Moroccan Nurses Seek Better Opportunities in Quebec Amid Growing Exodus

Mouhsine El Mabroud chose to leave Morocco to follow the Intensive Nursing Integration Program of Quebec. He has been living in Baie-des-Chaleurs since 2022. This Moroccan nurse is one of the 37 candidates who passed the admission exam of the Ordre des Infirmiers et Infirmières du Québec in Gaspésie this year, reports Radio-Canada. Addressing the Moroccan government, he believes that it "must ask itself: why do these nurses choose emigration? Why choose to leave their country?". According to his explanations, the improvement "of socioeconomic conditions" is the main motivation behind the decision taken by several workers, like him, to expatriate.

El Mabroud also mentions a lack of autonomy in practice. "The practice of the nursing profession in Morocco is characterized by the absence of a professional order. [...] That means the nurse must always work under medical supervision," he criticizes. The Moroccan nurse notes, however, that the differences between countries are not glaring in terms of "the content of the profession". As an example, he points out that the definition of cancer is the same from one country to another. "This equivalence process is appropriate and very important, vital, of course," insists El Mabroud. He had to join the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) of Gaspésie, in order to better understand the rules and organization of the Quebec system.

El Mabroud realizes the chance he has to pursue his career in Canada, as Quebec has ended the recruitment of nurses in Africa for "ethical reasons", except in Tunisia. "Most of the world choose the regions as a springboard [before] leaving for the big cities [...], but me personally, really, the idea of anchoring [in Baie-des-Chaleurs] is starting to develop because I feel I’ve had a lot of integration here," notes the new Gaspésien.