The Minister of Immigration says the new registered nurses recruitment desk in India is placed in an area that provides the most seamless transition to the province.

Yesterday, the provincial government came out with its latest initiative to help address the nursing shortage in the province—a health care recruitment desk in Bengaluru, India, which has over 100 nursing colleges.

The plan is to build familiarity between the province and the city, which has many English language schools, breaking down a significant barrier some newcomer health care workers may face.

The desk will see nursing professionals come to the province with job offers from the regional health authorities, meaning newcomers will come with a source of income already secured.

Minister Gerry Byrne says it’s an “extremely compatible” fit, as Bengaluru has branded itself as a health care education hub.

He says they have deliberately turned themselves into a “center of excellence” in health care education. He says students attend schools there specifically to get top-tier education and then leave for other parts of the world, which Newfoundland and Labrador will take advantage of.

Byrne says the cost will be modest. He says every year they spend about $90,000 on only 4 to 5 missions abroad, plus the cost of hiring recruiters. The India desk will cost around $40,000 to $50,000 a month, which Byrne says is “very cost efficient”.

The Registered Nurses Union is encouraged, but cautious, about government plans to set up a recruitment desk in Bengaluru, India.

RNU President Yvette Coffey is applauding government for “out of the box” thinking in addressing the province’s nursing shortage.

She’s encouraged by the fact that representatives of the Registered Nurses College will be part of a health care recruitment desk in the populous city, drawing from graduates of an English language nursing school.

Coffey hopes the appropriate supports are in place to ensure any recruits are retained. She suggests a mentoring program with experienced nurses still in the system to help guide and support new hires.

She says supports are not only needed in the workplace, but in transitioning into the province and its culture.

She says there is a global nursing shortage with a lot of jurisdictions vying for new recruits. She also wants to make sure that ethical recruiting standards are met.