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In an effort to bolster the hiring of nurses and tackle manpower wants within the public healthcare sector, native nursing college students graduating in 2023 will now be eligible for a sign-on bonus of S$15,000.
The announcement was made by Well being Minister Ong Ye Kung in the course of the Nurses’ Benefit Award ceremony held at Orchard Resort at the moment (July 19).
The sign-on bonus can be distributed over two years, with three tranches of S$5,000 every. The primary instalment can be given at the beginning of employment, whereas the remaining two can be paid on the finish of the primary and second years of service.
This bonus can be relevant to contemporary nursing graduates from native polytechnics and universities who be part of nursing within the public healthcare clusters or publicly-funded residential group care organisations, together with nursing properties.
Those that accomplished the Institute of Technical Schooling’s nursing program in December 2022 and enter nursing this 12 months can even be eligible for the bonus.
What this implies for the healthcare sector
Minister Ong emphasised that the bonus can be retroactive, making certain that those that joined the occupation from January 2023 onward will profit from this incentive. The intention is to encourage extra nursing graduates to decide on a profession in healthcare, contemplating that roughly one-third of nursing graduates at present go for different sectors.
Mr. Ong acknowledged that the general public healthcare clusters have already enhanced their sponsorship packages for nursing college students, overlaying a minimum of half of tuition charges and offering allowances throughout coaching.
Nonetheless, as a result of distinctive circumstances ensuing from the COVID-19 disaster, the sign-on bonus was launched to draw contemporary nursing graduates and tackle the sector’s rapid wants.
Moreover, the Well being Minister highlighted the significance of retaining current nurses. Throughout the pandemic, attrition charges amongst nurses rose to about 10 per cent yearly, primarily resulting from different international locations’ recruitment of overseas nurses from Singapore.
Nonetheless, the attrition fee has dropped to pre-pandemic ranges of roughly 5 to seven per cent in 2023.
To retain nurses and improve their remuneration, the Ministry of Well being (MOH) will proceed to work with healthcare clusters to evaluation wage packages usually. Entry-level registered nurses in Singapore reportedly earn a base wage starting from S$2,200 to S$4,450 per thirty days.
Mr. Ong emphasised that remuneration may also be improved by means of different means, citing retention schemes applied by the Singapore Armed Forces and the schooling service as examples.
Moreover, the MOH is growing a long-term retention scheme particularly tailor-made for nurses within the public healthcare sector. Minister Ong assured that additional particulars concerning the scheme can be shared within the coming months.
Featured Picture Credit score: Sengkang Normal Hospital
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