title: Finding temporary relief: strategy for nursing recruitment in northern aboriginal communities.
abstract: To address a recurring shortage of nurses in the aboriginal communities of Northwestern Ontario, the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada, commissioned a study to explore the viability of establishing a relief pool among nurses from nearby small industrial towns. An open/close-ended survey completed by a random sample of 237 nurses from the target population documented levels of awareness, willingness, and preparedness for northern practice, as well as recruitment incentives and disincentives. Findings demonstrate an awareness of the overlap between the professional and personal dimensions characteristic of such practices, and suggest support for innovative rotations that would cut across federal/provincial/community jurisdictions. Although complex, given time and willingness, a regional relief system seems viable.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Minore
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boone
authors.forename: Mary Ellen
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D004930:Inuit; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D009864:Ontario; D010560:Personnel Selection / Q000379:methods*; D019035:Rural Health Services; D016746:Transcultural Nursing; D000078329:Workforce