New Brunswick will soon begin issuing a second round of $5,000 nurse retention payments.
On Monday, the province announced that a letter of agreement was in place for nurses working in the regional health authorities and for Extra-Mural/Ambulance New Brunswick.
Work is underway on letters of agreement for other nurses and licensed practical nurses employed in nursing homes, said the news release.
“The retention payments are part of a larger strategy to improve working conditions, support wellness and build a health-care system that ensures New Brunswickers can get access to care where and when they need it,” Premier Susan Holt said in a news release.
The first payment went out late last year to around 11,000 permanent full-time and part-time nurses. The province described it as a first step to address the ongoing staffing shortage of nurses.
Just like the first retention payment, nurses will have to commit to one year of service in return for the bonus.