HSPBA: Recruitment and Retention Incentives Extended to End of Year

Programs slated to expire last month will continue to December 31 thanks to union advocacy

Despite the BC government’s moves to dramatically restrain spending on programs including health care, incentives for recruitment and retention of health science professionals will be extended to the end of the year while your union continues to advocate for more supports to reduce shortages and workload.
 
The Ministry of Health has enhanced the eligibility criteria for the incentives; if your application is denied, please contact the HSA office to learn more.
 
The Provincial Rural Retention Initiative (PRRI), which initially ran April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025, has now been extended until December 31, 2025. The program provides health science professionals with quarterly retention payments where they are most critically needed to address long-standing shortages. PRRI, which was originally piloted in 18 communities, was expanded last year to cover 56 additional rural communities across BC. HSA’s advocacy ensured two further communities (Trail and Oliver) were also included for a total of 76 communities across the province.  The program provides recruitment incentives of up to $8000 per year or $2000 per quarter for health science professionals working in regular positions – new and current – for work done in these communities between April 1, 2024 and December 31, 2025. 

For a full list of the communities covered by PRRI, click here (please note that Trail and Oliver are not included in this initial list, but have since been added). By providing this incentive, the program aims to encourage new and current health science professionals to move to rural communities.

The GoHealth BC Recruitment and Retention Initiative, the Rural and Remote Recruitment Initiative (RRRI) and the Recruitment Incentive for Difficult to Fill Vacancies have also been extended to December 31, 2025: 

The GoHealth BC Recruitment and Retention Initiative, which in pilot form applied only to laboratory technologists in Northern Health, may be expanded to cover additional health science professions in Northern Health and additional health authorities. This will be done in a phased process, with the objective of applying to all the professions listed below. By offering up to $10,000 in signing bonus with a 12-month travel work commitment, the program aims to draw professionals from out of province and/or country, out of private agency work, and to bring retired professionals back into the system.
 
The Rural and Remote Recruitment Initiative (RRRI) provides a recruitment incentive payment of up to $30,000 to new health science professionals starting careers in professions facing severe shortage. Due to higher vacancy rates and more complex challenges, eligible vacancies identified in rural and remote communities in Northern Health are eligible for $30,000 incentive payments (prorated based on FTE of the eligible vacancy). HSPs who are recruited into eligible vacancies identified outside of Northern Health are eligible for up to $20,000 incentive payments (prorated based on FTE of the eligible vacancy). The health science professional must remain employed in the regular, priority occupation position in that community for a period of 24 months, failing which the employer will recover the incentive payment made on a pro-rata basis. Note that members already working in these areas, or currently working in remote communities and moving to another remote community, are not eligible. Eligible professions are listed below.  Communities covered by the incentive, which aligns with incentives offered to doctors and nurses, can be found here.
 
The urban and metro Recruitment Incentive for Difficult to Fill Vacancies provides new health science professionals with a recruitment incentive of up to $15,000 with a 24-month work commitment. The program aims to draw professionals from out of province and/or country, out of private agency work, offers an opportunity to recruit existing casuals into regular positions, and bring retired professionals back into the system. Eligible professions are listed below.

The following professions are eligible for PRRI, GoHealth and RRRI incentives:

• Anesthesia Assistant
• Biomedical Engineering Technologist
• Cardiac Technologist
• Clinical Counselor
• Diagnostic Cytology Technologists
• Dietitian
• Medical Laboratory Technologist
• Medical Radiation Technologists (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist, Radiation Therapist, Radiological Technologist, Nuclear Medicine Technologist, PET Technologist, CT Technologist)
• Occupational Therapist
• Pharmacist
• Physics Assistant
• Physiotherapist
• Psychologist
• Radiation Therapy Service Technologist
• Radiology Service Technologist
• Respiratory Therapist
• Social Worker
• Sonographer
• Speech Language Pathologist

In addition to the above list, the following profession is eligible for the urban and metro Recruitment for Difficult to Fill Vacancies incentive:

• Perfusionist 

 
Some of the initiatives can be combined but cannot exceed the Recruitment Incentive – Rural and Remote maximum amounts above. For example, an HSP who has received a GoHealth BC Recruitment Incentive and who is subsequently employed in a regular vacancy eligible for the Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive may also receive a Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive payment, but the combined total of these payments will be limited to the maximum Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive that is available within the area (i.e. $30,000 within an eligible Northern Health community, or $20,000 in an eligible community outside of Northern Health).