River Valley Health looks for nurses abroad
Officials at River Valley Health say hiring nurses from across the globe is one way the region is battling a significant shortage.
Andrea Stierle-MacNeill, River Valley Health's regional manager of recruitment and workforce planning, said the region hires between two and four immigrant nurses per year.
She said she believes that number could rise if the region continues to struggle to hire Canadian-born nurses.
"As we have positions that are still not filled, we will pursue foreign workers," she said.
Stierle-MacNeill said health authorities across Canada are trying to fill nursing positions and this is one way to get immediate results.
"It's sort of a short-term, long-term solution," she said.
"It may help with our crisis now, as we're working on our longer-term solutions ... We have to look at things that will bring us staff now, until we get kind of caught up with the workforce."
She said hiring nurses from around the world helps improve the region's diversity and level of service.
"A lot of them have travelled to several countries to work and they bring with them a whole variety of experiences and many different ways of doing things," she said.
"We're very fortunate to be able to have them work with us and broaden our knowledge of how things are done elsewhere."
Cena Sison, 22, is a nurse from the Philippines who will soon begin caring for patients at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital.
She arrived in Fredericton during the holiday weekend, and she will begin her orientation training Aug. 25.
Sison has a bachelor of science degree in nursing from a Filipino university. She's worked for almost two years at a busy outpatient clinic in the city of Makati.
She said she believes she has the education and experience to be a valuable asset to the region's health authority.
"I think (my previous experiences) will help a lot because I was able to develop my communication skills regarding patients," she said.
"I think that's the most important thing if you're a nurse."
She said she's excited to be here and she thinks she can help her Canadian patients receive quality health care.
"I don't know a lot about Canadians, but I've heard Canadians are very friendly," she said. "I'm excited to work with them."
Stierle-MacNeill said the region sifts through piles of applications from across the United States, Europe and Asia. She said Canada's high quality of life helps attract skilled foreign workers such as nurses.
"Starting in 2005, we have a recruitment firm that we use to fill very difficult-to-fill positions," she said.
"(The positions) are mainly in rural areas or specialty areas, and we do get quite a number of persons wanting to come over to Canada. It's a very enviable country to work in and so this trend will probably continue."
Stierle-MacNeill said River Valley Health's recruitment officers try to make the transition to Canada easier for immigrant nurses.
She said recruitment officers help potential candidates complete the lengthy application process, scout potential housing locations and get them useful information about the community.
"They talk to the candidates throughout the whole process to assist them in any way they can," she said.
Sison said it's still a difficult process. She spent two years completing the paperwork that would allow her to work as a nurse in Canada.
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