Addressing the shortage of professional resources within CLOSMs: strengthening recruitment and retention strategies for the benefit of New Brunswick's Francophone and Acadian communities

Across the country and elsewhere, COVID-19 has highlighted the human resource gaps already well-felt in health systems. The provision of health care and services in New Brunswick is weakened by a shortage of registered nurses and physicians, which particularly affects rural areas, where official language minority communities (OLMCs) are concentrated. Since 2008, the Vitalité Health Network (Network), whose operating language is French, has served OLMCs spread across four geographic zones. However, there are approximately 100 physician positions and approximately 200 registered nurse positions to be filled in the territory administered by the Network. Given this reality, combined with the current health crisis, it is imperative to strengthen the Network's recruitment and retention strategies to ensure its viability and maintain health care and services that meet the needs of OLMCs. In a spirit of co-creation of knowledge, we have therefore established a partnership with the Network. The results of this study will allow our partner to identify and implement concrete solutions that come from its context in order to increase the recruitment rate and promote the retention of professionals in their positions. By taking stock of vacant positions and examining the turnover rate, it will be possible, on the one hand, to determine whether the most significant challenges are in terms of recruitment or retention. On the other hand, it will be a question of examining the factors that make the internal environments attractive, such as working conditions, and external (or community) environments, such as the living environment of professionals. The methodology is based on a mixed design that combines quantitative and qualitative approaches.