Immigrant workers flood training program
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* Ryan Tumilty

*   © 2008 Canadian Medical Association

Faced with a growing shortage of medical professionals, the Alberta government is spending $1.4 million over 3 years on ground-breaking programs designed to get more foreign-trained workers into the health care system.

The Bredin Centre in Edmonton provides support for foreign-trained doctors, nurses and pharmacists, for example, it brings faculty from the University of Alberta, holds peer-led study groups to prepare for licensing and accreditation exams, and provides referrals to language training programs. There is no cost to the participants.

While there are other centres across Canada that support physicians in the licensing process, “we are the only ones in Canada with specific training programs to address the gaps,” says Bredin Centre Executive Director Debbie MacDonald.

The bulk of the new monies will be used to establish a similar program at Bow Valley College in Calgary, Alberta. Calgary project leader Karen Jenkins says 100 health care professionals who need Canadian licences are already registered in the fledgling Calgary program.

Grace Onah, once a physician in Nigeria, says training at the Edmonton centre has been invaluable, particularly in providing exposure to unfamiliar medical technologies.

Janardhana Reddy Bade, a pharmacist from India who recently arrived in Edmonton, says navigating the Canadian system is hard when you don't know what steps to take.

The study groups at the centre help because participants can share common experiences and help each other with difficult questions. “If I was alone it would be hard. It is about clearing doubt about the subject.”

MacDonald says her clients often find it challenging.

“To them it can be a huge step back because they may not be that up on diabetes or mental health and they have to go all the way back and study.”

After they obtain their licences, physician clients still need residencies and internships. This year, 200 hopefuls applied for 50 international medical residencies; Bredin clients capture 23 spots.

Shannon Haggarty with Alberta Health and Wellness says the province has added over 300 residency spaces since 2001 and hopes to add more. International spots rose from 28 to the current 50 in the same period.

A report commissioned last year suggested the province would be short some 17 000 workers by 2017 if the government doesn't take serious steps.

Haggarty says the province is working hard to avoid that. “We hope that we will be able to address those shortages before it comes to that.”