CANADA NEEDS NURSES! NURSING IN CANADA – THE REAL STORY
“Canada needs nurses!” “ Nurses in shortage!” “Get your nursing job here!” With headlines like these it would seem like a foreign trained nurse would be able to simply enter Canada and walk into a job, right? Wrong.
Although there IS a shortage, it is mainly specialized nurses that are in demand – especially those that work in the ICU (cardiac, neonatal) and those who specialize in post anaesthesia, geriatrics, and emergency and the OR. There is also a demand for nurses in more remote communities. A quick internet search brings up about 1,000 job ads for nurses in Canada.
The critical part of coming to Canada as a nurse is to ensure that the licensing and registration is done properly so that the nurse can begin to work, after having received their immigration paperwork (either temporary or permanent).
A nurse must hold individual membership in one of the provincial or territorial nursing associations which make up the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) in order to belong to CNA and the International Council of Nurses.
A registered nurse must pass the Canadian Registered Nurses Examination (CRNE) as part of the registration or licensing process. This examination can only be written in Canada on the recommendation of a provincial or territorial nurses’ college.
To come on a temporary work permit means that the nurse must first be approved by the provincial or territorial nurses’ college and have a Labour Market approved job to come to. At the discretion of the hospital, the foreign nurse may apply for a temporary license and work as a nurse with limited duties until she/he has passed the CRNE exam.
Nurses are also on Canada’s High Demand Occupation List for permanent residency applications submitted under the Federal Skilled Worker category; this means that an eligible nurse with at least twelve months of continuous full-time work experience in the last ten years can apply for a permanent residency visa as long as they meet the points pass mark of 67 and their application is submitted before the cap is reached.
As of July 1st, Immigration Canada had allocated only 500 spots for registered nurses (including psychiatric) to submit permanent residency applications in this category. By September 19th 499 of these spots had already been filled. There are a further 500 spots for licensed practical nurses, and only 35 of these spots had been taken in the same amount of time.
What is the difference? The Canadian Nurses Association defines them as follows:
Registered nurses include nurses who have passed either the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination or the Quebec examination (examen professionnel de l’OIIQ) and have registered with their provincial or territorial regulatory body. RNs can specialize in many areas of care.
Licensed practical nurses provide nursing care usually under the direction of medical practitioners, registered nurses, or other health team members. The term licensed practical nurse is used throughout Canada, except Ontario, where registered practical nurse is used and in Quebec, where nursing assistant is used.
Global migration for nurses is at an all-time high, evidenced by the number of international nurses that we meet, including those that are already working in a foreign country. In the UK the number of nurses leaving the National Health Service and going abroad for better pay and conditions is at its highest level for ten years.
The Canadian Nurses Association quotes a report that shows “that if the health needs of Canadians continue to change according to past trends, and if no policy interventions are implemented, Canada will be short almost 60,000 full-time equivalent RNs by 2022.”
So, the end result is that YES Canada does need nurses, but it may not be as easy as you think to come and work as a nurse in Canada. Registration and licensing are critical to you being able to work in Canada – contact Goldman Associates if you would like help with getting registered to work as a nurse in any province or territory in Canada.
