Nursing Graduate Guarantee
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General
For the Employer
For the New Graduate Nurse
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General
What is the Nursing Graduate Guarantee?
Part of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s (MOHLTC) health human resource strategy – HealthForceOntario – the Nursing Graduate Guarantee (NGG) is an initiative aimed at ensuring that every new Ontario nursing graduate (RN and RPN) who wishes to work full-time in the province will have that opportunity.
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How long will the Nursing Graduate Guarantee positions last?
The length of the Nursing Graduate Guarantee positions will vary based on the needs of the individual employer. However, New Graduate Guarantee positions are required to be maintained for a minimum of 12 weeks and a maximum of 32 weeks (7.5 months).
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Is a request for funding to support a Nursing Graduate Guarantee position 100 percent guaranteed?
Yes. Within the parameters of the initiative, the government is committed to providing all new Ontario nursing graduates with the opportunity to move into full-time employment immediately upon graduation.
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Are new graduates getting this full-time job opportunity over other nurses?
New graduates in supernumerary Nursing Graduate Guarantee positions will have to compete with any other nurses on staff when applying for permanent positions. The supernumerary ("above staff complement") Nursing Graduate Guarantee positions are intended to support new graduates in ultimately gaining full-time job opportunities by providing them with the experience that makes them job ready and more marketable.
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What is being done to support experienced nurses in the field who want full-time positions?
As part of the government’s Nursing Strategy, efforts are underway between the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and employers to increase the number of nurses employed full-time to 70 percent. The government has targeted $50 million annually for the creation and maintenance of full-time positions for nurses in the province. In addition, the government has committed to creating 17.55 million additional hours of nursing care (9,000 nursing positions) over the next four years.
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Will this be an ongoing initiative?
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will continue implementing the Nursing Graduate Guarantee in 2009/10 under the existing terms and conditions with 100% of funding providing new nurses with a guaranteed job opportunity.
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For the Employer
How does my organization participate in the Nursing Graduate Guarantee?
Employers must complete the following requirements to participate:
- Register with HFOJobs;
- Create a profile (which will include information about the facility and community) and specify the number of positions that will be created;
- Accept applications from new graduates;
- Conduct interviews and select new graduates;
- Submit the organization's letter of offer through the portal;
- Receive the match confirmation letter, obtain appropriate signatures and send request for funding to the Ministry;
- Employ new graduates for the length of time specified in the funding letter that they receive;
- Notify the MOHLTC if the position is terminated prior to the end of the contract;
- Provide a comprehensive orientation for the new graduate (minimum requirements for orientation are outlined in the Nursing Graduate Guarantee Guidelines)
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Can all organizations participate in the Nursing Graduate Guarantee?
To be eligible under the Nursing Graduate Guarantee, an employer:
- must receive transfer payments from the government for the provision of nursing services (including those funded by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services as well as the Ministry of Education);
- must already employ nurses to support mentorship of the nursing graduate in a supernumerary position; and
- must have the infrastructure to support successful implementation of the initiative. This may include physical infrastructure, nursing education or professional development initiatives and management supports.
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Does the Nursing Graduate Guarantee apply to all sectors?
Yes. These employment opportunities for 2009 Ontario nursing graduates will include all sectors: hospital, long-term care, home care, public health and primary health care.
Please note that Community Care Access Centres (CCACs) are eligible under the Nursing Graduate Guarantee where: Home care agencies have existing contracts with CCACs (e.g. receive third party payments from the government) and meet the second and third criteria noted above, under question 8.
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How will the new graduates be compensated?
New graduates will be paid sector-appropriate wages and benefits as outlined in the organization’s human resource policy and collective agreements. The funding agreement will respect the conditions of the collective agreement.
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How will the MOHLTC funding be released to my organization?
If the New Graduate Nurse is hired by your organization with a start date between the months of April to mid-October, 80% of the funding for this graduate's salaries/benefits will be released to your organization. The remaining 20% will be released once your organization has submitted the final report as required by the MOHLTC.
If the New Graduate Nurse is hired by your organization with a start date between mid-October to March, the percentage of funding flowed to your organization will be gradually deferred (at approximately 10% for every month) to account for the amount of funds that can be spent by the end of the fiscal year (March 31). The outstanding funding as it applies to the first 80% installment will be flowed in the next fiscal year and the remaining 20% will be flowed after your organization has submitted the final report as required by the the MOHLTC.
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Does my organization have to guarantee new graduates a permanent full-time job after the Nursing Graduate Guarantee position?
