Cost of travel nurses in Sask. justified due to threat of service disruptions: province
Travel nurses go from place to place, all over the world, filling in wherever help is needed. To assist with current shortages, some are in Saskatchewan.
According to the ministry of health, there are about 100 travel nurses operating in rural Saskatchewan.
However, they come at a high price.
On one travel nurse recruitment website, the province currently has about three dozen nursing positions advertised.
The majority are for ER or critical care nursing positions and offer $92 an hour.
OR nurses start at $67 hourly, LPNS $52 and up.
The listings noted that travel as well as housing are also provided.
According to Minister of Health Paul Merriman, travel nurses are essential in keeping service disruptions to a minimum.
“It’s important that we have them right now because if we don’t have them, then there is going to be further service disruptions,” he explained.
Saskatchewan is not alone.
Nova Scotia has spent $30 million on travel nurses over the past 18 months.
On Vancouver Island, costs related to travel nurses rose to over $27 million last year.
“Increased salaries and premiums, why are those not being allocated for our nurses that are in the health care system?” Aman Grewal, president of the B.C Nurses Union said.
The health minister considers the employment of travel nurses a “temporary measure.”
“Today, if I have to pull 100 nurses out of rural Saskatchewan, that’s going to cause a lot of problems and we can’t afford to have those problems,” Merriman said.
“I’d rather have them in there providing the service even if it’s at a higher amount than not having them at all.”
The province went on to say that it appreciates the work of travel nurses who are doing critical work in hard to fill positions, as the search continues for a permanent staffing solution.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.