New Brunswick is reducing financial barriers for internationally educated nurses entering the healthcare system.
The province announced a new initiative Friday it hopes will help up to 300 nurses annually over the next five years.
Officials said the initiative will cover various costs related to becoming eligible to work in the province.
That could include pre-arrival assessments, competency assessments, bridging program tuition, and first-time Nurses Association of New Brunswick registration.
“Our number of internationally educated nurses has grown significantly since we put our navigator service in place,” Health Minister Bruce Fitch said in a news release.
“However, we know there are often extra expenses to integrate into our health system. We are pleased to provide this support which will help ease their financial burden.”
Financial support will be provided to eligible nurses on a case-by-case basis after consultation with the health department’s Internationally Educated Healthcare Professionals navigation service.
A permanent resident or citizen whose nursing education was obtained outside of Canada may also be eligible for funding if they need support to achieve registration with the Nurses Association of New Brunswick.
“We welcome any initiative that will support our internationally trained nurses and recognize the challenges they face as they seek recognition of their competencies and adapt to our healthcare system,” said Sharon Smyth-Okana, a senior vice president at Vitalité Health.
The interim president and CEO of Horizon Health also welcomed the new initiative.
Margaret Melanson said they recruited 93 internationally educated nurses in the 2022-23 fiscal year, and they want every single one of those nurses to stay here as long as possible.
News of the initiative comes days after changes announced by the Nurses Association of New Brunswick to reduce the registration process for nurses from 14 countries from 12 to 18 months to as few as two weeks.
“Today’s announcement is good news for all internationally educated nurses who wish to come and work with us in New Brunswick and for our own nurses who will be getting much-needed reinforcements soon,” said association CEO Denise LeBlanc-Kwaw.
To be eligible for the new initiative, candidates must be accepted for immigration to New Brunswick; have received a provincial nomination certificate or endorsement; have accepted an offer of employment or be currently working in the province; be a regulated, licensed nurse in their country; and pursue the licensure/registration process in New Brunswick.
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