Currently Sending 300 Of Them to High-Need Hospitals

Ontario wants to have thousands of internationally trained nurses come work in the province by March 31st.

The government of Ontario is currently sending around 300 nurses, along with 6,000 more healthcare workers, around the province to meet hospital demand. These additional workers include nursing and medical students.

Even before the pandemic, Ontario had been having issues with shortages of medical staff. During COVID, Ontario launched emergency programs and added more than 6,700 healthcare professionals to work in care homes and lighten the load on hospitals. Unfortunately, the situation has gotten direr as the pandemic has persisted.

In its 2021 provincial budget, 2021 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review: Build Ontario, the government promised to invest $342 million in recruitment. This investment should add over 13,000 workers, which includes new and up-skilled nurses and personal support workers.

“Our government committed to spare no expense in the fight against the pandemic to protect people’s health and the economy, which is why investing in the front lines of our health care system was one of the key pillars of our plan to Build Ontario,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, the Minister of Finance in a government media release.

Qualification Doesn’t Really Count?

While there are thousands of qualified nurses in Ontario, there are a few roadblocks they must overcome before they are eligible to practice. Each step taken in the registration process takes a huge amount of time and money:

  • Education;
  • Police criminal record check;
  • Evidence of practice;
  • Language proficiency;
  • Registration examination;
  • Health and conduct;
  • Authorization to work; and
  • Past offences and findings.

Regardless of how qualified they are, they must still receive an education and training at the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO). A teacher at the college, Birgit Umaigba, notices that some of the internationally educated nurses with tons of skills and knowledge are being overlooked because the system is unnecessarily difficult.

CNO explains the process as an effort for promoting safe nursing practice. However, the recently announced policy changes might help move things faster.

In 2020, the percentage of internationally educated nurses eligible to practice in Ontario was 12.2 per cent of Ontario’s total nursing workforce, almost 2 per cent higher than in 2010. Considering the government’s efforts, the fact that non-medical healthcare workers are in-demand, and that Ontario is seeking more qualified immigrants, this percentage may increase sooner than expected.