Northern Health is still facing challenges when it comes to hiring difficult to fill positions.
So far this fiscal year over 900 people have been hired by Northern Health, which is down from the 1,300 hired in 2016.
Spokesperson David Williams says the challenge they face is trying to keep people in the north.
“The most effective way to meet our needs is to encourage people that are already living in the north to consider health care as a profession. That’s why we reach out to them through our grow our own program. We are going out to high schools and identifying the careers in health care they can choose from.”
A partnership between Northern Health and UNBC has had some success because they offer courses, such as radiology technology, lab technology, nurse practitioner, and the northern medical program, which helps train people.
The toughest region to fill positions is the north east, with the north west coming in second and Prince George third.