Yukon bucks national trend with increased nursing jobs
'We are spoiled in that we tend to have a steady supply of nurses'
Yukon is bucking a national trend. While nursing jobs are in decline across Canada, more nurses than ever are finding work in the territory.
"It's something for us to watch," says Andrea Porter-Chapman, who is with the Canadian Institute for Health Information. "Nurses make up the largest workforce in our healthcare system. That by itself means that this is a pulse of our healthcare system."
The recent statistics are no surprise to Yukon healthcare workers.
"We are an area that people like to move to. And, in healthcare, we are spoiled in that we tend to have a steady supply of nurses," says Sean Secord, president of the Yukon Registered Nursing Association.
Despite the steady supply, he says nurses are always in demand as nurses move and change jobs, creating high turnover in the profession.