Beckoning Nurses to Niagara
- February 2006
- Français
In Niagara, several months of planning are about to come to fruition as the Niagara Health System hosts a Nurse Recruitment Fair on:
Friday, Mar. 3, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 4, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
At the Four Points Sheraton, Thorold
"Our previous three recruitment fairs have been very successful, and we were able to hire 140 qualified nurses on-the-spot or soon after," says Ann Marie Foster, Human Resources Recruitment and Selection Consultant for the NHS. "We participate in several other recruitment fairs, but none of them have the return-on-investment benefit that hosting our own has provided to us. Being the exclusive employer at a job fair is certainly advantageous. "
This year's fair will focus on recruiting RN's. There are currently about 50 permanent vacant RN positions, most of them in the following clinical areas: Constant Care (cardiac-monitored beds); Surgery; Medicine; Emergency; Mental Health; Complex Continuing Care; Nephrology (chronic kidney disease) and Intensive Care. Currently, about 1,300 RN's are employed by the NHS in full-time, part-time, casual and temporary positions.
More than 150 nurses checking out Niagara as a place to live and work attended the last recruitment fair in 2004. "We promote the Niagara peninsula as a great place to live," Ann Marie says. "The lifestyle in Niagara is attractive to many because of its reasonable cost of living, proximity to the U.S. Border, and wide array of recreation and entertainment activities. "
At the upcoming job fair, information on different clinical programs, as well as the seven hospitals that make up the NHS network, will be in place, and Clinical Managers will be on hand for candidates, answering questions and providing an overview of programs/services and RN-related initiatives, as well as a snapshot of the work environment. The NHS will also be prepared to interview qualified candidates for positions and make conditional offers of employment, where appropriate, during the job fair.
"Our target audience is RN's or graduating students in Niagara and surrounding communities in Ontario as well as Western New York," Ann Marie explains. Radio, print and internet advertising is planned, as is promotion at nursing schools such as Brock University and Mohawk College.
Call 905-378-4647, ext. 44220 for more details on the Recruitment Fair.