College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba Reaffirms Commitment to Supporting Internationally Educated Nurses with New Streamlining Initiatives

WINNIPEG – The College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (the College) is continuing its efforts to find pragmatic and tangible ways to streamline its regulatory processes that also ensure a continuity of safe care for patients in Manitoba. It is in that spirit that the College is announcing numerous initiatives to improve the registration experience for internationally educated nurses (IENs) and make the province a more welcoming and supportive place to begin their Canadian RN practice.

“Manitoba’s health care system is in significant need of qualified nurses to step up to fill vacancies across the province. Every nurse, along with those seeking to join the nursing workforce as nursing students or as internationally educated nurses, should be supported in answering that call,” said Deb Elias RN, CEO/Registrar. “It is going to take investment and hard work from everyone – regulators, the Manitoba government, employers, educators, and people seeking to join the nursing workforce – to make that work well. The College is committed to doing its part to bolster support for applicants within the context of its regulatory mandate.”

Building on Past Streamlining and Modernization Efforts

These changes build on a series of significant changes made since 2022 and reflect the College’s commitment to incorporate feedback from IENs and to remain agile, to implement new pathways and to evaluate the effectiveness of our changes in responding to the significant urgency of staffing issues impacting Manitoba’s health system. These changes have included:

Expedited pathways for applicants from countries with comparable nursing education and practice (Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US), allowing them to begin working sooner while completing transitional requirements.

Acceptance of the NNAS expedited credentialing service, reducing wait times for advisory reports from up to 12 weeks to just five days.

Expanded options for demonstrating English language proficiency, including new test types, updated benchmarks, and alternative pathways such as employer attestations and recent English-language practice in Canada and around the world.

Greater flexibility in assessment, including the option to complete the full Nurse Re-Entry Program instead of a Clinical Competence Assessment (CCA), and the ability to take a second CCA if needed.

New Initiatives to Support IEN Applicants

Looking ahead, the College is developing several new initiatives to further support IEN applicants:

Supports for Applicants and Decision-Making

Creation of a dedicated IEN application navigation role at the College to provide personalized guidance and support throughout the registration process.

Establishment of a committee to manage complex applications: This committee will provide expert, case-by-case guidance on non-routine applications—such as those involving incomplete documentation, prior regulatory history, or requests for conditional registration.

Expediting Registration Processes and Increasing Flexibility

Broadened eligibility for expedited registration pathways to include applicants who are currently registered and practicing, even if their initial nursing education was completed in a different country.

Expanded use of conditional registration, to allow more applicants to get to work more quickly, including allowing registration with targeted restrictions (e.g., temporary exclusion from specialized areas like maternal/child health or pediatrics), with conditions lifted upon completion of remedial coursework.

Modernizing documentation requirements:
- Allowing applicants to move forward in the registration process, including possible remedial education, conditional registration or other steps while documentation from international regulatory bodies is pending.
- Re-evaluating the current seven-year timeframe for verifying prior registration to ensure it remains relevant and does not unnecessarily delay qualified applicants.

Updates and Review of Assessment Tools

Expansion of accepted educational credential assessments to include a broader range of recognized providers.
Review of the Clinical Competence Assessment (CCA) process to ensure it accurately reflects the competencies required for safe practice, is free of cultural bias, is not unnecessarily lengthy or burdensome, and provides balanced, meaningful feedback that highlights both strengths and areas for growth, helping applicants better understand their readiness to practice.
- Actively encourage applicants to enroll in the University of Manitoba College of Nursing Professional Development Series courses designed to sharpen their clinical skills and knowledge ahead of the clinical competence assessment

Longer-term development of a unified readiness-to-practice assessment in collaboration with other Manitoba nursing regulators (LPN, RPN, RN). This “one-stop-shop” will help IEN applicants understand how their education and experience align with each profession’s entry-level competencies, offering a clear, comparative report and guidance on next steps.

Commitment to Adapt and Respond to Changing Needs

These new initiatives are designed to reduce duplication, improve clarity, and help IEN applicants transition into practice more quickly. This is in keeping with the College’s ongoing efforts to pivot towards an optimized and modern approach to registered nursing regulation that does not compromise safety or standards.

“We acknowledge that our processes have been slow to evolve and not always been as efficient or flexible as they could be,” Elias said. “We’ve heard from applicants and partners that navigating the system — especially in a province with multiple nursing professions —can be confusing, duplicative and time-consuming. As the regulatory landscape evolves, we’re committed to adapting responsibly to better meet the needs of IENs and the health system. We remain committed to listening, learning, and working with our partners to ensure Manitoba’s registration system is fair, responsive, and supportive of the skilled nurses who choose to build their careers here in Manitoba.”

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For more information and media inquiries, please contact:

Martin Lussier
Manager of Communications and Public Engagement
204-789-0662
mlussier@crnm.mb.ca

For general information:
info@crnm.mb.ca
204-774-3477
1-800-665-2027
www.crnm.mb.ca