The session underscored the urgent need to streamline processes, harmonize standards, engage employers, and expand support programs to enhance workforce mobility and healthcare delivery across Canada. 

Panelists Cris Scotter (World Health Organization), Valerie Grdisa (Canadian Nurses Association), Kathleen DeCoste (Nova Scotia), Michael DoCouto (College of Nurses of Ontario), Deepa Turner (Medical Council of Canada) and Robert Smart (Vametric) shared perspectives on key focal points to streamline credentialling and offered examples of successful initiatives underway.

Why Credential Recognition Matters 

Domestically, with provinces and territories responsible for their own health care delivery, challenges such as lengthy administrative processes and extra expenses for licensure in additional jurisdictions creates uncertainty for health professionals able to provide services in areas of high need. Adopting a pan-canadian harmonized approach to licensure and reducing administrative burdens are viewed as keys to improving interprovincial mobility. 

IEHPs often face significant barriers when seeking employment in their fields. Lengthy assessment timelines, inconsistent standards across provinces, and limited awareness of available programs create challenges that lead to underemployment and talent gaps in key sectors. Bridging programs, mentorship networks, and sector specific language training are seen as critical resources to help newcomers meet Canadian workplace requirements and get them into practice, faster. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Credential recognition and harmonization processes need to balance public safety with health system efficiency and access to care. 

• Harmonization of credential recognition standards and improving consistency across jurisdictions will  improve workforce mobility within Canada and enhance workforce distribution to meet the needs of all people in Canada. 

• Innovative approaches like competency-based assessment can complement traditional credential recognition. 

• Technology and data sharing across provinces and professions can streamline verification processes for IEHPS and domestic workers and reduce the time it takes to move from assessment to practice. 

• There is an opportunity to look to other industries for innovative credentialing approaches. 
• A commitment to continuous improvement and collaboration is required to accomplish goals in the long term.

Insights From Panelists: 

Despite the unique differences between provinces and territories, there are many opportunities to align credentialling processes and improve labour mobility across the country. According to session moderator Michele Lane (Manitoba Health), “there is an urgent opportunity to more deeply explore fair and efficient processes that will enable all types of health care providers, both internationally and domestically educated, to contribute meaningfully to our health care system.” 

Credential recognition is a priority for all professions. Within the 23 current nursing regulators across Canada, for example, the CNA identified a need to harmonize regulation. Valerie Grdisa highlighted to improve retention, particularly for IEHPs, real steps need to be taken to acknowledge and reduce racism. “Employer engagement is key to recognizing foreign qualifications and reducing bias in hiring,” she says, adding that training HR teams to recognize international experience and fostering partnerships between employers and regulatory bodies are essential strategies. Valerie also highlighted the importance of post licensure credentials such as specialty certification, which has proven to improve outcomes while bending the cost curve.

We also have an opportunity to learn about innovations in credential recognition from other sectors. For example, advocating for competency based assessment rather than credential-based approaches has been successful within veterinary medicine. Robert Smart shared experience from a pilot program involving 18 foreign qualified veterinary surgeons that placed surgeons into supervised practice situations, then through a comprehensive review process including double-blind reviews. 17 surgeons received their license to practice in 17 weeks. High retention rates, around 97%, were also recorded. Though healthcare is a unique sector and has unique requirements, there remain good opportunities to learn from other sectors. 

Policy Frameworks & Updates 

Regulators are critical to advancing innovations in credential recognition and many colleges are working hard to advance this work. The College of Nurses of Ontario, for example, modernized its application processes by expanding nursing education recognition and increasing its number of approved credential assessment providers, which help to reduce delays. Michael DoCouto highlighted solutions such as the Supervised Practice Experience Program and inter jurisdictional nurse licensure program, both of which aim to balance safety, innovation, and workforce needs in nursing regulation. He noted five focus areas for regulators’ success: service excellence, bridging pathways, modernized processes, labour mobility and system-wide collaboration.      

Ministries of Health have a significant role to play too. Nova Scotia, for example, is taking a new approach to credential recognition, including legislative changes, to enable faster licensure for IEHPs. The province has developed “a blueprint to tackle complexity,” says Kathleen DeCoste, noting they are actively working to increase the speed of credentialing in nursing, medicine, and pharmacy. She cited recent modernizations in the legislative and regulatory environment via the Patient Access to Care Act – where all health profession regulators can innovate differently when licensing individuals from around the world – and the Regulated Health Professions Act that allows professions to modernize their own pieces of old legislation.  

Pan Canadian initiatives are also underway aimed at harmonizing standards nationally, minimizing duplication and improving efficiency. For example, the Medical Council of Canada is advancing the National Registry of Physicians (NRP) to enable faster physician mobility, lower interprovincial barriers, reduce administrative burden on jurisdictions and provide better health sector planning. When fully operational, the NRP will enable users to be able to forecast the future rather than react to what’s happened in the past. 

Actions  

The workshop concluded with the following ideas for next steps: 

• Develop awareness campaigns: Promote available credential recognition programs through targeted communication channels. 

• Strengthen collaboration within and across regulatory bodies: Strengthen partnerships to accelerate assessment timelines – and other innovative strategies. 

• Continue to work towards pan-Canadian innovations: Pursue ongoing collaboration and knowledge sharing about innovations in credential recognition and interprovincial migration in health care at federal and local levels. 

• Learn from other industries: Work with experts in other industries to learn about solutions for that could be adapted/adopted for healthcare where appropriate.