TruMerit and Centennial College, with the Groningen Declaration Network, have unveiled a framework intended to let health professionals carry trusted digital records of their qualifications across borders.
Workforce shortages affect health systems worldwide, and internationally educated clinicians often face lengthy, repetitive and duplicative verification steps before practicing in a new country.
The paper titled “Toward a Global Digital Credential Mobility Ecosystem for Migrating Health Professionals” proposes a portable record that aggregates education, training, experience, certifications, and competencies.
How the Portable Record Would Function
The Global Competency Record would be a secure digital file that stores verified evidence of a professional’s career milestones.
Regulators and employers could access the file to compare its contents with local standards, without replacing national licensing requirements.
Collaboration Behind the Proposal
“Healthcare has become increasingly global, but the systems used to recognize qualifications across borders have not kept pace,” said Peter Preziosi, PhD, RN, CAE, FAAN, President and CEO of TruMerit and lead author of the paper. “Qualified professionals can spend months or even years handling fragmented processes that require the same information to be verified repeatedly. We have an opportunity to modernize credential mobility around trusted digital information, verified competencies, and interoperability while preserving regulatory authority and protecting the public.”
“Any one organization or sector cannot solve the challenges facing workforce mobility,” said Charmaine Hack, Vice President, Partnerships, Enrollment & External Relations of Centennial College, Vice President of the GDN Network Board, and co-author of the paper. “Creating a trusted ecosystem for credential mobility will require collaboration across education, workforce, regulatory, and technology communities.”
“Trusted digital credentials have enormous potential to support individuals as they move across borders for education and work,” said Joanne Duklas, Executive Director of the GDN Network and co-author of the paper. “This initiative explores how we can better connect education, credentials, and demonstrated competencies in ways that work for individuals, regulators, and employers.”
Potential Reach Beyond Healthcare
While the initial focus is on medical fields, the concept could be adapted for other professions that encounter similar credential barriers.
TruMerit, formerly CGFNS International, has spent nearly five decades validating foreign health credentials for the United States and other nations.
Centennial College, Ontario’s first public college, enrolls thousands of students annually in programs ranging from engineering technology to health care.
The Groningen Declaration Network, a non-profit trust based in the Netherlands, coordinates international stakeholders to promote digital student data portability.