A new program launched this month by Bow Valley College in Calgary, Alberta aims to improve to integration of Internationally Educated Nurses into practicing nurse positions in Canada. The Integrated Practical Nurse Diploma program has a heavy focus on English as a second language and on learning the Canadian healthcare culture.

"Where a lot of immigrants have problems, particularly in the hospital environment, is the rapid-fire language that's necessary in a hospital," says Isabel Gibbins of the Bow Valley College English as a Second Language department.

The program was inspired by a similar pilot project at NorQuest College in Edmonton, funded by the federal and provincial government. The success of the program prompted Alberta Employment and Immigration officials to expand it to other parts of the province.

The first group of foreign-trained nurses has just begun the program. Upon graduation, they will be accredited as Licenses Practical Nurses (LPN). For some foreign-trained nurses, whose English language skills are not yet adequate enough to be licensed as Registered Nurses, the LPN accreditation is a great stepping stone, giving them the ability to work in their field.

"If you come in as a practical nurse, you're working in the environment, hearing the language, improving your skills and it is possible to then go back and do an RN exam," says Gibbins.

The college is holding an information session on August 12, 2009 for the next intake, with classes starting in January 2010.

With the ongoing shortage of health care workers in Canada, Canadian colleges and governments are beginning to invest more in these types of programs.

A new website, Englishforhealth.com, provides internationally-educated health professionals with online tutorials to help prepare them for the Canadian health system and culture before they arrive in Canada.