Quebec hopes to train up to 5,000 new orderlies by end of 2023 - Action News
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Montreal

Quebec hopes to train up to 5,000 new orderlies by end of 2023

The province's long-term care homes and other seniors' residences are already short 11,000 patient-care attendants and, with an aging population, the needs are growing, Health Minister Christian Dub warned Tuesday.

Quebec is already short 11,000 patient-care attendants and the needs are growing, warns health minister

Three people stand behind a podium
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dub, centre, said the health-care system is short 11,000 orderlies, and that figure could rise to 20,000 by 2027 if nothing changes. (Radio-Canada)

Quebec hopesto recruit and train 3,000 to 5,000 people to work asorderlies in the province's health-care system in the next few months.

This latest blitz aims to addresscriticalunderstaffingas an aging population increases demands on the system,Quebec Health Minister Christian Dub said at anews conference Tuesday morning.

"We're missing, as of today, 11,000 orderlies," said Dub. "If we don't do anything new, we could [end up needing] 15,000 to 20,000....So we need to have a path."

The orderlies, known in French asprposs aux bnficiares, or PABs,are sorely needed to work in the province's long-term care homesand both public and private seniors' residences.

Those who apply to take an accelerated training course, scheduled to being on Aug. 7,will be eligible for an $8,000 bursary.

Once they graduate from the three-month program, the orderlieswill get a$4,000 bonus and a guaranteed position.

A woman places her hand on a senior's hand.
The impact of a chronic staffing shortage was laid bare in the first wave of the pandemic, forcing the Quebec government to take drastic action to retain orderlies and recruit and train thousands more. (Lighthunter/Shutterstock)

Early in the pandemic, when health-care officialshad to resort to drastic measures to provide even the most basic patient care in seniors' residences,the governmentlaunched a similar program aimed at training 10,000 new orderlies before the expected second wave of COVID-19.

Dub said Tuesday thatexperience of quickly training thousands of orderlies in 2020 gives himreason to be optimistic about this newest initiative.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, 7,907 of the 10,168 orderlies hired during the pandemic were still working in the system, as of March 31, 2023.

"It was an immense success for the first shot, and we hope to have the same level of retention with this training starting this summer," said Education Minister Bernard Drainville.

Sonia Blanger, the minister responsible for seniors, said the government is specifically seeking to hireyoung and retired workers.

'Cosmetic measure'

Alain Croteau,president of the union representing PABs working forthe CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'le-de-Montreal, called the plan a "cosmetic measure" on Radio-Canada's Tout un matin Tuesday.

Croteau said it was "paradoxical" for the governmentto offer a hiring bonus to futureorderlieswhile,at the bargaining table,asking those currently employed to work longer hours and offering them only a nine per cent pay increase over five years.

"The conditions are not favourable to attract and keep people in the health-care system," said Croteau, describing the recruitment drive as a "bandage on too deep a wound."

With files from Shawn Lyons and Radio-Canada