Pictured: Fransa Emslie, a NICHE participant and registered nurse, with her family at the 2025 funding announcement celebrating Scotiabank’s $500K gift through ScotiaRISE.
Strong Nova Scotian support for healthcare workers is continuing to evolve the healthcare sector by recruiting and retaining internationally educated healthcare talent in our communities. ScotiaRISE was launched by Scotiabank back in 2021 to help build economic resilience among disadvantaged communities. As part of Scotiabank’s commitment to ScotiaRISE, in January 2025, ScotiaRISE announced a $500,000 gift to the QEII Foundation. This donation is invested over a four-year period and directly supports the Nova Scotia International Community of Health Care Workers Engagement (NICHE) program, led by Nova Scotia Health and funded by Employment and Social Development Canada. This program works to support internationally educated healthcare workers and their families living across Nova Scotia who want to continue in their healthcare careers. This program helps to curb remigration – newcomers who leave the province that may feel unsupported.
According to recent research conducted by the Institute for Canadian Immigration in 2024, Atlantic Canada faces the highest onward migration to other places after a newcomer arrives. The Canadian Institute for Health Information also informs that while the overall supply of nurses has increased across Nova Scotia, the number of nurses working in direct care roles has not kept up with demand. This is why Nova Scotia and other provinces have begun looking internationally to fill rising demand. Proudly supported by the QEII Foundation, NICHE seeks to recognize these shortcomings to facilitate a successful transition period for internationally educated healthcare workers entering our healthcare system.
The NICHE program ensures that these healthcare providers and their families have access to the resources they need to feel embraced and connected with their new communities. NICHE is part of a broader effort to attract and retain healthcare talent from across the world, with the goal of increasing access to care in the province. As part of the QEII Foundation’s commitment to raising $100 million through our We Are campaign, Scotiabank’s $500,000 donation encourages talented healthcare professionals to make their careers here in Nova Scotia.
The latest progress
As of April 2026, NICHE, with support from the $500,000 ScotiaRISE donation, has helped support 899 internationally-educated health professionals (IEHP). These IEHPs have been eligible to receive transition to practice, mentorship, language, and settlement supports for themselves and their families. Cultural safety education has also been offered to teams across the province to build more welcoming and inclusive work environments for internationally educated healthcare professionals.
Although NICHE had been primarily focused on bringing internationally educated nurses to Nova Scotia, the program has been expanded to invite and retain other high demand internationally educated healthcare professionals. Ninety-six of 899 IEHPs are non-nursing international healthcare professionals that have been supported across entry pathways since May 2023. NICHE connects IEHPs and their families to community organizations who can provide support for their spouses to help keep them in Nova Scotia.
The program’s ongoing mission aims to retain sought-after healthcare talent from across the globe by recognizing their foreign credentials, gaining licensure and safely transition them to practice to help advance health care in communities across Nova Scotia. The generous support of community donors, including Scotiabank’s $500,000 donation through ScotiaRise, is helping make this a reality. We’re so excited to see what’s next for the future of NICHE and what incredible talent the program helps bring to our province.
Quick facts about NICHE:
899 internationally educated health professionals (IEHP) have been supported in entering the Nova Scotian health system since May 2023.
Through NICHE, IEHPs receive a standard orientation to support their integration into the Nova Scotia health system, which includes preceptorship and/or mentorship, often combined with an Orientation to the Canadian Healthcare System and tailored transition to practice supports offered by Nova Scotia Health’s Learning Institute for Health Care Providers and Interprofessional Practice and Learning teams.
127 IENs have received language supports designed for communication in a healthcare environment.
152 IEHPs have received support from All Points Relocation Services. This is a service with a variety of options based on candidate settlement needs, which may include: airport pick up, transportation services, temporary accommodation arrangements, locating a rental home, lease review and support, move-in inspection, and support setting up bank accounts, SINs and more.
157 Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Reconciliation, and Accessibility training sessions have been hosted for Nova Scotia Health employees.
