Updates made to healthcare worker recruitment program in Northern Rockies

FORT NELSON, B.C. — A few updates were made to a program focusing on healthcare recruitment in the North Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) following recommendations made at a previous meeting.

During a committee of the whole meeting on November 14th, 2023, council heard a presentation from Doug Blackie Consulting detailing the findings from an evaluation of the Northern Rockies’ Recruitment, Retention, Education & Training Incentive (RRETI) program after its first year.

All of the recommendations were integrated into the program, including the requirement for recipients to participate in program evaluation exercises and delegating application approvals to staff consistent with the program.

Another addition was continuing support for the current suite of incentives for another two years.

Staff also plan to connect with local health employers to ensure the recruitment and incentives continue to align with community needs.

The NRRM adopted the RRETI program on September 7th, 2022. Since its launch, approximately $36,000 has been distributed to nine healthcare professionals who were new to the community, newly trained or those in the community who pursued further education.

The updated RRETI was adopted as presented during the December 11th, 2023 council meeting.

The program’s details can be viewed below: