Windsor Regional Hospital is launching an aggressive nationwide recruitment campaign, offering signing bonuses of up to $25,000 to attract diagnostic imaging professionals to fill critical vacancies.
Addressing Critical Staffing Shortages
The hospital is actively searching across Canada for talented professionals specializing in MRI, CT, ultrasound, X-ray, and nuclear medicine. Chief nursing executive Nicole Krywionek explained that the recruitment challenge stems from the absence of local training programs for these specialized roles in Windsor.
"With these specialized areas, we do encounter difficulties with recruitment, as we currently don't have a training program in Windsor," said Krywionek. "We have good uptake with students, but many who come to Windsor for their practicums end up going back to their home communities."
Vacancy Rates and Patient Impact
The diagnostic imaging department is experiencing approximately 10 percent vacancy rate, significantly higher than the hospital's overall vacancy rate of about five percent. Specific shortages include four vacancies in MRI, five in CT, and four to five positions in nuclear medicine.
These staffing challenges are directly affecting patient care. Krywionek, who also serves as the hospital's executive lead for Diagnostic Imaging, noted that patients may wait up to 12-18 months for lower-priority designations.
"These wait times have remained relatively consistent over the past year and were significantly impacted by staffing vacancies which have not recovered since COVID," she said.
Comprehensive Recruitment Strategy
The $25,000 signing bonus requires a multi-year commitment, with the exact amount depending on the specific position and other factors. While the hospital has no current vacancies in ultrasound, the broader medical radiation technologist field faces training gaps in the Windsor-Essex region.
Windsor Regional is also offering tuition assistance to current staff interested in retraining for diagnostic imaging roles. However, hospital officials acknowledge the ongoing struggle to "build a sustainable pipeline of talent" due to the lack of local educational programs.
The recruitment initiative comes as staffing in other healthcare sectors shows post-pandemic recovery, while diagnostic imaging continues to lag behind due to its specialized nature and limited training capacity across Ontario.
