New Incentives to Increase Nurse Recruitment, Reduce Shortages

HSA’s RPN members covered by the Nurses’ Bargaining Association collective agreement are eligible for incentive programs designed to address the unique staffing challenges faced in rural communities and staff difficult-to-fill vacancies in urban and metro communities.

The following program initiatives are available from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025: 

•    Expanded rural retention incentives. The Provincial Rural Retention Incentive will be expanded to support 56 new communities, bringing the total number to 74. All nurses in these communities working regular positions are eligible to receive up to $2,000 per quarter (prorated to productive hours) to a maximum of $8,000 per year. Click here for a list of eligible communities in Appendix 1.

•    Signing bonuses to join GoHealth BC. To reduce reliance on nursing agencies, some nurses will be eligible to receive up to $15,000 in signing bonuses when taking a regular position with GoHealth BC, the province’s travel nursing program. This incentive will focus on net-new entrants to the health-care system to prevent churn and competition between employers.

•    Signing bonuses to work in certain rural and remote communities. To support filling vacancies in eligible rural and remote communities, the new Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive will provide eligible nurses who sign a two-year return-of-service agreement with as much as $30,000 to fill high needs vacancies in the North and as much as $20,000 in other rural and remote areas. Click here for a list of eligible communities in Appendix 2.

•    Signing bonuses for difficult-to-fill vacancies in urban and metro communities. Eligible nurses who sign a two-year return-of-service agreement may receive as much as $15,000 to fill permanent positions in difficult-to-fill/high needs vacancies. Eligibility is focused new nurses and nurses returning to the health-care system.

The new incentives complement incentives that are already available. If a nurse is eligible for one of the listed incentives and another provided by health authorities, they will receive the larger incentive. Some of the identified existing health authority incentives include: 
•    Interior Health — $10,000 signing bonus for eligible rural communities
•    Island Health and Northern Health — Rural and Remote Nursing Incentive (RRNI) $10,000
•    Northern Health — Northern Rural Critical Care Incentive $20,000