Front-liners on the Sidelines: The credential recognition experiences of Filipino internationally-educated nurses (IENs) in Victoria, British Columbia (BC)

Abstract

The impacts of the nursing labour shortage are being felt across Canada but especially in Victoria, BC where place-based realities have impacted internationally-educated nurses’ (IEN) professional pursuits. Rising inflation, housing costs, and living expenses create challenging contexts for IENs from the Philippines who aim to settle, integrate and complete professional recertification processes in order to become registered nurses in BC. As provinces across the country vie for nurses to alleviate strains on the health care system, this study explores Filipino IENs’ integration experiences and settlement barriers. The study examines to what extent these factors might have influenced their educational upgrading, professional recertification, and workplace acculturation experiences. This exploratory study rooted in an interpretivist paradigm examines the experiences of nurses from the Philippines who recently migrated to Victoria in the last ten years. The key findings of the study posit that financial barriers, time barriers, deskilling, and mental health challenges are the most prevalent obstacles encountered by Filipino IENs in Victoria, BC. These findings are further expanded upon in order to understand the impacts that migration pathways, post- and pre-arrival immigration processes, familial responsibilities, English-language requirements, workplace discrimination and professional recertification pathways have on the complex integration and settlement experiences of Filipino IENs in Victoria, BC. Nine recommendations are proposed including the creation of more efficient migration pathways, investing in accessible information supports, prioritising effective communication, designing equitable policies that account for familial responsibilities, supporting flexible English language requirements, developing local navigational supports for IENs, addressing deskilling, adapting professional recertification pathways, and increasing collaboration between clinical practice programs.Graduat