Canada is now hiring nurses to fight the coronavirus pandemic

By Eul Basa on March 16th, 2020

As the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in Canada, the nation seeks to hire a new wave of nurses to respond to growing public health demands.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has listed the job posting on the Government of Canada website calling for available nurses across the country to apply. It is looking to build an inventory of nurses to have on-call, should health centers require additional support during the coronavirus pandemic.

PHAC has provided information indicating the purpose of the initiative, the positions it seeks to fill, the application requirements, and the hiring process it will be taking to make recruitment decisions.

Qualified applicants will be taken in for an additional assessment for future vacancies. The first pull of applications could be as early as March 16, 2020.

"When you apply to this selection process, you are not applying for a specific job, but to an inventory for future vacancies. As positions become available, applicants who meet the qualifications may be contacted for further assessment."

As the job posting indicates, the Health Portfolio Operations Centre (HPOC), which coordinates response activities to significant public health events of national interest, activates at Level 3 to support effective coordination of nationwide preparedness and response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

"Due to intensity of efforts to support this activation, enhanced border measures at airports and quarantine of repatriated Canadians, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has an urgent need to establish a roster of nurses who can support ongoing efforts. This includes a need for quarantine officers, nurse managers, and other registered nurses."

Locations seeking inventory nurses at this time are as follows:

Ontario: Toronto, Ottawa, other locations
Quebec: Montreal, other locations
Alberta: Calgary, Edmonton
British Columbia: Vancouver, other locations
Manitoba: Winnipeg
Nova Scotia: Halifax
Saskatchewan: Regina

Preference will be given to nurses already living in the locations where the opportunities are available.

While the inventory will primarily be used to provide immediate medical staffing during the coronavirus epidemic, there may be opportunities for nurses to take up temporary or permanent positions with PHAC in the future.

PHAC will be accepting applications until April 30.

For more information and to submit your application, visit GC Jobs.

Photo by Tricare