Collaboration to change the landscape of nursing: a journey between urban and remote practice settings

University Health Network (UHN) became a demonstration site to test a health human resource planning model to foster inter-organizational collaboration, knowledge transfer and exchange of nurses between an urban academic health science centre and a remote region in northern Ontario. Funding support was provided by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The partnership between UHN, Weeneebayko Health Ahtuskaywin (WHA) and James Bay General Hospital (JBGH) addressed retention, recruitment, professional practice development, planning and succession planning objectives. The primary goal of this partnership was to supply the staffing needs of WHA/JBGH with UHN nurses at a decreased cost for four- to six-week placement periods. This resulted in a marked decrease in agency use by approximately 40% in the WHA site during the months UHN nurses were practicing in the north, with an overall agency cost savings of $165,000 reported in the pilot year. The project also served as a recruitment and retention strategy for all organizations. It provided an opportunity to practice in new clinical settings and to engage in knowledge transfer experiences and professional development initiatives between remote and urban practice environments. In the pilot year, 37 nurses (30 from UHN and 7 from WHA) participated. They returned to their respective organizations re-energized by the different "landscape" of practice experience and toward the nursing profession itself.