‘Dramatically shortening the amount of time’: New program to help get international nurses into Manitoba workforce faster

It has been come a little easier for internationally educated nurses to work in Manitoba leads MedicalWatch for March 10, 2025.

It is now easier for internationally educated nurses to join the workforce in Manitoba thanks to a new registration system.

The College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba announced a new registration process for internationally educated nurses from Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

These nurses would be required to take an online course through Red River College, complete a licensing exam, and do 250 hours of transitional practice.

Martin Lussier, the manager of communications and public engagement at the College of Registered Nurses, said this would allow nurses from the listed countries to skip multiple steps before getting work.

“Not having to do a clinical competence assessment saves a little bit of time, at least a couple of weeks,” said Lussier. “What happens after that, though, is where the bulk of the time is saved for applicants who would come through the expedited pathway, which is that, instead of potentially having to do a larger range of courses that might be identified as a result of that assessment, they just have to do one course, which is also an online and self-directed course.”

He said this process could save someone anywhere from three to 18 months.

“If somebody were to do this course in a dedicated fashion, I think it takes about 10 weeks. So you’re really looking at dramatically shortening the amount of time that’s required for people to go through the overall process.”

Lussier mentioned this isn’t going to fix the health-care system in Manitoba, but it’s a “new tool in the toolbox” in addressing some challenges.

“I think it also, from a recruitment perspective, puts the college’s regulatory processes and tools more in alignment with what we know the Manitoba government is looking to do in terms of recruitment and attracting qualified workers to Manitoba. I think there’s certainly some awareness that the people who need the least amount of remedial support to get to that place of successfully integrating into registered nursing practice in Manitoba are always in high demand globally. But certainly, it makes the offer from Manitoba a little bit more compelling.”

Other countries could be added to this list in the future, Lussier said, but it all depends on how comparable their country’s health-care system and training are to Manitoba’s and Canada’s.

“I think there’s potential as we see data come in from this to look at what other supports might need to be put in place for ones that are a little bit further away. Is it another, perhaps slightly wider range of courses, but still not the full remedial program, and how do we do that in a way that’s time efficient that gets people to work more quickly?”

More details about the registration process can be found online.