Health Minister Audrey Gordon has promised to remove perhaps the biggest obstacle for internationally trained nurses working in another province who are trying to return to Manitoba.
Gordon issued a compliance order requiring the College of Registered Nurses in Manitoba to remove its requirement that internationally educated nurses who are already licensed in other jurisdictions in Canada be subjected to further tests if they are trying again to obtain accreditation in Manitoba.
It was found that the vast majority of people who undergo the two-day examination, which is referred to as an assessment of clinical aptitude, require remedial education to obtain a county license.
Critics said the additional requirement prevented many people from returning to Manitoba.
“We have a nursing crisis and a staffing crisis in the health system,” Gordon said in an interview Thursday.
“I became very concerned about the pace of change in nurse licensing here in Manitoba and felt it was time to take the step of issuing a compliance order.”
The College of Nursing will follow the system
Katherine Stansfield, chief executive of the Regulatory College, does not agree to the position of health secretary, but said she respects the decision and the college will abide by it.
The request from Gordon’s office, issued on July 26, came less than one year a day from the Manitoba government to first inform the college by letter of its concerns regarding clinical competency assessment requirements, according to the compliance order.
She said it was the first time Gordon had issued such a directive.
The county faced pressure to bring in more nurses as reports piled up of high vacancy rates, exhausted nurses and ongoing mandatory overtime requests.
Health officials say they are focused on hiring and retaining, but stress that staff shortages are a problem across the country and beyond.
The order asserts that the college’s clinical competency assessment request violates several local trade agreements and the Manitoba Labor Mobility Act, which states that any worker certified in one jurisdiction must be recognized as eligible to practice in another. Not all Canadian jurisdictions require the same clinical competency assessment.
“These are individuals who are already registered in good standing, working in other jurisdictions across Canada. They come to Manitoba and feel the process is very slow,” Gordon said.
And it’s my job as Minister of Health to make sure they can do that. “
Stansfield said the compliance order disappointed her. It disagrees with the assertion that the college violated the Employment Mobility Act, stating that the legislation does not provide guidance for individuals who can circumvent jurisdiction requirements — for example, requesting a clinical competency assessment in Manitoba — by obtaining a degree elsewhere.
“We felt that the Mobility Act was silent on these applicants,” Stansfield said.
The Manitoba regulator requires a aptitude test for nurses with international education who wish to work in Manitoba, if they are not licensed elsewhere in Canada.
It is also currently required for applicants from outside the province who once tried to obtain a license in Manitoba, did not meet the requirements and are now trying again.
A aptitude test is not required for out-of-provincial registered nurses trying to obtain a Manitoba license for the first time. Stansfield said the compliance order extends this exemption to everyone already licensed elsewhere in Canada.
She said the new provincial order would affect “a handful” of people immediately, but it was not known how many nurses had not tried to re-apply in Manitoba due to the stricter requirements.
The nurses’ union liked it
Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, said her union does not track the number of internationally certified nurses in other provinces who want to move to Manitoba, but that “a lot of these nurses are knocking on our door because they need help and they don’t.” I don’t know where to find it.”
Jackson said she is pleased the county is taking action.
“We’ve called on the government to step up and really show us some tangible ways we’re going to give the nurses in this county some relief from their workload, from overtime imposed,” Jackson said.
“I would say this is an indication that the government has heard our message.”
Despite the order being issued, Gordon commended the regulator for its willingness to modernize the licensing process. She said the college worked with Red River College Polytech to develop an accessible pathway for nurses who need a refresher.
Beginning this fall, the Nurses’ Reentry Program will replace the Internationally Certified Nurse Bridging Program and the Nurses Refresher Program with a new, flexible, self-directed option that can be completed through various means, including approx.
It is intended for local students who wish to return to the profession, internationally certified nurses seeking licenses in Manitoba and other nurses who need to complete certain courses mandated by the regulatory body.
Gordon said the government will share more of its progress in supporting internationally certified nurses soon.
In July, CBC reported that nearly all licensed licensed practical nurses in the county would soon be able to work in supervised health care facilities.
In addition, the various nursing schools operate a system to direct applicants who do not meet the requirements of one nursing school to pursue another avenue of licensure.
Stansfield emphasized that clinical competency assessment ensures that a high standard of nursing is maintained. She said Manitoba had nearly 100 internationally certified nurses registered in 2021 compared to 2018.
“We know that nurses successfully go through this process because we have the numbers that show that,” Stansfield said.
“It’s really about our work in protecting the public interest, and that means there are certain standards that people have to meet.”
Discussion about this post