Domagoj Tonžetić works as a nurse in the intensive care unit of a hospital in the Croatian capital, Zagreb.
More than two years ago, he began the process of applying for a nursing job in Ontario, looking for new opportunities.
“In Canada, I see a much wider range of professional development than I see here,” he told Global News.
But he recently put his Canadian dream on hold, shifting his focus to the United States. He said he will soon start working as a nurse in Texas.
The Ontario job process, he said, is “too complicated” and “impossible to navigate.”
Tongetic has struggled to find a role as an internationally trained nurse in Ontario as the province’s health care system is under significant strain. Emergency rooms have been forced to close and intensive care units have reached capacity in the past few days.
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The current crisis, brought on by several factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, is compounded by the nursing shortage.
In a statement to Global News, the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) said it was “outraged by the severe nursing and nursing staff shortages plaguing hospitals.”
“Shortages are being reported in emergency departments, intensive care units, medical units, surgery and others,” the organization said.
In a round of media interviews Tuesday, Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones said nurses trained outside Ontario are a key part of the solution to the province’s struggling health care system.
The government will introduce “additional measures” to increase capacity, she said, specifically mentioning the backlog of internationally trained health workers awaiting certification.
“We know there’s a backlog of people waiting for those certifications,” she said. “How can we help, as a province, to make sure that whatever upgrades are needed or whatever assessments are happening can happen in an expedited way?”
Read more: Ontario health minister seeks to accredit international nurses faster amid closures
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A 2020 report by the Ontario Equity Commissioner found that 14,633 internationally educated nurses are actively seeking licensure through the Ontario College of Nursing. That same year, just over 2,000 international applicants became full members.
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Jones did not specify how long it would take for the foreign-trained nurses to work in Ontario hospitals.
“Honestly, finding and evaluating and quickly going through the foreign-trained professionals to see if they qualify … (is) one thing that I think is an important piece, but it’s not the whole puzzle,” she said .
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In Croatia, Tongetic said she found the system for applying for a nursing job in Canada convoluted to the point of being unworkable.
He cited ID requirements and the need to notarize information from “multiple sources” as two examples of the bureaucratic hurdles he’s trying to navigate.
“I’m really sad to see that they don’t give us a chance to show our skills and show our … tenacity to work somewhere overseas and try our luck somewhere else.”
The need for more people to step up the nursing ranks in Ontario was made clear in a study released by the Ontario Association of Registered Practical Nurses (WeRPN) on Wednesday.
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2:34 Ontario hospitals face significant staffing shortage Ontario hospitals face significant staffing shortage
The survey found that 68 percent of nurses say they don’t have enough time or resources to properly care for patients.
Sixty-six percent said they should have admitted more patients with higher patient/nurse ratios.
The survey was conducted in May 2022 and is called The State of Nursing in Ontario: A 2022 Outlook. More than 760 RPNs across the province were surveyed. This was a follow-up survey from December 2020 to measure the conditions of the provincial health system through the perspective of nurses.
It also found that 86 percent of nurses surveyed said they had been asked to take on more shifts or overtime to cover staffing shortages.
Read more: Staffing problems at Toronto hospital lead to intensive care bed alert
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Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the province needs more nurses, but did not announce details of new plans.
“We need more nurses — as many as we can get,” Ford said.
A spokesperson for the University of Toronto Health Network recently told Global News that the hospital is recruiting for 371 registered nurse vacancies — roughly 10 percent of its 4,000 nurses.
Meanwhile, Tongetic is preparing to receive an offer to work as a nurse in Texas.
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