Thanks. I got non-comparable and am US educated with a 4 year BSN. I had to do IENCAP.
National Nursing Assessment Centre NNAS
- Thread starter farmer101
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@nursero
I am sorry to hear about your experience. Unfortunately I think it is all too common of an experience! I think the reason they suggested to you that you look into alternatives to BScN is because they probably want you to become LPN/RPN. It seems this whole system is set up to provide Canada with professionals trained as nurses who will work as RPN's for less pay. So they get a certain level of skill at less cost. Since nursing positions are being cut and less costly professions are replacing them, this fits with that trend.
Ontario is the same with the waitlist for the bridge program. It's completely insane to expect people to keep re-applying like that, without a waitlist. I am embarrassed that this is how my country is treating IENs.
BC no longer uses SEC. They now use NCAS. I hope that you can contact the regulatory college and ask whether or not an applicant who failed SEC would be eligible to attempt NCAS. Certainly, there were issues with SEC or otherwise they would not have invested so much money into switching to a new assessment! I'm not sure what the differences are between the two exams, but I would argue that it is only fair that you are able to be assessed by the same methods and standards that applicants today are being assessed with. I would try to ask them, at least. It's worth a try. At this rate, it doesn't look like getting into the bridge program is happening.
I am sorry to hear about your experience. Unfortunately I think it is all too common of an experience! I think the reason they suggested to you that you look into alternatives to BScN is because they probably want you to become LPN/RPN. It seems this whole system is set up to provide Canada with professionals trained as nurses who will work as RPN's for less pay. So they get a certain level of skill at less cost. Since nursing positions are being cut and less costly professions are replacing them, this fits with that trend.
Ontario is the same with the waitlist for the bridge program. It's completely insane to expect people to keep re-applying like that, without a waitlist. I am embarrassed that this is how my country is treating IENs.
BC no longer uses SEC. They now use NCAS. I hope that you can contact the regulatory college and ask whether or not an applicant who failed SEC would be eligible to attempt NCAS. Certainly, there were issues with SEC or otherwise they would not have invested so much money into switching to a new assessment! I'm not sure what the differences are between the two exams, but I would argue that it is only fair that you are able to be assessed by the same methods and standards that applicants today are being assessed with. I would try to ask them, at least. It's worth a try. At this rate, it doesn't look like getting into the bridge program is happening.
Just curious: to people here with Nursing degrees from the US, why not work in the US instead of Canada? Aren't wages in the US better than in Canada?
I'm reading an article that says the US is top 2 when it comes to pay, and Canada only ranks 7:
https://news.euspert.com/best-nurse-jobs-best-countries-nurses-work/
I'm reading an article that says the US is top 2 when it comes to pay, and Canada only ranks 7:
https://news.euspert.com/best-nurse-jobs-best-countries-nurses-work/
I am currently working in the US instead of Canada (my home country) because that is the only option I have.
Reasons why a Canadian would want to work in their own country:
1) They love their country and want to live and work there
2) Living in the US for more than 3 months would mean we would lose our free healthcare, and quite honestly, it's not worth losing our healthcare. So to work in the US we must cross the border each day which has a number of problems: a major one being that US border guards often have fun holding you back for no reason other than to show that they can, until you show your Essential Service badge and ask for a supervisor, but by that time you are already late for your 6:45am shift report. Also, you have to pay a ton of money every 3 years for your TN visa which can at any time be revoked or renewal can be refused. In the new era of potential NAFTA negotiations, jobs are not considered stable for Canadians working in the US.
3) We don't want to be stuck living in border towns for our whole life, as they tend to be pretty slummy or touristy or both. We want freedom of movement just like anyone else in Canada.
4) You have to hire a special accountant to do your taxes. Filing in both countries can get tricky if you don't know exactly what you are doing.
5) There is still a lot of overt racism in the US within hospital staff settings and quite honestly Canadians are not really used to that. It can be crippling at times to try to survive in that environment and deal with situations that would just never be permitted to happen in Canada.
6) If given the choice, many Canadians would prefer to work in a publicly funded healthcare system
Those are some of the reasons off the top of my head. But yes you are right, judging by pay alone, at the moment Canadian nurses working in the US are earning more in the beginning of their career than they would in Canada.
Thank you for sharing. I was asking about US-educated nurses wanting to work in Canada. But you gave your side of the story regarding CA-educated nurses wanting to work in the US.
Thank you for this valuable insight as my sister is contemplating whether she should work in the US or Canada.
The hassle with Canada is she still has to study and it's no guarantee she'll be a RN.
But is US it's easier and she doesn't have to study anymore, just pass the NCLEX and some other exams I believe.
Thank you for this valuable insight as my sister is contemplating whether she should work in the US or Canada.
The hassle with Canada is she still has to study and it's no guarantee she'll be a RN.
