Some internationally educated nurses feel set up to fail as regulator warns of patient safety concerns

Ian Froese · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 10, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 34 minutes ago

Nurses of African descent are being reported to Manitoba's regulatory assemblage astatine disproportionately precocious levels, often prematurely, a nationalist nursing enactment alleges.

Ovie Onagbeboma, laminitis of the Canadian Black Nurses Alliance, said she's personally heard from internationally educated nurses of African descent who consciousness they're being unfairly monitored, alternatively than supported, arsenic they participate Manitoba's health-care system.

"There are nurses with 2 postgraduate degrees. There are nurses with degrees that they've gotten from overseas countries that are being scrutinized, criticized, questioned connected validity," she said.

The allegations travel the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba speaking retired past week against a recent government bid that removed the request that nursing applicants registered to practise elsewhere successful Canada — known arsenic "labour mobility applicants" — had to person erstwhile enactment acquisition successful the state earlier being automatically permitted to work successful Manitoba.

Some of these caller nurses, galore of whom were internationally trained, struggled with basic tasks similar taking humor unit oregon administering medication, the regulator alleged.

There were 35 complaints against the 1,000-plus nurses successful this group over a 15-month period, the assemblage recorded successful a February report, and it said 2 patients died arsenic a result. 

Newest nurses being scrutinized: Onagbeboma

Onagbeboma said the criticisms mounted against these nurses is draining to the workers the health-care strategy wants to recruit and retain. 

These workers benefited from precocious relaxed labour mobility rules permitting them to unrecorded successful Manitoba but registry successful different state wherever it mightiness beryllium easier to get a licence.

Imagine "what that does to your well-being, your intelligence health, to your economical quality to travel into this state and conscionable enactment yourself and oregon your family," said Onagbeboma, who brought attraction to this contented on LinkedIn.

The assemblage has argued diligent information is jeopardized by the waiving of the request that nurses registered successful different jurisdictions enactment a definite magnitude of hours successful Canada earlier being licensed successful Manitoba.

However, Onagbeboma considers that argument "dangerous," arsenic it whitethorn substance nationalist impressions that internationally educated nurses arsenic a full are underqualified.

She besides thinks the regulator is fuelling these fears by stating 2 patients died, but not revealing if immoderate domestically trained nurses contributed to immoderate fatalities during the aforesaid clip period.

The report specified, however, that labour mobility registrants were liable for 7 per cent of each complaints successful 2023, but that fig astir tripled to astir 22 per cent the pursuing year.

Onagbeboma wants the health-care strategy to supply these nurses with capable training so they aren't being set up to fail.

While immoderate nurses whitethorn request to beryllium assigned to duties amended suited to their skills, Onagbeboma said it isn't just that immoderate nurses trained overseas are provided just one to 5 predisposition shifts to go acquainted with Canadian nursing practices. 

Some of the basal tasks the nurses couldn't perform — similar being incapable to run IV pumps, arsenic the college's recent report highlight — "kind of screams a deficiency of bully orientation," she said.

The nurses' regulator said successful effect that immoderate issues raised by the Canadian Black Nurses Alliance are extracurricular their control, specified arsenic who's making the complaints or the duration of predisposition programs.

The College of Registered Nurses spokesperson Martin Lussier said the college intended to bring attraction to the emergence successful complaints linked to superior nursing incompetence — and inquire the provincial authorities to code it by reinstating the erstwhile enactment acquisition requirement. 

"Certainly we're unfastened to learning however we tin stock those concerns astir diligent safety, and concerns successful registered nursing practice, without accelerating issues that are linked to radical oregon taste discrimination," helium said.

Lussier also said the assemblage is focusing connected a tiny cohort of individuals.

"The immense bulk of internationally educated nurses who enactment successful Manitoba signifier without issue, without being the taxable of a complaint," helium said.

While immoderate whitethorn deliberation of the request arsenic a barrier, the assemblage sees it arsenic a indispensable guardrail for diligent safety.

The erstwhile Progressive Conservative authorities waived the request successful 2022. 

Province rescinds directive

Last December, the assemblage reinstated the regularisation for Canadian enactment experience. However, by April, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara ordered a reversal, citing issues astir compliance with interior commercialized agreements and provincial legislation.

Onagbeboma said she met past week with Asagwara regarding the issues raised by internationally educated nurses. 

At an unrelated quality league Monday, Asagwara said they instrumentality these concerns earnestly and privation the province to be a person successful welcoming internationally educated nurses.

Joyce Kristjansson, enforcement manager of the Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba, said she supports the removal of the Manitoba-specific request for enactment hours due to the fact that she believes it's against the instrumentality and whitethorn assistance propulsion the state person to a nationalist licensure that helps nurses work anywhere successful the state with ease.