British Columbia has announced new supports to help hire and train more nurses and midwives in order to take pressure off the strained health-care system.
Premier David Eby said the new measures will support Canadian-trained nurses who want to get back into the workforce, as well as internationally trained nurses looking to practise in B.C.
“There are highly skilled and experienced nurses who want to get to work in our system now but are facing barriers preventing them from delivering services that British Columbians need,” Eby said during a news conference at Langara College in Vancouver on Monday.
For Canadian-trained nurses, the government will offer financial support of up to $4,000 to cover applications, assessments and eligible travel costs for current nurses to re-enter the system. There will also be up to $10,000 in bursaries for any additional education they might need to get back to work.
For nurses trained abroad, Eby said the province plans to spend $1.3 million to streamline the licensing process.
He said the goal is to reduce the registration waiting period from the current three years to between four and nine months.
“We know the journey to securing a career health profession can be more challenging for those who are new to our country,” said Cynthia Johansen, CEO of the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives.
“We want to help applicants to gain registration in the right nursing role as quickly as possible … and without compromising public safety,” she added, describing the current three-year wait for international nurses as “unacceptable.”