But is US it's easier and she doesn't have to study anymore, just pass the NCLEX and some other exams I believe.
RN_0001 is a Canadian-educated nurse working in the US.
Can anyone in the opposite lot, US-educated nurses wanting to work in Canada, please share their side of the story?
I saw some posts here from US-educated nurses wanting to work in Canada and would like to know their reasoning. Thank you very much.
Can anyone in the opposite lot, US-educated nurses wanting to work in Canada, please share their side of the story?
I saw some posts here from US-educated nurses wanting to work in Canada and would like to know their reasoning. Thank you very much.
For everyone's reference especially the new ones here, can anyone please share a guideline or rough process in applying to be a Nurse in Canada?Or where is the information available?
Also hopefully for the terms:
ARNAP
CARNA
IENCAP
OSCE
Thank you very much.
Also hopefully for the terms:
ARNAP
CARNA
IENCAP
OSCE
Thank you very much.
I have a BSN from an American University. I am a US educated Canadian who currently works in the US and I want to work in Canada, my home country.
I gave you my perspective as a US-educated nurse who wants to work in Canada and is undergoing the process to be licensed by CNO. I have a nursing degree from an American university. I want to work in my home country, Canada, for the above reasons that I listed.
You will find all of the information you need if you read back on this thread as well as check out threads on All Nurses, mainly "NNAS Experience" and read all of them--there are some US educated nurses there.
ARNAP: The exam Alberta has just started using which is the same as IENCAP in Ontario. It is run by the same company: Touchstone Institute. The only difference is in Ontario it costs $500 and in Alberta it costs $1900. It is used when the College of nurses decides your education is not comparable to Canadian education. It consists of a half day of OSCE which is actor patients performing scenarios and you have to be their nurse and treat/assess them while being observed by exam adjudicators. The other half of the day is a multiple choice test. You are only allowed to do this exam once. Also: they feed you nothing throughout the day but a bottle of water and an inedible slime sandwich.
CARNA is the regulatory body that issues nursing licenses in Alberta.
Thank you RN_001 for all the valuable information you have shared esp. with your experience. Things are much clearer now.
Now my idea of the processes is getting clearer. I'm interested in Ontario's process as it is where I am now and would like my RN sister to be reunited with me here. So first is IENs have to be assessed by NNAS, afterwards with CNO where it is determined whether the candidate can take IENCAP or bridge training courses are needed.
If one doesn't pass, I assume s/he will be recommended to take bridge-training courses, correct?
But what happens if you pass IENCAP? Can you work as a RN or LPN in Ontario? Or are there succeeding exams or courses?
Thank you very much for your valuable insight.
Hello RN_0001 and others,
Browsing this thread, it seems a lot of time, money and effort is required to ultimately work as a Nurse in Canada. And it seems most of the time candidates only qualify for RPN/LPN in the end. instead of a RN which is what they really are in their home countries.
With this, I'm just wondering if anyone has considered other countries to work in as a Nurse aside from Canada? Aside from personal reasons of RN_0001 where Canada is his/her home country.
I mean there are several other countries that an IEN can work in that seem to be entail less hassle to apply to, such as US, UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Norway, even the middle east. I believe US and the UK you just need to do NCLEX and English exams, but no more bridge training programs so on.
It seems only Canada and Australia have such complexities for IENs wanting to work in these countries.
Aside from strong personal reasons that necessitates working in Canada, primarily being his/her family is in Canada, I'm curious on people's reasons why they want to work in Canada given other countries as options needing less time, effort and money spent.
Anyone's input would be highly appreciated.
Browsing this thread, it seems a lot of time, money and effort is required to ultimately work as a Nurse in Canada. And it seems most of the time candidates only qualify for RPN/LPN in the end. instead of a RN which is what they really are in their home countries.
With this, I'm just wondering if anyone has considered other countries to work in as a Nurse aside from Canada? Aside from personal reasons of RN_0001 where Canada is his/her home country.
I mean there are several other countries that an IEN can work in that seem to be entail less hassle to apply to, such as US, UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Norway, even the middle east. I believe US and the UK you just need to do NCLEX and English exams, but no more bridge training programs so on.
It seems only Canada and Australia have such complexities for IENs wanting to work in these countries.
Aside from strong personal reasons that necessitates working in Canada, primarily being his/her family is in Canada, I'm curious on people's reasons why they want to work in Canada given other countries as options needing less time, effort and money spent.
Anyone's input would be highly appreciated.
So i came home to a letter from CNO stating they have received all my job descriptions and stuff and my file has been sent to assessment as ill get a letter after of the outcome. They also told me they cant accept my nclex pass from me as i had sent them my official copy. I had already sent the money order for the board to send it over. So anyone knows what the waiting times are like from the step