CPAC-RBC Healthcare Mentoring Program Helped 10 Immigrants Re-enter Healthcare Field
May 1st, TORONTO – 10 immigrants with a background in healthcare were awarded Certificates of Graduation for completing CPAC-RBC Healthcare Mentoring Program at the conference hall of Chinese Professionals Association of Canada (CPAC) today. Ms. Jennifer Tory, Regional President of Greater Toronto of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Mr. John Man, Vice President and Managing Director of Asian Business, RBC and Toronto City Councillor Chin Lee have attended the graduation ceremony among other guests.
With funding support from RBC Foundation, CPAC launched this unique Healthcare Mentoring Program in April 2007. Participants of the program receive one-on-one assistance from mentors who are registered/licensed in the profession and dedicated to help newcomers. It was the first bridging program in the community that is focused specifically on helping immigrants obtain registration/licensure and work in the healthcare profession.
Currently the program is in its 6th year and has generated positive response from the community. In the past 5 years, 38 participants have been matched with mentors, and after 7 participants graduated in 2010, this year sees 10 graduates becoming registered/licensed in their professions. With the growing needs from the immigrant community, CPAC continues to expand the mentor pool. Over the years, a strong mentor team representing physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, registered nurses, registered practical nurse, dental hygienists, and medical laboratory technologists has been built.
“RBC is proud to have been able to support this program in the past 5 years,” said both Ms. Jennifer Tory and Mr. John Man, “As a financial institution and an employer, we see the value and need to invest in developing the skills of our nation’s newcomers. We congratulate everyone today on this wonderful achievement.” Out of her own experience, Ms. Jennifer Tory said: “Mentoring people has provided me with my greatest career satisfaction.” To encourage more people to become a mentor, she quoted Stephen Covey: “Anyone can be a change catalyst, a transformer who is like yeast that can leaven an entire loaf.”
Toronto City Councillor Chin Lee congratulated RBC, CPAC, mentors and mentees for their great accomplishment through their working together over years.
Graduate Akiko was a nurse in Japan and Jenny was a doctor in China, both of them experienced similar struggling in job searching after they became registered as RPN. They sent out hundreds of resume and only ended up with frustrating results. At the critical moment as they were about to give up, they joined this program, and the mentors’ advice and guidance have shed new light on them and brought them onto the right track. Not long after they joined the program, both of them found good jobs in hospital or nursing home. “Words cannot even express how grateful I am. This program gave me a future with hope. I deeply appreciate it. ” Akiko said.
Akiko’s mentor Ying Huang volunteered to be a mentor as soon as she heard about this program, because she remembered so clearly how she benefited from mentors in her first years in nursing profession in Canada. She said: “According to recent researches in the US, mentorship is identified as one of the most effective and important strategies to help internationally trained nurses to integrate into the workforce.” About this program she said: “This program cannot advance without the support of the RBC and dedicated staff from CPAC. I truly believe that it doesn’t only help the healthcare professionals to find job, but also helps the immigrant families to integrate into this society, to become productive members of the community. We need more programs like this to help the new immigrant professionals to get good jobs and live a better life in Canada.”
For more information about CPAC-RBC Healthcare Mentoring Program, please contact with
Ms. Lily He
Tel: 416-298-7885 ext. 103