N.S recruiters head overseas as health-care vacancies climb 24% – CBC

‘We knew or we anticipated that things would get worse before they get better,’ says head of recruitment

Mar 24, 2022

The number of health-care vacancies in Nova Scotia has risen by about 24 per cent in the last six months, but the head of the office tasked with recruiting physicians and other medical professionals isn’t surprised in the slightest.

Numbers obtained by CBC News show that on March 11, there were about 2,540 vacancies across all fields, an increase of 492 positions since the recruitment office was formed by the Progressive Conservative government.

“I do anticipate that six months from now it will be better,” Dr. Kevin Orrell, the CEO of health-care recruitment for Nova Scotia, said in an interview before travelling to London to attend a recruiting event for doctors.

“All of this recruitment, of course, is not an overnight fix. It doesn’t occur quickly. We will see the benefits over time.”

It’s important to note the number of vacancies is not a head count of how many workers the province needs; rather, it reflects the full-time equivalent of all the vacancies, and it changes daily.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/health-care-vacancies-rise-24-per-cent-1.6394945