Process updated to bring more internationally trained nurses to B.C.

The British Columbia government is rolling out new supports to increase the number of nurses working in the province.

The Internationally Educated Nurses (IEN) assessment process is being updated to be more streamlined to allow qualified nurses to serve B.C. sooner.

IENs will no longer be required to pay application and assessment fees up front, and the roughly $3,700 in fees will be covered directly by the provincial government to remove financial barriers for skilled professionals seeking work in the province.

“Supporting nurses is key to our work to making health care accessible to all British Columbians. Still, the demand for nurses is outpacing the supply,” Premier David Eby told a news conference Monday.

“There are talented and skilled nurses with the right experience who want to practice in B.C. and support high-quality care, but they are kept on the sidelines by an expensive and complicated registration process. Whether a nurse was trained in or out of the province, we are ready to welcome those who are ready to care for British Columbians.”

Eby added approximately 2,000 nurses are in the middle of the assessment process, and these changes could have them joining the workforce as soon as 90 days.

Additionally, nurses who wish to return to work after a period of absence will no longer need to pay a $300 application fee, and over $4,000 in financial support will be available to cover assessment and travel costs for nurses seeking to re-enter the health care sector.

More than $10,000 in bursaries is also being made available for nurses seeking to re-enter the workforce, but are in need of additional education.

“By removing the barriers for more nurses to join our health-care workforce, we are ensuring that people throughout the province have greater access to the health services they need, when they need them,” Adrian Dix, the minister of health, said.

“Our government will continue to take action to recruit and train more health-care workers to meet the health-care needs of British Columbians. In creating more accessible careers for nurses in B.C., we are delivering on our commitment to build a sustainable health system for many years to come.”

The changes build off previous commitments by the province to streamline the process and reduce the IEN assessment times from three years to approximately four to nine months.

“The province is committed to making it easier and less costly for internationally educated nurses and return-to-practice nurses to become licensed to practice in British Columbia and join the health workforce,” said Harwinder Sandhu, a nurse who is also MLA For Vernon-Monashee and Parliamentary Secretary for senior’s services and long-term care.

“As a nurse educated outside of Canada, I have first-hand knowledge that it could take years for an IEN to be granted registration,” Sandhu added. “I am glad to see the progress made by the BC College of Nurses and Midwives, and the Nursing Community Assessment Service to streamline the process for credential and competency assessments for IENs. The contribution of IENs to our health care is far reaching. They bring a wealth of experience, knowledge and dedication to their work.”