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PROJECT TITLE
Professional immersion and integration internships in a remote English-speaking cultural environment at the CSSS de la Basse-Côte-Nord
AGENCY
Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de la Côte-Nord
INSTITUTION
CSSS de la Basse-Côte-Nord
PARTNERS
The CSSS de la Basse-Côte-Nord will work in collaboration with the Coasters Association to update and improve the regional welcome and integration guide and the CSSS de Sept-Îles as part of its employment internships. The CSSS has also developed a partnership with the Carrefour Jeunesse-Emploi, the Commission scolaire du Littoral and various educational institutions for hiring interns.
CLIENTELE
The CSSS de la Basse-Côte-Nord’s project is more directed towards vocational school, college and university students from the Basse-Côte-Nord and is intended for students of all levels who want to work in remote locations.
DESCRIPTION
The Basse-Côte-Nord has numerous isolated villages and needs vary from one community to the other, which requires the CSSS de la Basse-Côte-Nord to adapt its service offerings constantly, depending on the sociodemographic attributes of the communities it serves. The interns and newly hired staff must adapt to this unique reality and develop communication skills to interact with English-speaking, French-speaking and aboriginal clienteles. This can create integration, adaptation and retention difficulties. As part of the Training and Retention of Health Professionals Project's Retention Program, the CSSS de la Basse-Côte-Nord has set out to implement promotional activities to attract interns in various fields, to encourage the development of intern’s skills and competencies so they are able to interact with an English-speaking clientele, and to develop the supervisors’ andragogical skills. To meet this threefold objective:
The CSSS de la Basse-Côte-Nord proposes updating, improving and translating into English the welcome and integration guide by March 31, 2012, which will allow interns to familiarize themselves with the Basse-Côte-Nord’s unique characteristics. To support these promotional activities, the CSSS de la Basse-Côte-Nord will also acquire portable stands and banners.
During 2012-2013, the CSSS de la Basse-Côte-Nord intends to implement a French/English mentoring mechanism adapted to the next generation of professionals interested in working in the region. In this context, the CSSS de la Basse-Côte-Nord will prepare a list of community members interested in participating in this project and organize welcome dinners. From a recruiting perspective, it will create a Facebook page and develop other promotional tools. In order to facilitate re-entry into the local workforce in the Basse-Côte-Nord’s healthcare field, the CSSS will create a recruitment campaign specifically targeted to the local workforce. Finally, the CSSS wants to develop ways of recognizing staff who participate in supervising the internships and supporting newly recruited graduates.
The Basse-Côte-Nord internship program plans to create five internship positions (one occupational therapist, one rehabilitation technician, one archivist, one social worker and one nurse).
BUDGET ALLOCATED FOR 2011-2012: $10,000
BUDGET ALLOCATED FOR 2012-2013: $21,725
ACTIVITIES COMPLETED
During the first year of its project (2011-2012), the CSSS de la Basse-Côte-Nord began, as planned, to improve its welcome guide to encourage better integration of new arrivals to the region (employees and interns), and to translate various promotional pamphlets. However, due to a lack of human resources personnel, the CSSS had to set aside most of the promotional activities in its 2012-2013 work plan and the work started in 2011-12 could not be completed. Nevertheless, a visit from secondary students from the École Mgr-Scheffer was organized to inform students about employment opportunities and explain to them the training required and tasks that need to be performed in various medical fields. In addition, the CSSS welcomed two interns, one in social work (56 days) and one in nursing (25 days).Finally, three nurses were hired between April 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012, and received an assignment grant of $250.Nurses hired to work in dispensaries who received training at the CSSS were reimbursed for their travel expenses within the area as an employment support measure.
