Care workers of tomorrow: Health care aide experiences and education-to-work pathways to support retention and workforce planning (2025-2029)
Like many places around the world, the Canadian population is aging and living with increasingly complex health conditions and disabilities that may necessitate support in daily life. At the same time, we are faced with workforce shortages across our health and long-term care systems. In this context, health systems across the country are urgently prioritizing the recruitment, support and retention of health care aides (HCAs)—those who provide hands-on support in home and long-term care. This essential labour force is characterized by exceptionally high turnover, with research documenting as many as 40% of recently graduated HCAs will leave their job within the first year of employment.
The period during and immediately following training is a key time for understanding what is happening to HCAs and come up with potential solutions to the dilemma of worker retention. Our team aims to document the life experiences and education-to-work pathways of HCAs to support retention and workforce planning. Our community-engaged team includes representatives from all five public colleges training HCAs in the province of Manitoba.
This project follows HCAs across the province as they enter their training and into their first year of employment. Our project design considers that most HCAs are women and many are new Canadians. In Manitoba, we also have an important segment of Indigenous and Francophone students, and many work in rural settings. We will find out what helps HCA students complete their training, and why some might leave their program early. We will explore where they end up working in their first year, and document why they stay in or leave their jobs. Our team will identify ways that educational institutions, policy makers and employers may develop career advancement opportunities and improve job satisfaction to enhance the recruitment and retention of HCAs across Canada.
Project Leads
- Christine Kelly, PhD, University of Manitoba
- Breanna Lawrence, PhD, University of Victoria
- Rachel Herron, PhD, Brandon University
- Sheila Novek, PhD, Brandon University
Research Team Members
- Karen Batson, PhD, Brandon University
- Lisette Dansereau, PhD, University of Manitoba
- Linda Diffey, PhD, University of Manitoba
- Daniel Gagné, Université de Saint-Boniface
- Tracey McCulloch, Red River College Polytechnic
- Camille Meub, Brandon University
- Suzanne Nicolas, Assiniboine College
- Bharati Sethi, PhD, Trent University
- Cindy Woodson, University College of the North
Collaborators
- Curtis Aab, Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology
- Jodee Cobb-Adair, Assiniboine College
- Lelsey McGuirk, Red River College Polytechnic
- Todd Milford, PhD, University of Victoria
Project Partners
Funding
This research is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, project grant number 204026
