Hello,
When she gets here, she will need to submit her documents to the College of Nurses of Ontario or the nursing regulatory body in her province, to become a registered nurse in Canada. The regulatory body of nursing in the province she is in, will determine if she is qualified to become a nurse. With a 3 year diploma in nursing, she will probably not be qualified to be a registered nurse. Unless she can speak french and goes to the province of Quebec (I think but not sure). Almost all province in Canada requires a bachelors degree to get registered to become a registered nurse. She will most likely be able to get a license as a practical nurse. Search my postings on information on practical nurse.
To become a nurse she will have to write the national registered nursing or registered practical nursing exam.
She should also note that it may take some time to become a nurse. She should budget 6 months to 1.5 years, from the time the document gets to the nursing registration body to the time she actually qualifies for full license as a registered nurse or registered practical nurse. Of course, this time will depend on her unique conditions including the time it takes to verify her credentials, contact her references and also if she needs to attend bridging programs. For example, if she is planning to become a registered nurse (and not a practical nurse) in Ontario, it will take at least 2.5 years from the time of submitting her documents to get an unrestricted license to practice.
Yes, she may need to attend bridging programs, even to qualify as a practical nurse. However, this is not certain and cannot be determined unless she submit her document to the regulatory body.
I strongly suggest you tell her to submit her document to the regulatory body in the province that she will be staying. Search my past posting as there is a link to all the regulatory bodies in one of them.
Bebe05, I suggest you contact the college of nurses for your question to get the most current answer. Things change soo frequently over there.
For those considering masters studies, good thing to consider. Especially after you have settled as a registered nurse in canada. Many hospitals will offer some support for tuition reimbursement if you are employed full time with them. Also, there is a registered nurses association of ontario bursary, maximum 1,500 for nurses (both RN and RPN) to go to school yearly. Note that it is only available to you after you have become a registred nurse or registered practical nurse and it is a reimbursement that is not absolutlely guranteed, although most people who apply do get it. Also, for nurses in Ontario, if you teach at a RN or RPN school (as a course instructor or clinical instructor) you can get your tuition paid for by the Ministry of Education. Another source of funding, although Im not sure how long it will be in place for.
Something you can think about and have plans for the future. But for now, try to achieve the first goal, which is to become registered to practice. Extremely important
Good luck to all as you achieve your goals in Canada and congratulations to those who have recieved their visa.
