Pan-Canadian Registration and Licensure of Health Professionals: A Path Forward Emerging from a Best Brains Exchange Policy Dialogue.

Abstract

The regulation of health professions differs across Canadian provinces and territories, often resulting in an unstandardized approach to licensure and registration. These siloed regulatory frameworks hinder health workforce mobility and virtual care - with implications for patient safety and equitable access to healthcare - and pose a barrier to integrated health workforce planning. The authors report on a Best Brains Exchange policy dialogue held in October 2019 on pan-Canadian registration and licensure (CIHR 2019), highlighting leading practices and presenting a potential path forward through pan-Canadian regulatory mechanisms. Situating these findings within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the urgency for governments to move on this reform.