by Heidi Riley
Réseau Santé en français Î.-P.-É. (PEI French Health Network – PEIFHN), a provincial non-profit organization located in Wellington. They collaborate with various partners to improve access to quality French-language health services and programs for PEI’s Acadian and Francophone population.
The organization brings together representatives from target community groups, educational facilities, health professionals, health service managers, and the provincial government.
The PEIFHN offers a variety of tools and activities to promote health services in French and help workers to better serve Acadians and Francophones of the province.
The PEIFHN also supports Bilingual healthcare students with tools, activities, and bursaries of up to $1,500 per year. Their yearly bursaries campaign will again be launched in May 2022. To apply for the bursaries, click here
“Since 2014, the PEIFHN has been creating a database with names and contact information of French-speaking Islanders studying in healthcare. With the consent of students, their contact information is shared with the Recruitment and Retention Secretariat in the hopes of linking them with available jobs here on PEI,” says Elise Arsenault, Executive Director of the PEIFHN.
“The French Health Network is not an employer per se, but we are here to give French-speaking Islanders better access to jobs in the healthcare sector by linking them with employers.
“To apply for Bilingual positions with the PEI Public Service Commission, you must meet the required language proficiency levels. The oral 20-minute language proficiency evaluations are done by the PEI Public Service Commission (PSC). We do not require that French be your first language.”
To check the PEI PSC site for more information on language proficiency requirements, click here
Some job examples:
- Nurses in Prince County
- Social Worker (PCH)
- LPN (Maplewood, Summerset and Beach Grove Manors)
- RCW (Maplewood, Summerset and Beach Grove Manors) – Psychologist (French Language School Board) – click here to view
Health PEI jobs are posted here. Postings for bilingual positions will be posted in English and in French.
Applicants must be bilingual. Each job posting lists the skills and experience needed, directions on how to apply, work hours, rate of pay, and training offered.
“Students who studied in university in English but took French Immersion are welcome to apply. During the application process, the Public Service Commission will administer a test to determine your competency level in French.
“You must have your qualifications recognized, and for most of the jobs you will need to be licensed or certified. While it is possible to hire individuals with work permits, they will need to meet all requirements regarding certification and/or licensing.”
The Réseau Santé en français Î.-P.-É. has a directory with contact information for French-speaking people working in healthcare on PEI. click here For a look at videos from the PEI French Health Network, click here or search Réseau Santé en français Î.-P.-É. on YouTube.
Check the website at www.santeipe.ca
This information is part of a job fair hosted by the UPEI Experiential Education department. For a complete list of employers who attended and their hiring needs, click here