Health minister says experience has taught department to train new recruits

The Government of Nunavut spent more than $2.5 million hiring agency nurses between 2005 and 2007 to support international nurses who failed their Canadian qualifying exams and couldn't practice in Nunavut.

That's in addition to $1 million the GN spent on actual recruiting of the 38 international nurses.

This information was disclosed April 26 by Health Minister Leona Algukkaq in response to a written question from Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo.

Tootoo wanted to know the cost of hiring additional nursing staff as support for the international nurses recruited by Trillium Consulting. Extra agency nurses were needed when 14 of these nurses were unable to practice independently because of not being able to pass the Canadian registered nurses exam.

In 2005 and 2006, 38 nurses from India and the Philippines arrived in the territory. But 14 of these nurses failed qualifying exams to practice in Canada and eventually left Nunavut.

Two batches of the international nurses were required to take the exams within five days of arriving in Ottawa. Some have suggested these nurses failed their exams because they were still jet-lagged.

Three other batches of international nurses went to Iqaluit where they spent a month preparing for their courses before returning to Ottawa to take the exam.

Aglukkaq acknowledged that the international nurses did not receive adequate training in Canadian health policy and procedures, which are different from those in their home countries.

"One of the lessons learned from our involvement in the international recruitment strategy was that our orientation process for all nurses hired must include a training component. The department is working to include this type of training for future hires, regardless of their origin," Aglukkaq said.