Health Human Resource Strategy

The Health Human Resource Strategy is a component of the Health Care Policy Contribution Program and is also one of the primary initiatives to come out of the 2003 First Ministers' Accord on Health Care Renewal.

The goal of the Strategy is to aid the establishment of an adequate supply of health care providers while promoting optimal working conditions.

Four Key Priorities

Projects funded through the Strategy focus on four key priorities:

1. More health care providers

Includes projects aimed at:

  • improving health student and learner retention rates through the modernization of health education programs and clinical practice models, and
  • integrating internationally educated health care professionals (IEHPs) into the Canadian health workforce.

2. Using human resource skills effectively

Projects that help develop a health workforce which uses its skills effectively and improve services for all Canadians, particularly in underserved areas, by addressing the maldistribution of health human resources. Examples include:

  • developing health system leaders,
  • improving workforce utilization so that all providers can practice to their full scope and competencies, and
  • improving recruitment and retention in areas of high need, including rural and remote settings.

3. Creating healthy, supportive, learning workplaces

Projects that enhance the working and learning conditions for health care providers. Examples include:

  • strengthening evidence and supporting the uptake of interprofessional collaboration and healthy work environments,
  • monitoring interprofessional collaboration and quality of worklife through the development of national indicators, standards, benchmarking and performance reporting,
  • promoting innovative ongoing training/development of regulated and unregulated health care workers in institutional and community settings, and
  • developing continuing education and learning programs that align with population health needs (for example, complex care) and changes in the health care system (for example, advanced technologies).

4. More effective planning and forecasting

Projects that enhance the capacity for health human resources (HHR) planning and forecasting. Examples include:

  • developing, assessing and updating HHR models and tools,
  • enabling and increasing a pan-Canadian planning capacity, which is sustainable and respects jurisdictional and population needs while also being responsive to emerging demands on the health system, and
  • exploring emerging international HHR issues and their potential impact on Canada's health workforce.

Examples of funded projects can be found in Pan-Canadian HHR Strategy Annual Reports

Additional Information

HHR Connection (newsletter)

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