Dinn calls for job guarantee for nursing grads
Provincial NDP leader Jim Dinn is calling for a permanent, full-time job guarantee for new nursing graduates following revelations last week from the Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland and Labrador (RNUNL) that the majority of new grads are only being offered temporary positions.
“It’s absurd. We could hire three nurses for the price the Liberals are spending on one out-of-province contract nurse,” said Dinn. “We’ve got new grads who are ready to do their part and help with a clear staffing shortage and they’re being told there aren’t enough full-time positions. It’s this kind of backwards thinking which has led to the healthcare crisis our province is facing.”
The executive director of the RNUNL revealed last week that despite the claims from the Liberal government that 93% of nursing grads had been given job offers, the majority had only been offered temporary jobs.
This latest news follows the Auditor General’s report revealing that travel agencies were receiving on average $404,000 per nurse – more than three times the salary of a public registered nurse ($118,000) – and that the Liberal government had spent over $241 million over the course of three years on travel nurses alone.
“We’ve got to act fast. We want our graduating students to stay and work here but it’s a competitive market,” said Dinn.