This is the case of Nikka Reyes. When she moved to Winnipeg in 2015, this Filipina hoped for a promising future working as a registered nurse in hemodialysis.
Eight years later, the 34-year-old became a Canadian citizen, but lives and works in Tennessee, USA, because she was unable to obtain certification in Manitoba.
She wonders why provincial governments are taking recruiting trips to the Philippines instead of using these resources to help internationally educated nurses who are already in Canada.
Why do we waste their skills and abilities, especially if the needs are immediate?
she asks.
Manitoba on a recruiting mission
A delegation from Manitoba is currently in the Philippines to attract nurses and caregivers to the province.
In an interview before the delegation’s departure, Manitoba Labor and Immigration Minister Jon Reyes said he hoped a renewed memorandum of understanding with the Philippine government would to ensure the well-being of Manitobans who benefit from these services, but also the well-being of these Filipinos when they come to the province
.
An official from the Philippine Ministry of Health, Maria Rosario Vergeire, is concerned about the exodus of medical personnel. During a press conference last fall, she mentioned that the country was experiencing a shortage of 106,000 nurses in public and private establishments and hospitals.
One of the reasons for this shortage is emigration. According to her, nurses seek to work abroad to obtain better pay and better working conditions.
During Manitobans’ five-day trip, 20 clinicians and recruiters hope to interview 400 shortlisted candidates in Manila, Iloilo and Cebu. They are looking for nurses with at least two years of experience in a hospital or long-term care facility as well as nursing aides.
They offer paid travel to Manitoba, up to three months of accommodation, payment of licensing and registration fees, and support through the immigration process. The candidates will also have a mentor who will help them during the first weeks of work.
Competition among the provinces
Shared Health Manitoba’s head nurse, Monika Warren, is responsible for ensuring there are enough nurses in the province. She is part of the delegation going for interviews in the Philippines this week.
Monika Warren estimates that there are 1,500 to 2,000 vacant nursing positions in Manitoba, many of them in rural areas.
However, there is a lot of competition for these nurses nationally.
Alberta has entered into an agreement with the government of the Philippines for the recruitment of nurses. The province also recently announced a $15 million plan to train and support more internationally educated nurses.
In December, the Government of Saskatchewan organized its own recruitment trip to the Philippines. By the end of the week, recruiters made conditional job offers to 128 registered nurses and one continuing care aide.
A delegation from New Brunswick is also planning a similar trip soon, according to a spokesperson for the provincial health department.
The situation in the country
In Canada, foreign-trained health care workers make up approximately 9% of nurses and 26% of physicians. Over the past year, provinces have introduced incentives to recruit more, including targeted immigration streams. But up to 47% of these nurses and doctors do not practice the profession for which they were trained.
Some find that their qualifications and language skills do not meet Canadian requirements, while for others the lengthy and costly licensing and registration processes can delay their ability to work in their field, sometimes for years.
The federal government’s latest budget provides funding to help thousands of internationally trained health care workers get their foreign credentials recognized.
With information from Karen Pauls