The call is out for more nurses to help fight the pandemic here in Manitoba.

 

Health Minister Cameron Friesen announced on April 1st that the province was changing the rules to help bolster health-care staff by temporarily allowing nurses currently not practicing to register for work.

 

Katherine Stansfield, the CEO and Registrar for the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba explains how it works.

 

“The temporary registration is for a four-month duration and it can be renewed once. It’s a very time-limited registration and it is essentially for support of the care of individuals during the pandemic. Now, that doesn’t restrict those registered nurses who are registered under this classification to only care for patients with COVID-19.”

 

The College of Registered Nurses is waiving the application and registration fee to support this initiative and the government of Manitoba is covering the liability protection for these nurses.

 

Stansfield explains who is eligible to apply at this time.

 

“Some might be retired, some might also be individuals who have taken an educational LOA (leave of absence) or maternity leave. The requirement is that they must be current in their practice and that is demonstrated by having a minimum number of hours of practice in the last 5 years. It can also be demonstrated by completing your entry level education program within four years or some remedial education in the last four years.”

 

To get the details on the province’s bid to recruit more nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, listen to Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 here on 102.9 CHTM.

 

Or you can listen to the podcast on thompsononline.ca. Click on the HOME banner, click on AUDIO and then Thompson Today.