The Ontario government is continuing to create new pathways to connect more people to care across the province, both for now and for future generations. As part of Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the government is launching three new programs that will break down barriers for internationally educated physicians to work in Ontario, retain more health care workers with mentorship opportunities and explore innovative ways that health care workers can deliver convenient care to people in their own communities.
“Our government is growing our health care workforce to make it easier for people to connect to the care they need for years to come,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “These new initiatives will allow international physicians to work sooner, support experienced nurses to share their skills and knowledge, and explore innovative ways to grow our workforce for future generations.”
Starting today, new “As of Right” rules come into effect, making Ontario the first province to allow highly-trained physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and medical laboratory technologists already registered or licensed in another Canadian jurisdiction to start work immediately when they arrive without having to first register with one of Ontario’s health regulatory colleges. These changes will help health care workers overcome bureaucratic delays that have made it difficult to practice in Ontario.
The Ontario government is also launching:
These new, innovative initiatives join a number of existing successful programs the government has introduced to grow Ontario’s health care workforce, including:
Since 2018, 63,000 new nurses and nearly 8,000 new doctors have registered to work in Ontario. Last year, over 15,000 new nurses registered to work and care for people in Ontario – a new record in the province – and another 27,000 nurses are studying at a college or university, ensuring there is a pipeline of talent for the future.
“The Ontario Medical Association welcomes this program, which will give thousands of patients access to much needed doctors and timely health care by next year. We look forward to working with and supporting these new colleagues.”
– Dr. Andrew Park
OMA President
“We are pleased to see the launch of the Practice Ready Ontario program, which will contribute to credentialing more family physicians in our province. This initiative will expedite the integration of internationally trained physicians into Ontario’s health care system, allowing them to provide much-needed care to Ontarians faster. This is one of several important steps included in our Plan of Action to ensure that every Ontarian has access to a family physician.”
– Kimberly Moran
CEO, Ontario College of Family Physicians
“Home Care Ontario applauds the government for continuing to invest in strengthening home care’s workforce. This new innovation fund is another important step in that direction, and will allow home care providers to bring forward new ways of delivering care that will both bolster our front-line home care workforce and provide more care when and where people want it – in their own home.”
– Sue VanderBent
CEO, Home Care Ontario
“Ontario’s hospitals appreciate the programs introduced today to reduce barriers for internationally educated physicians, provide additional support to new, early career and internationally trained nurses, and allow hospitals and other system providers to develop innovative models of care to maximize capacity and strengthen access to care. Ontario’s hospitals are grateful for the ongoing investments made by the Government of Ontario that have had a meaningful impact on strengthening the province’s health care workforce. Hospitals will continue to work with the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health, and other partners to identify and implement new ideas and solutions in the time ahead.”
– Anthony Dale
President and CEO, Ontario Hospital Association