Staffing Incentives Help Make Minimum Nurse-to-Patient Ratios a Reality

April 26, 2024
A series of negotiated nurse retention and recruitment agreements are now in effect

Staffing to support the implementation of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios requires incentives to help create the healthy and supportive workplaces needed to retain the nurses we have now, return nurses who have left and recruit the new nurses we need to address the staffing shortage.

BCNU has negotiated a provincial investment of $169.5 million in one-time funding to address the unique staffing challenges faced in rural communities and staff difficult-to-fill vacancies in urban and metro communities. The following program initiatives are available from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025:

Expanded rural retention incentives

The Provincial Rural Retention Incentive will be expanded to support 57 new communities, bringing the total number to 75. All nurses in these communities working regular positions are eligible to receive up to $2,000 per quarter (prorated to productive hours) to a maximum of $8,000 per year.

Eligible communities

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FRASER HEALTH
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INTERIOR HEALTH
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ISLAND HEALTH
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NORTHERN HEALTH
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VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH

Signing bonuses to join GoHealth BC

To reduce reliance on nursing agencies, some nurses will be eligible to receive up to $15,000 in signing bonuses when taking a regular position with GoHealth BC, the province’s travel nursing program. This incentive will focus on net-new entrants to the health-care system to prevent churn and competition between employers.

Signing bonuses to work in certain rural and remote communities

To support filling vacancies in eligible rural and remote communities, the new Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive will provide eligible nurses who sign a two-year return-of-service agreement with as much as $30,000 to fill high needs vacancies in the North and as much as $20,000 in other rural and remote areas.

Eligible Communities

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FRASER HEALTH
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INTERIOR HEALTH
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ISLAND HEALTH
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NORTHERN HEALTH
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VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH
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NISGA’A

Signing bonuses for difficult-to-fill vacancies in urban and metro communities

Eligible nurses who sign a two-year return-of-service agreement may receive as much as $15,000 to fill permanent positions in difficult-to-fill/high needs vacancies. Eligibility is focused new nurses and nurses returning to the health-care system.

Please note: The new incentives complement incentives that are already available. If a nurse is eligible for one of the listed incentives and another provided by health authorities, they will receive the larger incentive. Some of the identified existing health authority incentives include:

  • Interior Health - $10,000 signing bonus for eligible rural communities
  • Island Health and Northern Health - Rural and Remote Nursing Incentive (RRNI) $10,000
  • Northern Health - Northern Rural Critical Care Incentive $20,000

Read the memorandum of understanding between the NBA, Ministry of Health and provincial health employers on recruitment and retention incentives for more details on the above initiatives.

Minimum nurse-to-patient ratios have the potential to heal the chronic staffing crisis in our health-care system and help chart a path forward so that patients can receive the care they deserve and nurses can practice their profession under safe and sustainable working conditions.

Visit the BCNU website for more information.

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