The Nursing Graduate Guarantee has been designed as a comprehensive initiative to address not only the underemployment of new graduates, but also the broader systemic issues that limit the creation of full time positions. Therefore, a number of employer resources are being developed to help build nursing workforce management and planning capacity across the health care system. This will ultimately support the retention of nurses through the creation of more full time positions.
Employers are strongly encouraged to examine their nursing human resource needs and draw upon HHR management and planning resources to develop innovative solutions to increase permanent full-time job opportunities for nurses. If the employer is not successful in bridging the new graduate to a permanent full-time position by the end of the six months, employers are required to provide funding for six weeks of additional, above staffing complement time in the Nursing Graduate Guarantee position.
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What if the new graduate nurse finds a permanent position within the organization before the end of the placement?
The new graduate would be encouraged to move directly into that permanent position as the Nursing Graduate Guarantee is a time-limited initiative. If the new graduate is bridged to a permanent full-time position during the 26 weeks (but after the initial 12 weeks), the remaining funds can be re-invested by the organization in other nursing priorities as specified in the guidelines.
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What if the new graduate nurse finds a permanent position in another organization and leaves the organization before the end of the placement?
The new graduate would be encouraged to move directly into that permanent position as the Nursing Graduate Guarantee is a time-limited initiative. If the new graduate leaves the organization, any remaining funds must be returned to the Ministry.
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If a new graduate is bridged into a permanent full-time position after three months but before the end of the six month funding period, which front-line nursing initiatives can my organization re-invest the remaining funding into?
If employers are able to bridge new graduates into full-time permanent positions after the minimum three months but before the end of the six-month funding period, all nurses will benefit from the re-investment of remaining salary dollars into other front-line nursing priorities. A list of eligible re-investment initiatives may be found here in the NGG Guidelines (see Appendix B).
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What advantages does this initiative offer to my organization?
The Nursing Graduate Guarantee allows for the following benefits to the employer:
- The Ministry will provide 100 percent salary dollars and benefits for up to 26 weeks for new graduates;
- Employers can better market their organizations, and augment their existing recruitment and retention strategies through this comprehensive and integrated approach;
- The NGG is an important opportunity for employers in all sectors to leverage an investment that will help them to be better prepared for the pending retirements in the nursing workforce;
- It assists in levelling the playing field for all organizations regardless of size and, in particular, will help with recruitment to rural and northern areas.
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How will experienced nurses benefit from the Nursing Graduate Guarantee?
This initiative offers the following benefits to experienced nurses:
- The addition of confident and well-prepared new graduates as members of the team positively impacts all nurses;
- Leadership opportunities for staff to mentor the next generation of nurses, imparting valuable knowledge and expertise, which will translate into superior patient care, and contribute to making the organization an employer of choice;
- As part of this initiative, the Ministry is also supporting a number of capacity-building projects to support organizations in nursing workforce planning that will ultimately benefit all nurses.
- In cases where new graduates are bridged to permanent full-time positions before the end of the 6 month period, employers can re-invest remaining Nursing Graduate Guarantee funds in other initiatives to support existing front-line nurses. A list of eligible re-investment initiatives may be found here in the NGG Guidelines (see Appendix B).
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We’re located in a remote area that’s hard to "sell" to new nurses. How will this initiative help us?
It is expected that the Nursing Graduate Guarantee will particularly benefit remote and underserviced areas. The Nursing Graduate Portal will provide access to a huge pool of new graduates and the opportunity for all employers to promote their sector, organization and community in a comprehensive way. The approach assists in levelling the playing field, and provides "reach" for all employers. The Ministry has also introduced a Nursing Community Assessment Visit Program through which eligible employers may apply for reimbursement of travel costs for graduates (and their spouses, if applicable) who are interested in working in your community.
Visit the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care website for more information on the Nursing Community Assessment Visit program.
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Who can I contact if I have technical questions or problems related to the Nursing Graduate Guarantee portal?
All technical support questions should be directed to HealthForceOntario's HFOJobs:
North America: 1-800-463-1270 (press 6)
Toronto: 416-862-2200 (press 6)
E-mail: hfojobs@hfojobs.ca
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For the New Graduate Nurse
How do I participate?
- New graduates interested in the Nursing Graduate Guarantee initiative must register on the Nursing Graduate Guarantee Portal, an online employment portal that links new graduates with employers through an online application and matching process.
- New graduates can consult the registry and apply for Nursing Graduate Guarantee positions with as many employers as they wish*. These positions are intended to eventually bridge the new grad into a full-time nursing position.
- Employers invite the new graduate for an interview and send their organization’s letters of offer through the Portal, giving the new graduate the chance to choose the position he/she desires.
- Once a position is accepted, an automated confirmation letter will be generated which must be completed by employers and sent to the Ministry to request funding.
