New Toronto program helps internationally educated nurses get Ontario licenses
A new program created by Sunnybrook Health Sciences is helping the hospital find staff who were trained abroad to get their nursing licenses to work in Ontario.
The Career Pathways program falls in line with Health Minister Christine Elliott’s Jan. 11 announcement that the province will be deploying internationally trained professionals, under the supervision of licensed nurses, to work in long-term care and other settings that have been suffering from staff shortages, especially during the pandemic.
Sunnybrook has been looking within its own ranks to see who fits the criteria and wants to be fast tracked in getting the necessary hours of practical work to become a Registered Nurse.
“We were able to identify 50 individuals that were nurses in their home countries and that were working in a different capacity with us at Sunnybrook,” Chief Nursing and Health Professions Executive Ru Taggar said.
Taggar says, in the past, many nurses who were trained in other countries would come to Canada hoping to work as nurses here, but would have to work as personal support workers, companions or other non-nursing staff until they could find a way to build up their practical skills hours.
“What the ministry is doing is giving us targeted funding to actually put them in a clinical setting,” Taggar said.
RN Champ Noval is working with the Sunnybrook program as a mentor and he can identify with the challenges of internationally trained candidates. He himself was a nursing professor in the Philippines and a researcher with the World Health Organization before coming to Canada. Despite his years of experience, he had to retrain to get his Ontario license.
“Some of them have even thought about moving to the States, because it’s easier to get your license there,” Noval said. But he says the internationally educated nurses or IENs he’s been mentoring have been in Canada for at least a couple of years already and consider it home.
With the shortage of nurses, he says their skills are badly needed in Canada.
“With the crisis that we face right now ... It’s really bad.”
Chandra Kafle works as a nurse in Sunnybrook’s cardiac intensive care and she says her training back in Nepal was in some ways even more rigorous than here.
“The clinical hours are higher there and you get to do one on one patient care, right from your first year," Kafle said.
But she says there are many things IENs need to learn about working in Ontario.
She laughs about how she had to train her ear to understand the Canadian accent when first dealing with patients. Other practices such as patient confidentiality may differ greatly from country to country.
Still, she is happy to see IENs get the opportunity to follow the nursing career they originally intended to pursue.
“Especially in this situation right now where nurse to patient ratios are higher than they used to be, it’s a great help.”
Taggar adds that by giving IENs clinical experience at Sunnybrook, they hope to attract nurses to stay at the hospital and show them the opportunities for advancement that could lie ahead.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.