The weaning of agency nurses is progressing slowly within the Vitalité health network. The authority began a plan this fall, but was only able to get rid of 12 traveling nurses between August and December. He still has a little more than a year to put an end to their costly appeal.
As of February 2024, there were 170 private agency nurses in the network. These nurses from other provinces are better paid than their counterparts from the public with whom they work. Their appeal has cost the province more than $173 million since 2022, including $123 million from Vitalité alone.
On August 28, Vitalité indicated that there were 158. In December, there were still 146 agency nurses employed by the Vitalité health network.
However, Vitalité wants to completely get rid of agency nurses by February 2026.
It is reasonable to deduce that if this trend continues, Vitalité will not be able to achieve this goal.
estimates the New Brunswick Nurses Union.
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It will accelerate, says Vitalité
The Network is satisfied with the current pace
writes the Vitalité communications service, which ensures that cruising speed will be reached next year.
Our projections and weaning curves are closely monitored and respected.
We are counting on the arrival of new hires currently undergoing certification in Canada, as well as the contribution of this year’s cohorts of nursing graduates.
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France Desrosiers vigorously defended the hiring of traveling nurses before elected officials in June 2024.
Photo : - / Alix Villeneuve
Vitalité projects costs of $64 million for traveling nurses in its 2025-2026 budget.
Easier said than done
Weaning ourselves off itinerant nurses is a major challenge, says Stéphanie Collin, professor at the School of Advanced Public Studies at the University of Moncton and an expert in health systems.
It is much easier to have this wish than to succeed in strategies to achieve it.
It is necessary to both recruit and retain, she observes, two different challenges
she points out.
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Stéphanie Collin, professor at the School of Advanced Public Studies at the University of Moncton and specialist in health services management
Photo : - / Patrick Lacelle
The $10,000 bonuses paid by the province are a nice pat on the back
according to her. But in the context of our research, we have observed that retention goes beyond financial bonuses.
Should Vitalité consider pushing back its deadline? Stéphanie Collin believes that it is still early for that.
Perhaps we will see fairly significant progress in 2025. It will be interesting to see the conversation we will have a year from now.
With information from Nicolas Steinbach
