Manitoba regulator introduces faster pathway for nurses coming through Philippines recruitment drive

Manitoba's registered nursing regulator has developed a faster pathway for nurses who come to the province through the government's recruitment drive in the Philippines aimed at tackling a shortage of nurses.

The accelerated option is for applicants who get a conditional offer of employment through the province's current recruitment trip to the country, the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba said in a news release on Thursday.

Applicants will be able to finish a significant amount of the application while still living abroad, and certain parts can be completed simultaneously so applicants' time in process is effectively halved, said Deb Elias, the college's chief executive officer and registrar.

Manitoba announced last month it was setting its sights on bringing in qualified health-care workers, including nurses, through a recruitment delegation being sent to the Philippines. The group was scheduled to visit the country between Feb. 21 and 25.

Elias said by having two processes happening at the same time, the college hopes to eliminate at least 12 weeks from the application process for those applicants.

Not including time needed to complete any remedial education, Elias said the college expects to now be able to make registration decisions in eight to 10 weeks for applicants coming through the new pathway.

And while those changes are a pilot project for nurses being recruited in the Philippines right now, she said the college will evaluate it and see if it can roll the updated pathway out beyond that group.

Assessment, return to practice changes

The update is part of the second phase of the college's efforts to modernize its registration process, which also includes changes to how applicants can demonstrate English language proficiency.

Applicants will also now have several new ways to do that, including current or recent registration (within the past two years) as a licensed practical nurse or registered psychiatric nurse in Manitoba, the release said.

They'll also be able to use a letter of attestation from a regulated health professional in Manitoba — a step the college said brings it in line with other provinces that already offer that option.

"This allows for those who are working as aides in the system to have people that they work with, that have supervised them, that have seen their interactions with both patients and families" vouch for their English reading, writing, listening and speaking abilities, Elias said.

The college said it's also waiting to see the results of a national review of other ways to offer language proficiency assessment. It said those results are expected this spring, and the college will look to implement any supported changes as soon as possible.

The college also announced applicants who need to complete a clinical competence assessment — an assessment intended to test the entry-level competencies for registered nurses in Manitoba — will now have the option to complete a second one if the results of the first didn't meet their expectations.

Elias said the college believes that change, along with the option for qualified applicants to do a full nurse re-entry program instead of the assessment, "enhances both the flexibility and equity of the process."

The college has also introduced a new option for former registered nurses who are looking to return to practice.

If they've practised in the last two years and are short no more than 100 hours of the required hours of practice (450 hours in the past two years or 1,125 hours in the past five years), returning nurses will now be eligible for conditional registration as a registered nurse while they get the rest of their hours under the supervision of a Manitoba employer.

"They are under supervision, so there's some limitations to their practice, but they can definitely make a meaningful contribution to some of the system shortages while they're achieving their registration," Elias said.

The province is facing a nursing shortage which Elias said she believes is caused by a number of factors, including pandemic burnout and nurses choosing to leave the public health system.

While those issues are significant, she said, "every little piece helps to kind of build back up to where we need to be in order to have a sufficient number of nurses in the province."