P.E.I. Nurses' Union frustrated over big delays in job offers for new grads

A communication breakdown with Health P.E.I. left new nursing graduates in the lurch for months as they waited to find out whether they could secure a job in the province.

The P.E.I. Nurses' Union said the grads were frustrated by delays in the health agency's hiring process, with many receiving job offers only days before their convocation.

Barbara Brookins, the union's president, said it doesn't make sense for Health P.E.I. not to snap up local graduates quickly, given the need for more health-care workers on the Island.

"These nurses are graduating now and they are ready to be out and working, and they should have their offer already there," she said. "It's not something that you give them at convocation, it's not something you give them even a week before convocation. They should already be signed, sealed and ready to work."

P.E.I. Nurses' Union president Barbara Brookins says job offers for nursing graduates should have been sent out months before they finished their studies. (Laura Meader/CBC)

A full-time nursing job also comes with a recruitment bonus from Health P.E.I. of between $13,000 and $16,000, so many of this year's graduates are especially eager to start work.

Brookins said the union saw similar delays last year, with some new nurses waiting months to get a job offer. She said Health P.E.I. should be able to act faster when it comes to recruitment.

The agency's CEO agrees.

Melanie Fraser said initial letters of recruitment were sent to the graduating class of nursing students back in March, but an "error in the transition" then resulted in no communication from Health P.E.I. for several weeks.

"It really does bother me," Fraser said.

"I do want to ensure that going forward, we have a much smoother process for how they're onboarded into our organization and how we communicate with them, honestly, from day one throughout the rest of their careers."

She said Health P.E.I. has now made nearly 50 job offers, close to half of which were for full-time positions.

Fraser said the recruitment process for all health-care workers is under review at the moment.

Health P.E.I. CEO Melanie Fraser says the breakdown in communication was an error that the agency is trying to rectify. (Laura Meader/CBC)

"I just want to take accountability for the delays and the issues," she said, adding that they don't reflect any lack of value Health P.E.I. is placing on the new nurses.

"We absolutely want each and every one of these nursing grads who want to work in P.E.I. to work with us, and we want to support them in that."

Brookins worries that if Health P.E.I.'s communication issues aren't sorted soon, current and future nursing graduates will find work elsewhere in Canada. That's because health worker shortages aren't unique to Prince Edward Island.

"If we have a sister province that's very close by that's faster on the draw, the risk is that these nurses are going to take up an offer in another province," she said.

"A lot of people want to be here but they just want to have the confirmation."