A streamlined process has been adopted by the Nurses Association of New Brunswick, allowing registered nurses from France to expedite their licence to practise in New Brunswick.

Health Minister Bruce Fitch said “We are pleased to have worked with partners, including the Nurses Association of New Brunswick, to identify more ways to support qualified individuals getting their skills recognized so they can practise their profession here in New Brunswick. Our health-care system faces significant challenges, and, as part of our provincial health plan, we are all working to identify appropriate opportunities to improve access to critical health professions.”

Laurie Janes, the association’s executive director said “The program is based on an agreement already in place in Quebec to recognize mutually qualified professional groups from France to accelerate licensing within their province. In November 2020, the association began investigating how the program could be adapted in New Brunswick. A working group, made up of members from the government of New Brunswick, the Vitalité health authority, the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes, the Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick and the Nurses Association of New Brunswick, was established. The work concluded that the 75-day adaptation placement could be replicated in New Brunswick.”

The recruitment of health professionals is part of the provincial government’s health plan, Stabilizing Health Care: An Urgent Call to Action, which aims to develop an integrated health system, ensuring New Brunswickers have access to timelier and improved care. The plan includes accelerated recognition of the qualifications of health professionals trained abroad.