Health care professionals are at the heart of patient care. The need for these experts is high – not only here in Newfoundland and Labrador, but across Canada and beyond.
We have world-class professionals working across the province and we’re dedicated to keeping them here with competitive incentives and meaningful practice supports.
We also need to bring in new recruits. So, we’re marketing our province with incentives and highlighting the transformational changes of our system to attract talented professionals interested in joining the builders and change-makers we already have.
The result is a growing team of health care professionals here to provide you and your loved ones with the care you need.
For more information about incentive programs and employment opportunities, visit WorkInHealthNL.ca
43 physicians* recruited since April 2024**
*Number does not include medical residents
**Last updated August 2024
There were 104 physicians recruited and started between April 2023 and March 2024.
There were 27 physicians recruited between September 2022 and March 2023.
1,267 physicians practicing in Newfoundland and Labrador*
*Updated annually, last October 2024
442 new nurses hired since April 2024*
*Last updated November 2024
There were 536 new nurses hired between April 2023 and March 2024.
There were 545 new nurses hired between April 2022 and March 2023.
7,702 nurses registered to practice in Newfoundland and Labrador*
*Updated annually, last updated June 2024
We’ve launched a number of new incentive programs designed to support our existing health care workforce and attract new talent to the province.
family physicians have signed on
to Family Practice Programs*
*Updated biannually, last updated December 2024
Our Family Practice Program is the highest financial incentive offered to family physicians in Atlantic Canada.
read more +
specialists have been funded in 2024-25
to enhance their skills to benefit local patients*
*Updated annually, last updated December 2024
We’re supporting physicians who undertake training in specialty and sub-specialty programs that are not offered locally, with the funding needed to enhance their skills.
read more +
health care professionals have accepted*
*Last updated October 2024
The Come Home Incentive is available to help bring health care professionals to Newfoundland and Labrador who have been living outside the province for at least six months.
read more +Newfoundland and Labrador is home to talented professionals from within the province and from away. We’re committed to making sure that this is a great place for them to live and work.
students graduating in 2024
have chosen to work in
Newfoundland and Labrador*
*Updated at graduation 2024
and then again next year
Upon completion of training, we aim to keep talent in the province with competitive job offers that work for them.
read more +
medical students and residents have accepted
bursaries to practice in Newfoundland and Labrador*
*Updated annually, last updated December 2024
The Provincial Physician Bursary Program encourages undergraduate medical students and medical residents to practice by assisting with academic and living expenses during training. In exchange, students and residents agree to practice in the province.
read more +We offer $150,000 to new family practice physicians who open a family practice clinic or join an existing family practice in a Newfoundland and Labrador community, in return for a five-year service commitment.
As a result of this incentive, new physicians will offer care in 16 communities:
Bay Roberts
Carbonear
Clarenville
Conception Bay South
Corner Brook
Gander
Grand Falls-Windsor
Holyrood
Lewisporte
Paradise
Pasadena
Petty Harbour
Placentia
Portugal Cove – St. Phillips
St. John’s
Stephenville
As of July 2024, a total of 166 individuals have had offers and have accepted with a value of approximately $10,655,000.
We are covering the cost of licensing fees and liability protection for eligible retired family physicians, and offering a pro-rated rural retention bonus for physicians in eligible communities for every month of service they provide under this program. Additionally, the NLMA is waiving membership fees for currently retired physicians who opt to return to practice under the program.
In return, recipients of Traveling Fellowship funding agree to return to the province and commit to one year of service for each year they received funding.
For students graduating in 2024, a total of 490 new health care professionals have accepted employment with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, with breakdown of professions as follows:
167 Licensed Practical Nurses;
13 Medical Lab Techs;
203 graduating Bachelor of Science in Nursing students from the province’s three schools of nursing;
12 Nurse Practitioners;
11 Paramedics;
83 Personal Care Attendants;
8 Pharmacists; and
5 Respiratory Therapists.
We offer two different incentives: the Undergraduate Medical Student Bursary Program and the Medical Resident Bursary Program:
19 medical students have accepted funding under the Undergraduate Medical Student Bursary Program in exchange for a one-year return-in-service.
18 resident physicians (family medicine and specialists) have signed on to work in the province for up to three years after obtaining licensure.