The Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador announced today that the Provincial Government is spearheading a mission to India to recruit internationally-educated registered nurses who can fill vacancies in Newfoundland and Labrador. The mission complements other ongoing national and international recruitment activities targeting health care professionals.
Premier Furey was joined at the announcement by the Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills, the Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Health and Community Services, Lynn Power, Executive Director of the College of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador, and representatives from two regional health authorities.
An advance team of Provincial Government officials will depart for southwestern India in the coming weeks with the goal to set up a recruitment desk in the city of Bengaluru, located in the state of Karnataka. They will be joined by a representative of the College of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador who will be dedicated to oversee licensure.
The state of Karnataka has been chosen because many nurses in the region receive similar training to what registered nurses receive in Newfoundland and Labrador. The region was also chosen because it has a high concentration of prestigious nursing schools. Additionally, the Provincial Government has had past success recruiting health care professionals from Bengaluru.
Once landed, the team will meet with institutions that graduate nurses who have the academic credentials to qualify for licensure in Canada. The team will also begin raising awareness of Newfoundland and Labrador as an ideal immigration destination through presentations and meetings with nurses and nursing students.
Creation of the recruitment desk in India is modeled on the recent success in Poland that showed being on-the-ground is essential to establishing relationships and identifying high-potential candidates for immigration to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Interested nursing students and registered nurses in India should convey their interest to WelcomingIndia@gov.nl.ca. By using this email, interested nurses will be taken through the process involved in moving to Newfoundland and Labrador to work as a registered nurse.
Quotes
“This mission takes an innovative and successful model for international recruitment and applies it to addressing the nursing shortage in Newfoundland and Labrador. Our government and dedicated partners are taking bold action to address the staffing issues facing the health care system in our province, as we compete with other jurisdictions to attract and retain health care professionals at this critical time.”
Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
“The mission is the culmination of months of work spent to identify the best market in the world for recruiting internationally educated registered nurses who have been trained in similar ways to Newfoundland and Labrador nurses. Our expert recruiters and settlement officers will ensure Indian nurses receive a full range of supports from first contact, to arrival and beyond. We are once again making Newfoundland and Labrador an immigration destination of choice.”
Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills
“For some time now, we have been employing a number of measures to try to find new and creative ways to help bring health care professionals to our province and encourage the ones already here to stay. It is our hope that these highly-skilled professionals from India, who have similar training to our nurses, will choose to live and work in our province.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Health and Community Services
“The College of Registered Nurses is the largest healthcare regulator in the province with a mandate to ensure the Registered Nurses we licence provide safe, ethical, and competent care to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. In collaborating with Indian nursing schools and state and national nursing regulators of India, Newfoundland and Labrador can better identify areas that align with our benchmarks and standards. Establishing these regulatory connections is a fundamental first-step in becoming a Registered Nurse in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Lynn Power
Executive Director, College of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador
-30-
Learn more
Follow us on Twitter: @GovNL and @IPGS_GovNL
Like us on Facebook