A national dialogue is needed on addressing barriers that prevent qualified nurses to work in Canada
Today’s news in Canada is rife with reports of a healthcare system under strain, with workers bearing the brunt of heavy workloads made worse by the pandemic. To top it off, our country is staring at a frightening demographic reckoning by the end of this decade, as outlined in a sobering report released by RBC in January 2020, unless steps are taken to change course soon. The staffing shortages in our care homes are not entirely new either — BCCPA has been squarely focused on bringing the health human resources crisis to the attention of the provincial and federal government (in association with CALTC) since 2017.
Long-time Vancouver Sun scribe Daphne Bramham dissects the systemic and political gridlock that prevents qualified nurses from starting healthcare careers here in her most recent columns, including a front page report quoting BCCPA CEO Terry Lake.
Bramham notes:
Less than half of the foreign trained health-care workers end up working in their chosen professions. Most give up when their qualifications aren’t recognized in a timely manner. Others simply go somewhere else.
This needs to be fixed and fast.
In her previous article, Bramham cites BCCPA’s research (which is colourfully explained in this video produced by the Association) and says “Political will needed to break licensing logjam so qualified, foreign nurses can work.” And as she points out in her latest column, it is not just internationally-trained nurses that are held up from Canada’s “labyrinthine regulatory system.”
For a longer discussion on the problem and potential reforms that will allow IENs to work as nurses in Canada, please see our November Care to Chat recording that is now free to watch.
Care to Chat: Can foreign-trained healthcare workers help solve Canada’s nursing shortage crisis?
