'I love working with our rural teams'

Drumheller, Three Hills fill OT vacancies thanks to Rural Capacity Investment Fund

Story by Gregory Kennedy

DRUMHELLER / THREE HILLS — Investments in healthcare talent have brought up staff levels and are bringing benefits and wellness to Albertans receiving physiotherapy and occupational therapy at Drumheller Health Centre, Three Hills Health Centre and across the region.

Rural positions can be challenging to fill, yet with funding from the Rural Capacity Investment Fund (RCIF) — along with a welcoming, supportive leadership — two recent occupational therapy grads have chosen to make the district their home and build their careers in community healthcare.

“I love working with our rural teams,” says Ahmad Qayyum, an area manager for Allied health in Central Zone. “I feel very fulfilled when I'm able to make some positive impacts in our communities through our programs.”

In the last round of collective bargaining, the RCIF was established to support recruitment and retention strategies in rural and remote areas in the North, Central and South zones.

Approximately $17 million annually was allocated to support recruitment, retention and relocation incentives, as well as to support team and professional development opportunities for clinical staff in these three rural zones.

Prior to his recent hires, Qayyum and his team had to juggle service delivery as best they could.

“In the cities, you have multiple staff covering each area of care, and it’s easier to maintain service if you’re down a couple of bodies,” he says. “But here in rural, we have fewer alternatives. And if you don’t have somebody, you can lose service in not just one area, but multiple areas.

“We found ourselves having to send some of our patients to other sites, which are close by, but this meant out-of-pocket travel and expense for them. This is hardly ideal, when we aim to help people survive and thrive in their home environment.”

Even with a determined recruitment campaign, however, rural jobs can be a tough sell. For example, despite more than two years of posting a vacancy for Three Hills, not a single candidate applied.

“And finally, I got lucky,” adds Qayyum, with relief in his voice. After hearing about the RCIF — and freshly armed with hiring incentives — he decided to attend the May 2023 conference of Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists in Saskatoon, where he set up a recruitment booth.

“I wanted to speak directly to potential candidates, and especially to occupational therapy students who would be graduating very soon. I started talking to them about the opportunities in my areas, and about the Rural Capacity Investment Fund,” he says.

“It proved a huge attraction for a lot of the folks who came by my little booth. People were very excited, because nobody from other healthcare regions across Canada could match what we were offering. Thanks to this event and the RCIF, I was able to hire two new grads for our OT team.”

Qayyum, who began his AHS career on the front-line a decade ago, recognizes the importance of giving new staff ample resources as well as his enthusiastic support, as they embark on their new careers.

“They're new grads and we want to make sure they have enough support and the proper encouragement as they go through their new phase of learning on the job.

“So far I’m amazed in a good way that they've been doing things pretty nicely. We’ve received a lot of great feedback. Thankfully, and with their passion and commitment, our wait list is coming down.”

Learn more about the Rural Capacity Investment Fund.