October 14, 2025

Final Arrivals

It has come to that time! This is the final PRI update newsletter. In this issue, we look back and celebrate everything we have achieved together.
With your support, PRI succeeded at mobilizing diverse teams across our province and health care system, ensuring a warm Manitoba welcome to PRI candidates and their families.

PRI successfully added a total of 150 healthcare professionals to our provincial workforce, including both nurses and healthcare aides.

• 348 candidates received letters of offer through onsite job fairs within the Philippines
• Built a strong project management team to support and coordinate a complex network of activities
• Met the first arrival target deadline in Summer 2023, with Chi and her family resettling in Thompson
• Welcomed a record of 18 arrivals in one month in January 2024
• Collaborated with legal, government departments, and staffing agencies to ensure streamlined immigration processes
• Partnered with the University of Manitoba to administer in-person Clinical Competence Assessments (CCA) in the Philippines, soon followed by the launch of virtual CCAs for both the RN and LPN pathways, using ground-breaking VR technology to enable assessment completion from across the globe
• Provincially coordinated orientation planning across the Health Authorities to ensure new hires were receiving a similar orientation structure for their pathway. This included partnership with Red River College Polytechnic to offer our health care aides with the Uncertified Health Care Aide 7-day course
• Partnered with Red River College Polytechnic to coordinate and deliver the nurse re-entry program for IEN-UNEs virtually across Manitoba
• Partnered with Assiniboine Community College to coordinate and deliver the bridge education program for SIENs virtually across Manitoba and offering skills labs to our Northern PRI nurses with support from University College of the North
• Worked closely with CRNM and CLPNM nurse licensing agencies to put PRI nurses on the right path to attain nurse licensure

Current Overview

Five candidates remain to arrive to work in the following Health Authorities:

• Southern Health-Santé Sud: 2 HCAs, 1 IEN-UNE
• Northern Health Region: 1 SIEN
• Interlake-Easter Regional Health Authority: 1 IEN-UNE

Looking Forward

Over February and March 2025, the project team will transition the remaining tasks to the Health Care Recruitment and Retention Office, directed by Conne Newman, Provincial Lead Health Workforce, and managed by Shelby Turman, Provincial Manager of Recruitment Services.

Shelby’s HCRRO team, along with support from Lisa Merrill, Provincial Nursing Practice Lead, Health Authority clinical and human resource representatives, and PRI new hires will continue to receive the support they require throughout their educational journey to attaining nursing licensure.

Thank you to Erin Lussier, Senior Project Manager, and Lesley Goss, Project Analyst, for their valuable contributions in management, analytics, and direct support to this initiative.

Sharing Celebration

Over the December 2024 holidays, many of our PRI new hires got together to celebrate the season. We are delighted to see and hear about the friendships developed between those who embarked on this journey.

Photos below taken with Health Sciences Centre PRI new hires and their families during their holiday celebration.

Words of Appreciation

Thomas Aguila, a PRI IEN/UNE at the Grace Hospital, credits the British Council’s IELTS program for improving his English skills which “helped him be more attuned to his patient’s needs”. Read the full article “From Manila to the World: Filipino Dreams Take Flight with British Council IELTS” here.

Kari Saltarelli, a professional recruiter with Shared Health and cornerstone team member for the PRI since its inception, received outstanding feedback and notes of gratitude, with more than half of the PRI post-settlement satisfaction survey respondents taking the time to recognize her specifically.

“Kari did an excellent job…from recruitment all the way to our stay in the hotel.”

“Great work…especially to Kari, who always updates us before, during, and after arrival.”

“Kari is such a wonderful person.”

More gratitude from our PRI new hires:

“We are very satisfied with the entire process. The experience was smooth and wonderful.”

“We’re forever grateful for this big opportunity you have given us. This will be forever in our core memory.”

“Hands down, being with Shared Health’s recruitment process from interview in the Philippines until date today, I had the best experience of my life. It was a very smooth process.”

“Overall it is a wonderful experience for our family to be given a chance and opportunity to work and live here.”

“I am very grateful and satisfied with all the help you have extended. Your dedication in ensuring customer satisfaction is very commendable.”

Sincere thanks and gratitude to everyone involved!

At a Glance

• Final Arrivals
• Looking Forward
• Sharing Celebration
• Words of Appreciation

Inquiries

Questions on specific activities? Contact the workstream leads:

Clinical Competence Assessment (RN, LPN)
Lisa Merrill

Bridge Education (RN, LPN)
Lisa Merrill

Hiring and Shared Health Immigration Activities
Shelby Turman

Settlement, Onboarding, and Orientation Community Settlement & HR
Shelby Turman

Clinical Onboarding
Lisa Merrill

Communications

GoM Intergovernmental Affairs
Sean Hogan
John Simba

GoM Immigration (RN, LN, HCA)
Natalia Hnydyuk
Crystal Everett

Submitted by: Erin Lussier, Shared Health