ST. MARY’S – To help manage “workload demands,” St. Mary’s Memorial Hospital hopes to hire up to six new people in its general medical, emergency, and rehabilitation departments over the next month, according to Nova Scotia Health (NSH).
“We’ve created positions [for] two team aides and a ward clerk,” said Brendan Elliott, an NSH senior media advisor based in Halifax. “[These] are meant to create a more supportive environment for the current staff to manage the workload demands of our nurses.”
The hospital also needs a new secretary for the emergency department, a rehabilitation assistant to fill a position that has been vacant since last fall, and a dietician (that position has not yet been posted). “There is [also] a new registered nurse (RN) starting later this month,” Elliott added.
According the NSH website, the new part-time team aides will “provide direct, hands-on care based on the needs of the patient and program or unit and are responsible for supporting patients’ activities of daily living (AOL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL).”
The part-time ER secretary will be responsible for “the efficient prioritization of multiple responsibilities to meet the requirements of the department/unit utilizing initiative, judgement, and knowledge in a confidential setting.”
The part-time rehab assistant will be responsible for “the safe and proficient delivery of activities that have been assigned by the therapists” for patients coping with injuries or infirmities.
Elliot noted that St. Mary’s Memorial maintains “a full complement of physicians and nurses”, including:two permanent doctors; five full-time and six casual RNs; and four full-time and five casual licensed practical nurses. Its staff of 29 health care professionals also includes: one full-time X-ray technician; a medical lab assistant; a physiotherapist on site weekly for inpatient and outpatient appointments; a part-time medical records clerk; and a full-time administrative secretary.
Despite doctor and nursing shortages in other hospitals on the Eastern Shore over the past several months, Elliott confirmed, “St. Mary’s Hospital’s emergency department has not closed in the past year.”
Application deadlines close either this week or in early May.
