Internationally trained nurses in Kitchener unable to help hospitals due to lengthy certification process

Kitchener -

Sheila Marie Pascual moved to Kitchener last August from the Philippines as an international student at Conestoga College to get her Personal Support Worker certification.

But before that, Pascual graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Pangasinan in 2011 and practiced in hospitals and as a corporate nurse for a decade in the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

Pascual said she along with several of her classmates want to help with staffing shortages at local hospitals due to the current COVID-19 crisis, but can’t.

“As an internationally trained nurse I’m really saddened of what’s happening. Especially, you know, we are here,” said Pascual during a virtual interview. “It takes a lot of process to be able for us to practice our profession here.”

Conestoga College has a 16-month enhanced practice for internationally educated nurses. The head of the program told CTV in a virtual interview that even after these nurses graduate they often have to wait years to get their license due to a backlog.

“Many of our internationally educated nurses end up working unskilled jobs and never ending up in healthcare,” said Michelle Heyer, chair of senior’s care at Conestoga College.

Heyer noted there are more than 14,000 internationally trained nurses pursing a license in Canada, and that’s not enough to fill the 22, 000 nursing shortage in Ontario alone.

“We’re in a big challenge,” added Heyer.

On Wednesday morning, the provincial Liberals called for a speedier credential process for internationally trained nurses, just one of five recommendations made by the party to help Ontario’s hospitals being crippled by staff shortages and rapid COVID-19 admissions driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

For now though, internationally trained nurses like Pascual are sidelined and have to wait to see if the province will act on what the Liberals have asked for.

“You have to help us first for us to help you back,” said Pascual.