The Newfoundland and Labrador government has made a big deal out of recruiting foreign health professionals to ease boiling pressure on the province’s health care system.

But, as CBC News has confirmed, at least 60 foreign-trained Indian nurses are waiting to work as registered nurses, some waiting nearly a year so far.

The internationally trained nurses were recruited as personal care attendants and work in St. John’s. The recruiters told them that if they obtained their Canadian nursing license, they could then apply for registered nursing positions. This process can often take a year.

However, when some of these nurses managed to overcome this obstacle, they were told they would have to wait longer because there were no positions available in St. John’s.

Nurses who spoke with CBC News did not want to be interviewed for fear of jeopardizing their job promises.

Thomson Philip is a member of the city’s Indian community. He is a friend of some nurses and their spokesperson.

“They’re a little disappointed that they can’t get the position that they were looking for,” Philip told CBC News.

He says nurses have more than a decade of nursing experience in India and working as a PCA is like working at an entry level for their skills.

WATCH | International nurses still waiting for promised jobs in St. John’s:

Dozens of nurses recruited in India have been waiting for months for a nursing job.

The government has made much of the recruitment of nurses from abroad to reduce pressure on the health system. But CBC News has confirmed that at least 60 foreign-trained Indian nurses are waiting to work as registered nurses. Faced with a shortage of nurses locally, the province’s nurses’ union wants to know where there is a backlog. CBC’s Arlette Lazarenko reports.

Nursing vacancies in the province have been a hot topic for the nurses’ union and elected officials for years.

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services told CBC News there are a limited number of permanent, full-time positions for registered nurses in St. John’s.

“When we share a calendar, what we’re really sharing is the natural attrition and turnover rates in the St. John’s region,” said Collette Smith, Director of Recruitment, Education and Marketing. culture at NLHS.

Smith said health authorities had recruited 375 international nurses specifically to work as personal care attendants in 2022 because the role was also in demand. As of this year, about 150 of them are working as registered nurses, she said, adding that NLHS is aware that the group is still waiting for permanent nursing employment and will contact them when opportunities arise. jobs will arise.

“We are very pleased to have had great recruiting success in the St. John’s area,” Smith said.

During question period in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, Health Minister John Hogan addressed the issue. He said he spoke with NLHS officials and told them to “do everything possible to ensure that anyone with the ability to be a registered nurse, who wants to become a registered nurse, is offered a job “.

Registered Nursing Positions in Rural Areas

Nurses who spoke to CBC News said they were told they could get a permanent registered nursing position more quickly in rural communities. However, after living in and near St. John’s for a few years, moving is neither an attractive nor feasible option for many.

“They are well settled in the city now. They have bought houses, their children attend schools and universities here,” Philip said, adding that the city offers better access to their cultural food, a larger community of people speaking their language. and easier opportunities to practice their religion.

“Losing the comforts we get in the city is another big decision.”

Another challenge, he says, is finding jobs for their partners who are often equally educated and qualified but have difficulty securing a position. Therefore, leaving St. John’s would further limit their opportunities, Philip said.

Smith acknowledged concerns about rural relocation and said the NLHS was discussing solutions that could include transportation for nurses to stay home.

Nurses union calls for increase in core staff

As international nurses waited for job offers, they voiced their concerns to the Newfoundland and Labrador Registered Nurses Union.

Union president Yvette Coffey said she was surprised to hear about the limited number of registered nursing positions available in St. John’s, as she frequently hears members working in the city’s hospitals talk about staff shortages.

“They work overtime, 16 hours, sometimes 24 hours,” she said.

“I’ve heard of nurses from private agencies working here in psychiatry. So don’t tell me there aren’t any vacancies in St. John’s.”

She says current staffing levels are based on outdated data that does not reflect current health care demands and patient acuity. More core positions need to be added, she said.

Meanwhile, the longer international nurses wait, the greater the risk that they will seek opportunities elsewhere.

“In a year or two, if they don’t get this position, there’s a chance people will leave the province,” Philip said.

“It all depends on their state of mind, their willingness to wait.”

With their nursing license and permanent resident status, these international nurses are not tied to the province, he says. They may choose to move to larger cities in other provinces, offering more job opportunities and a larger Indian community.

Recruiters in these provinces are already doing research, Coffey says.

“We need to welcome every registered nurse and nurse practitioner into the system and work with them,” she said.

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