Canadian Enough: The Systemic Barriers Internationally Educated Nurses Face After Licensure with Preet Kaur

About this event

Join the International Nursing Interest Group (INIG) and Waterloo Chapter on Thursday, June 25, 2026, from 6PM-8PM EST with keynote speaker, Preet Kaur, who will present, "Canadian Enough: The Systemic Barriers Internationally Educated Nurses Face After Licensure". This event will be held virtually through Zoom. 

Getting licensed is only the beginning. For many internationally educated nurses, the real barriers begin after registration in the workplace, in clinical culture and in a system that was never designed with them in mind. Drawing on original research, frontline advocacy, and lived experience, this session will name the systemic barriers IENs face including workplace incivility, accent bias, professional identity erosion and the hidden curriculum of Canadian nursing.

Participants will explore findings from a research study examining IEN-specific orientation gaps across Ontario health-care organizations, hear about national and provincial advocacy efforts, and engage in an open community dialogue about what meaningful integration actually looks like. Attendees will leave feeling seen, informed and equipped to advocate for change.

Preet Kaur is a registered nurse with over eight years of clinical experience and a passionate advocate for internationally educated nurses. She holds an HBSc and BScN, and is currently completing her MScN at Trent University, where her project examined IEN-specific post-registration orientation gaps across Ontario health-care organizations.

Everyone is welcome! We hope to see you there.