- The full-time bridging position begins once funding requests have been approved by the Ministry and as soon as Temporary Registration has been obtained by the new graduate from the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO).
- Unmatched graduates should contact the HFOJobs support office for assistance at hfojobs@hfojobs.ca.
* Note: new graduates must match with an employer and begin the Nursing Graduate Guarantee position within 6 months of course completion.
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When should I start registering?
New graduates must sign on and complete their registration through the Nursing Graduate Portal and may do so prior to or following their course completion date. However, please note:new graduates must begin employment in the Nursing Graduate Guarantee position within six months of course completion (that is, within six months of receiving their final grades). New grads must also obtain Temporary Registration from the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) prior to commencing employment.
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If I have secured a position post-graduation, will I still be able to participate in this initiative?
The Nursing Graduate Guarantee funding only applies to those jobs that are posted on the Nursing Graduate Portal. Employers can post the position online and then hire the new graduate nurse as the successful applicant. The organization can then receive funding for the new graduate’s salary. Again, the new graduate nurse in this case would be in a supernumerary position above the staff complement.
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What happens if I accept a position with an organization through the Nursing Graduate Portal and then receive an offer from another organization after the 72-hour period? Can I accept a different offer?
The Nursing Graduate Guarantee provides one funded bridging position opportunity for each graduate. Therefore, once a graduate has accepted an offer from an employer, he/she will not be permitted to accept another position through the portal after the 72-hour period has expired. Since the employer will assume that the graduate has accepted their offer in good faith, graduates should consider any potential legal ramifications of not pursuing the position with that employer. The Ministry cannot provide specific advice in this regard.
Please note that 72 hours after the new graduate accepts this position with the organization, his/her status on the HFOJobs registry as a new graduate user will automatically change to that of a regular nurse user. Therefore, the new graduate will notice that, after 72 hours of accepting the position, he/she will no longer be able to view new graduate positions or offers.
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Can I still participate in the Nursing Graduate Guarantee (NGG) if I do not successfully pass the national nursing registration examination (either the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination or the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination)?
Subject to any applicable collective bargaining requirements, if the nursing graduate does not successfully pass the applicable national nursing registration examination, he or she will be temporarily suspended from the initiative since nursing graduates are required to have a valid Temporary Certificate of Registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario. Should the new graduate rewrite and successfully pass the applicable national nursing registration examination, he/she may return to his/her original Nursing Graduate Guarantee position (with the original employer) if it is still available, subject to any applicable collective agreement requirements. Please note that the NGG provides only one funded bridging position opportunity for each nursing graduate and therefore the graduate will not be permitted to re-apply for other Nursing Graduate Guarantee positions.
Subject to any applicable collective agreement requirements, in cases where the new graduate nurse does not successfully pass the applicable Canadian Registered Nurse Examination or Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination on his/her third attempt, the new graduate nurses’ employment must be terminated by the employer.
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How will I benefit from the Nursing Graduate Guarantee?
This initiative offers the following benefits for new graduates:
- New graduates will have access to invaluable employment opportunities across all sectors that they might not have had otherwise, and a good chance of bridging to permanent full-time employment;
- Assists graduates in gaining full-time experience, helping to ease the transition into the workforce;
- The extended orientation will support a more effective transition to practice for new graduates, thereby allowing them to become fully engaged as key members of the health care team.
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What are the minimum orientation requirements for the Nursing Graduate Guarantee initiative?
Minimum orientation requirements for the Nursing Graduate Guarantee initiative are as follows:
- Organizations must provide new graduate nurses with a minimum of 12 weeks orientation including a minimum of three to six days of general orientation to the organization;
- The organization must clearly define the roles of the new graduate, mentor and orientation leader;
- A learning plan must be developed by the new graduate and mentor, with input from the orientation leader, and should be used to monitor the new graduate’s progress and to guide evaluation;
- Orientation to meet goals of the learning plan should include a variety of teaching strategies and delivery methods to educate on competencies.
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Will I accrue seniority while in the position under the Nursing Graduate Guarantee?
The Minisitry of Health and Long-Term Care strongly encourages employers to have early and ongoing dialogue with collective bargaining representatives regarding participation in the Nursing Graduate Guarantee and should consult with the RN/RPN bargaining representatives for union matters including accrual of seniority.
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Who can I contact if I have technical questions or problems related to the Nursing Graduate Guarantee portal?
All technical support questions should be directed to HealthForceOntario's HFOJobs:
North America: 1-800-463-1270 (press 6)
Toronto: 416-862-2200 (press 6)
E-mail: hfojobs@hfojobs.ca
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