NBNU Says Use Of Travel Nurses “Unfortunate”

The president of the New Brunswick Nurses Union doesn’t think having the regional health authorities use private nursing agencies is the right way to go.

Both Horizon Health and Vitalite have used travel nurses to deal with a severe nursing shortage.

Paula Doucet called it “unfortunate” the RHAs decided to go this route.

“It is private for-profit agencies that are actually making money on the back of health care systems that are in dire need,” Doucet said.

Doucet would rather see that money invested in health care.

“I’d say take those public dollars and invest them into our public health care system here in the province to entice, to support and to retain the nurses that we have in our system with the experience and the expertise,” Doucet said.

She doesn’t think spending “exorbitant” amounts of money on travel nurses is the solution to the problem.

Doucet said using travel agency nurses is a relatively new initiative in New Brunswick but has been used in other parts of Canada.