RRC Polytechnic nurse retraining program ceremony poorly attended… and that’s a good thing, health minister says

Out-of-practice nurses who updated their skills to get back to health care’s front lines were celebrated Tuesday. At least those who could make it to a downtown ceremony were.

Red River College Polytechnic recognized the first group of students to complete an expedited nurse re-entry program, but less than half of the 62-member Class of 2025 showed up to retrieve a certificate and hear their valedictorian and various dignitaries deliver well wishes.

“The others couldn’t make it. They’re working. But that’s a good problem for us to have — it’s really wonderful,” Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara told those in attendance at RRC Polytech’s Manitou a bi Bii daziigae (an Anishinaabemowin phrase that translates to, “where the creator sits and brings light”).

The post-graduate course was designed to help inactive nurses review gold-standard protocols related to medical assessments and communication with colleagues, patients and families.

There have been 91 graduates since 2021, which is when the program underwent the first of multiple recent adjustments to address a chronic workforce shortage.

The current provincial government has worked with RRC Polytech and other stakeholders to expedite the program so it can take as little as nine months to complete.

The majority of registrants — roughly 85 per cent of them — have trained and worked overseas. The Philippines, India and Nigeria are among the most common countries of origin.

Canadian-born nurses who want to return from a hiatus — from burnout, a parental leave or something else — account for the remaining group.

Philippines-born nurse Melissa Reyes was grinning ear-to-ear as she accepted her certificate Tuesday — a major milestone in resuming a career she once thought she would have to give up.

Reyes, who is originally from Davao City, moved to Winnipeg in 2017 with a plan to follow in the footsteps of her now-husband.

Despite her partner’s successful, albeit lengthy three-year transition and related guidance, she faced numerous hurdles to get licensed.

The 40-year-old said her work experience in multiple countries proved complex for Manitoba officials to process and verify. As a result, she’s worked other, lesser-paying jobs in the health-care sector for the better part of the last decade.

Equipped with an program certificate and “my (renewed) confidence,” Reyes said she plans to take her professional licensing exam as soon as possible and reclaim her nurse title.

RRC Polytech’s Ana Stipanovic, chair of nursing specialty programs on the campus, said employers often report that newcomer-nurses grapple with “acclimatizing” to the local health-care culture, including the interdisciplinary nature of communication.

“Nurses might be hesitant in their country of origin to communicate with a physician because there’s such stark contrasts in hierarchy (elsewhere),” Stipanovic added, reflecting on the feedback she’s heard from stakeholders and students.

The graduates are re-entering the profession at a particularly difficult time.

The Manitoba Nurses Union continues to “grey list” the Health Sciences Centre, the largest hospital-employer in the province.

The symbolic label — used by unions to dissuade members from accepting jobs at a site where an employer is viewed to be failing to meet its obligations to protect workers — has been in effect since Aug. 8.

The health minister called HSC “a wonderful community campus.”

“It is a great place to work. Safety and security challenges are actively being addressed,” said Asagwara, who was a nurse prior to entering politics.

The province announced last week that it would ramp up security at HSC by stationing two uniformed constables outside the inner-city emergency room on a 24-7 basis.

Asagwara said a hiring process was underway on Tuesday, but did not provide a timeline for when the officers will begin monitoring the ER.

Reyes, 40, said her nursing job search will begin with scrolling through postings available at her current workplace.

“I’m not thinking about HSC right now,” she said, noting she’s well-versed in the workplace culture and challenges in northeast Winnipeg. “I’m thinking about Concordia (Hospital).”

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca