It’s harder for PH nurses to work in Canada than in U.S. or U.K.

A nurse checks on a patient who has recovered from COVID-19 as he donates plasma at a hospital in Manila. (Maria Tan / AFP)

Some recruiters said Filipino nurses will have a harder time getting work in Canada compared with the U.S. and other countries, despite the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health’s recent announcement that it hopes to recruit at least 150 health care workers from the Philippines.

Saskatchewan is in need of hard-to-recruit staff including registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, medical laboratory technologists and continuing care assistants.

However, Joel Ong, president of Southeast Asian Placement Center, said in an email to CTV News that his firm doesn’t recruit to the Canadian market because “Filipino RNs have to take additional nursing courses (there) which is costly and time-consuming before they are qualified to work as an RN in Canada.”

Ong said that in the U. S., a Filipino-born and educated nurse only needs to take the U.S. National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) which can be done in the Philippines.

They are then petitioned by a U.S. employer under a visa that enables them to  bring their dependents, and they are also offered the same pay rates as a U.S.-born and educated nurse.

According to a College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan spokesperson, foreign-educated nurses coming to the province must prove they meet the standards to practice Registered Nursing and that most may need “bridging education” to do so.

Upon successful completion of bridging education, the applicant is offered eligibility to take the NCLEX or offered initial RN licensure if they have already passed the NCLEX. Upon passing the NCLEX, they can apply for initial licensure.

Elymar Javar, operations manager for Medical Staffing Resources, concurred that the process is harder for Filipino nurses coming to Canada, although his firm is “looking forward” to more clients from Canada.

He said that in the United Kingdom, the recruit just needs to pass an English test, have a registration PIN with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and have at least one year of hospital experience.