Letter from Deb Elias RN, CEO/Registrar

To all Manitobans, nurses, nursing students and our partners,

I wanted to specifically address issues that have been brought to my attention regarding the College’s concerns about the ministerial directive and a small cohort of applicants who had little or no recent nursing practice experience prior to registration in Manitoba through labour mobility, and who have been the subject of an unsettling volume of complaints.

I am very concerned that information that we shared has been taken by some to mean that the College is singling out internationally educated nurses (IENs) or is seeking to undercut public confidence in their competence. This could not be further from the truth.

To be as direct as possible: the College does not have global concerns regarding all IENs’ or labour mobility applicants’ ability to practice safely.

IENs have been unfairly caught in the crossfire of public debates around jurisdiction shopping. We want to be clear: IENs are not the problem, they are part of the solution in meeting Manitoba’s significant healthcare staffing challenges. IENs are valued members of the health care team bringing valuable skills and experience, and they deserve to feel welcomed, respected, and supported.

The College has long supported the integration of internationally educated nurses to the nursing workforce in Manitoba, and it is in that spirit that we announced a wide range of initiatives yesterday. We have worked collaboratively with government on the multiple international recruitment initiatives, supported development of bridging education and many other programs to support safety and to help ensure IENs’ significant skill and talents can be effectively deployed in our health system. We will continue to work 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.

We’re committed to listening, learning, and adapting to ensure our system is fair, responsive, and supportive. The College will continue to work together with all RNs and NPs, regardless of where they were educated, to support and uphold quality nursing practice. We will also continue to address emerging concerns that impact patient safety, and are open to improving how we can share significant concerns about patient safety and registered nursing practice with greater precision and care.

If you have further questions or comments, I encourage you to reach out to me at CEORegistrar@crnm.mb.ca. I look forward to continuing to work with you, our partners and the public in ensuring safe practice and in continuing the work to make Manitoba a destination of choice for all nurses.

Sincerely,

Deb Elias RN MN
CEO/Registrar