Government offering cash incentive to Islanders who convince nurses to move to P.E.I.

The P.E.I. government is now offering money to Islanders who convince registered nurses to move to the province.

The province announced Wednesday it will be giving a $1,500 cash reward to P.E.I. residents who refer family or friends to nursing vacancies if they end up getting hired by Health P.E.I.

The government says it is a way to broaden its recruitment reach. This, while the province and other jurisdictions struggle to fill vacant positions in the field.

"As we increase the health services that P.E.I. offers to the public, the need for qualified health professionals will only increase," Health Minister Ernie Hudson said in a release.

Island Recruiting had been offering the same cash incentive to out-of-province nurses and physicians since late October.

The company does recruitment for the province and other clients.

Blake Doyle, owner and president of the company, said the program looks to convince people who could consider P.E.I. as a destination and already have some friends or family waiting for them, such as Islanders who've been living out of province but are looking to return.

"We're hoping just with the environment that we're in today that this is going to encourage people to try to get their family, friends, people they know that are in the professions if they want to relocate, if they're not happy where they're at and they want to consider Prince Edward Island or other provinces," Doyle said.

Following the government's announcement, the company decided to increase its own incentive to $2,000 upon successful placement.

Doyle said this kind of program is a "long shot" and it could take years before it actually starts to make a big impact in the province's health-care system.

"There's a lot of variables as far as people relocating. The incentive is just an opportunity to encourage people to look at opportunities here on P.E.I., but it may take multiple years before you really see a major impact," he said.

"I think even a soft impact to help take the stress off in private nursing homes even through the holiday season is an important private initiative that's going to help the entire service of health delivery."