – for the wellness of our patients and current staff.”
Four Network representatives have already been in France for a few days. Other representatives will be stepping in to pursue the mission in Morocco and Senegal within the next two weeks.
Domestic recruitment
Our recruitment efforts within the province are also continuing. A campaign with testimonials and advertisements in traditional media and social media will be launching shortly and continue until the fall. This campaign will not only target direct patient care professions but also trades and other professions in demand within the Network.
“Of course, nursing recruitment is our priority to support the quality of patient care. However, we are also seeking candidates to fill vacant positions as pharmacy technicians, cooks or administrative support staff,” Dr. Desrosiers explained. The current labour shortage is affecting many sectors, and we are confident that our recruitment campaigns will motivate qualified workers to apply to the Network, which is among New Brunswick’s largest employers with over 7,700 employees.
According to Dr. Desrosiers, the Network has received hundreds of applications from students for summer jobs in various sectors, which shows how attractive our organization is as an employer of choice. “This influx of students is a breath of fresh air that should help us through the summer and facilitate our operations so that our health care workers and support staff can take some well-deserved vacation,” she added.
Physician recruitment
Physician recruitment is also ongoing. Medical and human resource representatives of the Network are on site at major job fairs, conferences and congresses attended by medical students to promote and attract future physicians. There is also an effort to build relationships with New Brunswick students during their training to help inform their choice of specialty and encourage them to come back to practise in the province.
“It is crucial to build and maintain relationships with medical students so they are aware that we are waiting for them and that the Network welcomes then. At the swearing-in ceremony for family medicine residents last week, I was thrilled to see that a majority of the approximately 20 residents in attendance will be staying to practise in New Brunswick,” Dr. Desrosiers mentioned. They are the future of family medicine and are greatly needed.”
