Measuring Returns: Valuing Investments in Internationally Educated Nurses

The Canadian health care profession is facing a major immediate and long-term human resource challenge. The sector requires internationally educated nurses (IENs) to help fill skills and labour force gaps. Despite this need, IENs face accreditation and other barriers to gaining employment in their field. The associated economic and human capital costs to Canada are significant.

This report examines the economic returns on investment in CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses’ bridge training program. The program facilitates the recognition of existing educational credentials and skills and adds additional skills to help bridge internationally educated nurses into employment in the nursing profession in Canada. Produced in collaboration with CARE Centre, the report uses the Centre’s programs and data to calculate the economic returns that governments and IENs achieve through their investment in this program. It finds that significant returns are realized. These findings lay a foundation for exploring returns on investment in bridge training programs for both IENs and other internationally educated professionals.

The report is part of the research program of Signal49 Research’s Leaders’ Roundtable on Immigration.