Province announces minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, retention and recruitment investments
March 3, 2024
To continue building on the commitments made at the signing of the Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA) collective agreement in April 2023, the Province and BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU) have made significant progress determining minimum nurse-to-patient ratios.
This progress is supported by a $237-million investment to help retain the nurses B.C. has now, return nurses back to the bedside and recruit the nurses B.C. needs for the future.
To support the implementation of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, the Province is investing $237 million in initiatives that will retain, encourage the return of, and recruit new nurses into the health-care system, such as:
$169.5 million in one-time funding for the expansion of province wide rural-retention incentives, GoHealth BC signing bonuses, recruitment signing bonuses for rural and remote communities, signing bonuses for difficult-to-fill urban and metro vacancies, and consistent with the agreement reached with the NBA in April of 2023, additional funding to support nurses in the areas of recruitment, retention and/or mental wellness.
$68.1 million in one-time funding for training and licensing investments, which will go toward expanding the internationally educated nurse (IEN) bridging program, implementing a licensed practical nurse (LPN) to registered nurse (RN) bridging pilot program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a nursing student tuition credit, an Indigenous nursing student tuition credit and new graduate transition program bursaries.
Source: Read more here
