Internationally Educated Nurses and Key Informant Experiences: Equal Access to Workplace Integration
Other Titles
PechaKucha Presentation
Abstract
Background: Internationally educated nurses (IENs) comprise 53.5% of new RN registrations in Ontario, reflecting global reliance on internationally educated health professionals to address nursing workforce shortages (1). While the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) implemented 2022 regulatory registration changes (2), critical gaps persist between regulatory compliance and comprehensive workplace integration, with limited evaluation frameworks and retention tracking (3).
Purpose: This qualitative descriptive study investigates workplace integration experiences of IENs working as Registered Nurses in Ontario post-2022 CNO regulatory registration changes, examining perspectives from both IEN and healthcare professional key informants. Grounded in the Ethical Framework for the Recruitment and Retention of Internationally Educated Health Professionals in Canada (4), this research addresses supporting IENs beyond their initial RN registration (5).
Methods: Using criterion and purposive sampling, we recruited IENs (registered nurses post-2022 regulatory recruitment changes) and healthcare key informants across Ontario's acute care, long-term care, and community care settings. Semi-structured virtual interviews explore workplace integration experiences, organizational supports, facilitators and barriers, peer relationships, and mentorship. Preliminary thematic analysis identifies support and integration opportunities.
Preliminary Findings & Implications: The study explores IEN experiences, supports, barriers and implications related to workplace integration. These efforts, alongside advancements in equal access into the nursing profession, inform targeted integration strategies to strengthen nursing workforce sustainability across Canada. This study advances the international discourse on nursing workforce integration by examining regulatory modernization in a high-income country context, as nations address nursing shortages through ethical international recruitment (4).
Notes
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References:
(1) College of Nurses of Ontario. (2025). Nursing statistics report 2025.
(2) College of Nurses of Ontario. (2022, January). We're modernizing how we assess applicants. The Standard.
(3) Indar, A., Santa Mina, E., Rose, D., Cruz, E., Bradley, P., Bookey-Bassett, S., Espin, S., Issani, N., Nagendiram, A., Quiddaoen, K., Cozzella, T., & Manafò, E. (2025). An environmental scan of workplace programs supporting IEN-RN integration in Ontario, Canada. International Health Trends and Perspectives. Manuscript submitted for publication.
(4) Health Canada. (2025, July). Ethical framework for the recruitment and retention of internationally educated health professionals in Canada.
(5) Alostaz, N., & Chen, R. (2024). Internationally educated nurses' workplace bicultural and strategies for integration: Application of the fourfold model of acculturation theory (FMAT). International Health Trends and Perspectives, 4(2), 297-309.
Sigma Membership
Lambda Pi at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Descriptive/Correlational
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Transition to Practice or Onboarding, Entry Into Practice, Workforce, Ethics, Work Experiences, International Nursing
Recommended Citation
Bradley, Patricia Ann; Santa Mina, Elaine; Rose, Donald; Cruz, Edward Venzon; Bookey-Bassett, Sue; Espin, Sherry; Issani, Naseem; Nagendiram, Amisa; Cozzella, Teresa; and Manafo, Elizabeth, "Internationally Educated Nurses and Key Informant Experiences: Equal Access to Workplace Integration" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 79.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/79
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-07-28
Internationally Educated Nurses and Key Informant Experiences: Equal Access to Workplace Integration
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: Internationally educated nurses (IENs) comprise 53.5% of new RN registrations in Ontario, reflecting global reliance on internationally educated health professionals to address nursing workforce shortages (1). While the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) implemented 2022 regulatory registration changes (2), critical gaps persist between regulatory compliance and comprehensive workplace integration, with limited evaluation frameworks and retention tracking (3).
Purpose: This qualitative descriptive study investigates workplace integration experiences of IENs working as Registered Nurses in Ontario post-2022 CNO regulatory registration changes, examining perspectives from both IEN and healthcare professional key informants. Grounded in the Ethical Framework for the Recruitment and Retention of Internationally Educated Health Professionals in Canada (4), this research addresses supporting IENs beyond their initial RN registration (5).
Methods: Using criterion and purposive sampling, we recruited IENs (registered nurses post-2022 regulatory recruitment changes) and healthcare key informants across Ontario's acute care, long-term care, and community care settings. Semi-structured virtual interviews explore workplace integration experiences, organizational supports, facilitators and barriers, peer relationships, and mentorship. Preliminary thematic analysis identifies support and integration opportunities.
Preliminary Findings & Implications: The study explores IEN experiences, supports, barriers and implications related to workplace integration. These efforts, alongside advancements in equal access into the nursing profession, inform targeted integration strategies to strengthen nursing workforce sustainability across Canada. This study advances the international discourse on nursing workforce integration by examining regulatory modernization in a high-income country context, as nations address nursing shortages through ethical international recruitment (4).
Description
This qualitative study examines workplace integration experiences of internationally educated registered nurses in Ontario, Canada following recent regulatory changes in registration pathways. This study explores the perspectives of IENs and healthcare key informants across various healthcare settings to identify supports, barriers, and implications related to workplace integration. Findings inform nursing workforce sustainability and advance ethical international recruitment practices globally.