N.S. receives flood of foreign nursing applications after policy change

The Nova Scotia College of Nursing has received a flood of applications since opening up a fast-track process for nurses from other countries and other parts of Canada.

In March, the college said registered nurses in good standing who were licensed in Canada, the Philippines, India, Nigeria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand are eligible for licensing in Nova Scotia immediately after passing an entrance exam. 

The policy came into effect  on March 29 for nurses from other parts of Canada and May 1 for nurses from the seven eligible countries.

Thousands of applications

Sue Smith, CEO and registrar of the Nova Scotia College of Nursing, told CBC Radio's Maritime Noon they have already received 10,337 applications from nurses in those seven countries and 189 from other parts of Canada.

Smith said the volume of applications has "blown the rafters off" what was initially expected.

The college has already licensed and registered 11 applicants from abroad, she said.

Most of the applications have come from Nigeria, India, the Philippines and the United Kingdom, she said.

The seven countries were identified based on "much analysis of how nurses are educated," Smith said, including whether they're taught in English.

"What we did was look at the scope of practice of a registered nurse in those seven countries," she added, to see whether it's "basically equivalent to the scope of practice of a nurse in Nova Scotia."

Applicants must be a "member in good standing and good character," with no record of criminal activity, and must pass the entrance exam to prove their competency, she said.

To deal with the influx of applications, the college has taken on temporary full-time staff with the help of funding from the province, Smith said.

Focus on retention

A task force has also been established, Smith said, with one of its aims being to keep nurses in the province once they arrive.

Janet Hazelton, president of the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union, told CBC when the policy was announced in March that improved working conditions and reasonable hours were also key to retaining newly registered nurses.

Smith described the wave of new applications as "a wonderful issue," saying it means the province may be able to meet the current demand for nurses and look at areas of the health-care system that could benefit from additional nurses.

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