SHARP

The Skilled Healthcare Attraction & Retention Program (SHARP) is dedicated to enhancing the skills and capabilities of our local healthcare workforce.

Project Background

By 2032, Ontario will need 50,000 new PSWs (CBC, 2024) and Canada needs 117,000 new nurses by 2030 (CNA, 2024). There are 13,000 Nursing Graduates/year in Canada (CASN, 2022) and Canada will be short almost 40,000 nurses. SHARP focuses on addresing these needs by offering comprehensive training, education, and upgrading opportunities, we empower healthcare workers to excel in their roles. Furthermore, SHARP focuses on effective marketing and recruitment strategies to attract new talent to the healthcare profession, ensuring a robust and skilled workforce for our community.

Project Goals

Enhance Workforce Skills and Competency

Provide comprehensive training and upgrading opportunities to healthcare professionals, ensuring they have the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver high-quality care to meet the growing demands in the healthcare sector.

Address Critical Healthcare Workforce Shortages

Implement strategic initiatives to recruit and retain personal support workers (PSWs) and nurses, helping to fill the anticipated gaps in Ontario’s healthcare system by 2030.

Promote Continuous Professional Development

Create pathways for ongoing education and skill development, enabling healthcare workers to stay current with advancements in medical care and technology, thus improving patient outcomes.

Develop Targeted Recruitment Strategies

Use effective marketing and recruitment campaigns to attract new talent into the healthcare field, particularly in under-resourced rural areas, ensuring a robust and sustainable healthcare workforce for the future.

Project Timeline

01.

Student Employement Opportunities

02.

Discovery Healthcare Camp & Local Healthcare Worker Recognition

03.

Simulation Lab for training programs

04.

Part-Time PSW/PN training programs

05.

Alleviate Huron County worker shortages

The Mentoring Nurses Bridging from an RPN to a BScN Program is tailored to support nurse in rural areas who have busy work schedules but wish to pursue further education. This initiative provides flexible mentorship and resources designed to accommodate the unique challenges of balancing work, education, and personal life. The initiative creates skill development and career advancement, ensuring that rural nurses can achieve their educational goals without compromising their work commitments or patient care.

Project Initiatives

Mentoring Nurses Bridging From a RPN to a BScN Program

Project Initiatives

Discovery Healthcare Camp

Discovery Healthcare Camp is a week-long immersive summer camp experience designed to engage and mentor high school students to consider healthcare career opportunities available to them, learn basic clinical skills and have fun! The camp introduces participants to a range of healthcare professions, teaching them basic clinical skills, and providing hands-on experiences that ignite their passion for healthcare.

By exposing students to real-world healthcare environments and engaging with professionals in the field, the camp helps them envision a future in healthcare and gain the foundational knowledge needed to pursue it. A key goal of the Discovery Healthcare Camp is to encourage these students to return to their rural communities after completing their education.

In rural areas facing a critical shortage of healthcare professionals, community members often go above and beyond to provide outstanding caregiving. The event aimed to honor individuals who tirelessly worked during critical and uncertain times, as nominated by their peers, patients, and community members. These unsung heroes are acknowledged for their unwavering commitment to community health through Gateway CERH's Healthcare Workers' Recognition Event occuring every other year.

Reflecting Gateway’s commitment to addressing community needs, this event not only acknowledges the hard work of healthcare workers throughout their careers but also provides a sense of unity during the uncertainty of the past few years.

Project Initiatives

Healthcare Workers Recognition Event

Project in Action

Engaging

Inclusive

Empowering

Supportive

Project Team

The SHARP (Skilled Healthcare Attraction & Retention Program) team is a dedicated group of professionals committed to strengthening the local healthcare workforce. With expertise in healthcare education, recruitment, and community engagement, the team works collaboratively to address critical shortages of Personal Support Workers (PSWs) and nurses in rural areas. By offering comprehensive training, upgrading opportunities, and innovative recruitment strategies, the SHARP team empowers healthcare workers to thrive in their roles. Their mission is to build a robust, skilled workforce that ensures quality care for our community, both now and in the future.