ACTUAL EXPENSES 2011-2012: $8,050
ACTUAL EXPENSES 2012-2013: $7,914.81
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PROJECT TITLE
The CSSS de Sept-Îles’ intern, technician and professional recruitment program to meet the needs of English-speaking populations
AGENCY
Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de la Côte-Nord
INSTITUTION
CSSS de Sept-Îles
PARTNERS
The CSSS de Sept-Îles has entered into agreements and partnerships with various educational institutions (the CEGEPs de Sept-Îles, de Chicoutimi, de Saint-Hyacinthe, de Baie-Comeau, de Limoilou, the Université du Québec à Rimouski, the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, the Université Laval and the Université de Montréal). It also wants to partner with the vocational centres in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Bas-Saint-Laurent regions. In addition, it maintains continuous contact with Place aux Jeunes, the Commission scolaire du Fer, Emploi-Québec, Carrefour Jeunesse-Emploi and the North Shore Community Association (NSCA).
CLIENTELE
The CSSS de Sept-Îles’ internship program is intended for students in their final or second to last years of their college or university program and who have not lived in the MRC de Sept-Rivières during the past three years. Only internships which lead to employment at the CSSS de Sept-Iles will be accepted.
DESCRIPTION
As part of the Training and Retention of Health Professionals Project’s Retention Program, the CSSS de Sept-Îles has decided to promote the recruitment of interns, technicians and professionals who are able to meet the needs of the English-speaking community. To meet this objective:
By March 31, 2012, the CSSS de Sept-Îles will develop promotional material and activities to support its efforts to recruit interns and hire permanent staff. A brochure will be created to promote the internship program and highlight the advantages of working at the CSSS and in the region. This information will also be posted on the CSSS’ website. These promotional activities will target educational institutions in Québec (CEGEPs and universities). The CSSS de Sept-Îles will also participate in various recruiting activities and career days in Montreal, Quebec City, Matane, Rimouski, Sainte-Anne-des-Monts and Gaspé. English language pre-tests will be conducted in collaboration with managers from the North Shore Community Association (NSCA).
Throughout 2012-2013, the CSSS de Sept-Îles will provide support to its interns (technicians and professionals) who have not lived in the MRC de Sept-Rivières during the past three years. The CSSS de Sept-Îles wants to give a $1,000 moving allowance to candidates who have successfully completed their training and gone through the hiring process. A candidate will not be able to take advantage of both incentives. For 2012-2013, the CSSS de Sept-Îles plans to intensify intern support, which corresponds to sixty weeks of internships (fifteen interns x four weeks) in the following fields: rehabilitation techniques, dietetic techniques, specialized education techniques, occupational therapy and respiratory therapy. The CSSS de Sept-Îles also plans to hire fifteen new employees (professionals or technicians) and contribute $15,000 in moving allowances.
BUDGET ALLOCATED FOR 2011-2012: $10,000
BUDGET ALLOCATED FOR 2012-2013: $30,000
ACTIVITIES COMPLETED
The CSSS de Sept-Îles dedicated the first step of its project (2011-2012) to promotional activities: creation of a pamphlet, distributing information on the website, promotion with educational institutions and participating in recruitment activities. In 2012-2013, the CSSS hired ten employees: four nurses, one auxiliary nurse, two orderlies, two medical technologists and one dietary technician. An assignment grant was given to each new employee who could demonstrate their ability to meet the needs of an English-speaking clientele. A single fifty-day internship in audiology was completed as part of the project.The student received the anticipated travel bonus. Despite its promotion and recruiting efforts, the CSSS was not able to find any other candidate that met its criteria. Meetings were held with all of the targeted educational institutions and the CSSS participated in the Salon de l’Emploi de l’Université Laval and conducted a massive recruiting effort in the Saguenay. Through a private firm, the CSSS also tried to recruit candidates from abroad. The recruitment team also participated in the Tournoi Orange de volleyball. During the year, the CSSS de Sept-Îles adopted the Scanlife system so its websites could be accessed with a smartphone. It also produced various promotional tools (post-it, bookmark, keychain).Continuous relationships have been maintained with schools, particularly the vocational training centre. The CSSS also maintains ongoing relationships with employers from the MRC to encourage the employment of spouses and has implemented a housing reservation service in the community for interns and new employees. Project managers insist on the importance of this service, which is critical to the success of external recruitment during a housing shortage, and emphasize that at least a dozen new employees have benefited from it. Following up on efforts made in 2012, a recruitment week took place in spring 2013 with graduates in New Brunswick.
