Ontario Hiring Many Internationally Educated Nurses

To help support Ontario's long-term care homes and ongoing COVID battles, the College of Nurses of Ontario is taking on many new RNs from abroad.

Ontario's Minister of Health, Christine Elliott, has announced that Ontario will take action against the current state of overload the Ontario hospitals and long-term care facilities face by bringing in more nurses from abroad.

With the high number of Omicron cases, and the concern over available beds and staffing levels, internationally educated nurses are being deployed within Ontario hospitals and facilities in order to soften the strain the variant has placed on the healthcare system. The province is collaborating closely with Ontario Health and the College of Nurses of Toronto in order to pull of this plan.

Nurses will work "under the supervision of a regulated health care provider, such as a registered nurse or doctor." Toronto's CityNews detailed that more than 1,200 internationally educated nurses have already applied, and could be in Ontario hospitals within just a few weeks. This quick movement of these nurses into hospitals is in the hopes and attempts to combat the spike of COVID hospital and ICU admissions.

Working in Ontario as an internationally educated nurse

Internationally educated nurses (IENs) stem from a vast range of educational programs around the world, bringing with them a variety of skills and abilities to Canada. Their presence within Ontario hospitals and long-term care facilities will undoubtedly aid in the struggle against the Omicron variant.

For registered nurses wishing to partake in this new venture, the College of Nurses of Ontario details 13 steps to becoming a successful IEN within Ontario. This program is intended for anyone who wants to become a Registered Nurse or Registered Practical Nurse in Ontario who is a graduate of a nursing program outside of Canada, and is not currently registered as a nurse in the same category in any part of Canada.

Registration requires:

• proof of nursing education
• evidence of practice
• a registration examination
• a jurisprudence examination
• proficiency in English or French
• proof of Canadian citizenship (whether through being a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or holding authorization under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act)
• a statement of any past offenses or findings
• a declaration of any physical or mental condition of disorder that could affect the practicing of nursing

The initial application will take around 20 business days to assess, the language proficiency can take anywhere from 10 business days to 9 months depending on which test is used, the evidence of practice up to 10 weeks, registration exam up to 5 business days, the jurisprudence exam up to 24 hours, and the police criminal record check up to 5 business days.

Becoming a member of the College of Nurses of Ontario is an important and legal requirement for practicing as a nurse within Ontario. Without membership, you can't practice as a nurse in Ontario.