Foreign nurses with international training will be licensed faster in some areas of Canada under a new credentialing program introduced by National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS).
NNAS said in a
news release on June 21 that internationally educated nurses (IENs) who want to become licensed or registered to work in Canada in participating provinces will have their most essential documentation reviewed and NNAS advisory reports issued within five days of being received.
The new expedited service will be
available to IENs applying to any of the following regulatory bodies: Nurses Association of New Brunswick, the College of Registered Nurses and Midwives of Prince Edward Island (PEI), the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan, and the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba.
In some of those provinces, previously it could take up to 12 weeks to obtain a report on an IEN’s credentials, Waxman
told reporters on June 28.
The NNAS is a not-for-profit organization that
helps IENs submit their documents and apply for a licence in the Canadian province of their choice as a registered nurse (RN), a licensed practical nurse (LPN), or a registered psychiatric nurse (RPN). However, Quebec, Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories have
their own programs.
The organization says its
vision is to be “
recognized around the world as the gold standard for assessing nurses.”NNAS receives an application from nurses indicating the province they want to find work in, and the organization reviews and verifies their documents, checks them against the provincial regulations, and prepares an advisory report to be submitted to the appropriate nursing regulatory body.
“The advisory reports compile and authenticate the documentation regulators require from IENs to begin the licensing process. They also show how the applicants’ international education compares to Canadian nursing competencies,” said the NNAS in the June 21
news release.
Under the new program, the service will now review only the most essential documentation to make the process faster.
“NNAS’s faster service is possible because we have reduced the requirements and documentation applicants must submit. For example, applicants will no longer submit their curriculum or undergo an individual curricular assessment,” said the organization in a May 30
news release.
“We are pleased to partner with provincial regulators to make it faster for IENs to have their documents verified and start the licensing process more quickly, while still maintaining important safeguards to protect the integrity of our healthcare system,” said NNAS executive director Gayle Waxman in the June 21
news release.
Ms. Waxman said the organization has the infrastructure to offer this service to IENs from around the world and will partner “with all regulatory bodies to take advantage of this more efficient process.”
According to the NNAS, historically nurses from other countries have had a “long road” to get credentialed in Canada.
“NNAS recognizes the valuable education and skills IENs bring to Canada’s healthcare system,”
said the organization on June 30 in a
news release.
Earlier this year, the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA) said it would also work to remove barriers for IENs who want to work in the province.
“Regulation needs to be different. There must be a balance between risks and regulatory processes. The current system has too many unnecessary barriers for internationally educated nurses to be recognized for their competencies and skills,” said CRNA in a
statement on April 4.
The organization said that for IENs who transferred their permit in the last five years, most applicants were educated in the Philippines (40 percent) or India (37 percent).
