It has taken me over two weeks to calm down enough to write. My first interaction with the CNO was 20 months ago. At that time I received a list of requirements and I knew that proving proficiency in English or French was something the CNO requires to obtain an RN license. Sometime last year when my lists of pending requirements started coming in, I began asking about the language requirement. It was given a brush off with comments like, you went to a US university, you are a US citizen, it won't be a problem.
Fast forward to March 2013 when I received my CRNE results, they came with an updated list of requirements still to be met. One of the three things on the list was my language proficiency. I immediately phoned the CNO regarding this issue. I was given instruction by the customer service person who told me to write a letter that requested that my US education be used to prove my proficiency. I mailed the letter immediately.
Fast forward 5 weeks. I received a reply letter from my assessor at the CNO. She informed me that I had to have my university send a letter that states: 1) The primary language used at the university was English 2) That my course work was taught in English 3) That my clinical instruction was in English. To say I lost it would be an understatement. I called and left a message as it was late in the afternoon. I was on the verge of tears and I was very careful with my tone and choice of words but I am sure that my upset was apparent. I did not sound angry, just crushed. I asked the assessor to please call me back the next day.
When she called back she seemed very annoyed with me. She told me that as of January 2013 the requirements had changed. The new requirements state that your educational institution must answer the questions listed above to satisfy the language requirement, no matter what. Even though I had been working with them since September of 2011, and that all of my paperwork was in before January of 2013 there was no grandfathering in for those people. I am not sure why an applicants passing the CRNE in either language is not enough proof of proficiency, but it is not.
I was told by my assessor that she was "doing me a favor" by only requiring the letter from the university and not requiring all new transcripts from them. I shared my frustration that I had waited 5 weeks for her response, and that I have an employer waiting for me to begin to work. She didn't say she was sorry or offer any compassion for my frustration. I felt like I had done something wrong and as though I better be careful with how I speak to her seeing as she holds my future in her hands.
I immediately contacted the WVU School of Nursing and the dean sent the requested letter within a few days. As of yesterday I was informed that they received that letter, and that I have met all of their requirements for an RN in Ontario. My application is in the mail and I should receive it in the next couple of days. I can fax the completed form back to them and my RN license will be granted within 10 days.
What I find the most upsetting about this entire situation is that I have been asking for information. I have called and waited on hold, for literally hours, to ask what I am supposed to do. I have been polite despite the long wait times, I have had one goal which was to jump every single hoop. I just needed to be told what those hoops were and how to get through them.
Ontario acknowledges they need more nurses Just yesterday I saw an article about expanding the New Nurse Guarantee (I mentioned this in one of my first blog entries) to any nurse educated in Canada or its territories. As a US nurse I have different requirements to work than other international nurses, via the NAFTA agreement there is an understanding of the value of professional workers. The agreement should ease the free trade of professional services, and yet the process of becoming an RN in Ontario has been one of the most difficult I have ever experienced. It is difficult for no reason other than a whole lot of bureaucracy and an extremely outdated system.
I want to be excited but I am, to be honest, still afraid. Until I actually have a CNO number and my name shows up on the website, I will be afraid. I have tried to remain upbeat through all of this but I currently feel beat down. To say this has been an emotional roller coaster would be an understatement. I maintain the knowledge being a nurse is a difficult process, but shouldn't the hardest part be going to university, taking exams, participating in 12 hour night shifts and still having to go to class in the morning and then taking your RN exam after graduation? It seems that the bureaucracy of the CNO has created a painful process for the new RN as well as an unnecessarily complicated process for themselves.
My next blog should finally be one of celebration. Fingers crossed!
Stephanie
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
RN Work Permit for Ontario
It took three days for the Innisfil police to complete my background check and after submitting it to my new employer, the County of Simcoe, I immediately received my offer letter. On Friday, Mother nature decided to be very fickle and dumped a very ugly ice storm on the area. I chose to play it safe and didn't travel as I had planned.
Yesterday it was beautiful and I made a painless trip to the border in Buffalo. I needed every piece of documentation that I brought, but in less than 30 minutes I was given a work permit.
My documentation:
Passport
Job offer letter
Diploma (a copy, I didn't take the real thing)
State of WV, RN license
Letter from the CNO which states that I met the educational requirement to sit for the CRNE
Letter from the CNO which states that I passed the CRNE
I had a letter and envelope ready to go to the CNO and on the way home I asked my phone (sometimes I really love Siri) to advise me about where I could go to send a fax. I wound up at a privately run print shop in Vaughn, ON. The owner made a copy of the work permit to send in regular mail as well as faxing the letter I wrote and the work permit, I am not sure if they will accept the document via fax so I did both. She said, "I don't know what this document is but it looks important." I replied, "You are holding my paycheck in your hands!" I briefly explained that I have been trying for 16 months to obtain the right to work as a nurse, and that it is my work permit.
Her dog sniffed me and got some attention. She told me about her grandchild who is due to arrive in May and I showed her pictures of my grandson who is 22 months old. Then she still hadn't told me what I owed her, so I asked and she said "nothing, don't worry about it." It was such a sweet act of kindness at the end of this very long road. It reminded me that there are truly kind people everywhere. She wished me luck and I was on my way back home.
The CNO has to send me my final application and I will return that with my annual membership fee. Then I am finished and I can go to work. I cannot believe this is really almost done. It feels somewhat surreal. Pretty soon I will be back in the work force and complaining about being too tired just like very other nurse!
With a happy heart,
Stephanie
Monday, 8 April 2013
NAFTA! Who knew?
I made a trip to immigration in Buffalo because I needed to renew my visitor record. My permanent residency has yet to be completed. The easiest way for me to get this renewal was to travel to the border and get an updated form. A reminder: this document is granted at the border. It can be good for different amounts of time up to one year. It is stapled onto your passport and though it does not promise your admission into Canada it defines your status and makes crossing easier. Without a visitor record US citizens are not supposed to be in Canada for more than 6 months. This document is required in place of a visa which anyone in Canada who is not from North America must have.
A new visitor record can be obtained from the immigration website but it costs $75 and it can take 6 weeks to 3 months to process. It would have been too long for me to wait because mine was due to expire on April 12th.
While at immigration I asked about the process of obtaining a work permit because (drum roll please....) I have been offered a job! It was explained to me that nursing is a NAFTA occupation, and as such, all I needed to do is to return to immigration with:
a) $150 CA dollars
b) proof that my immigration physical (medicals) are complete and valid (they are good for 12 months)
c) a job offer letter from my perspective employer and
d) proof of my educational qualifications for the job (I am taking a copy of my diploma, my WV nursing license and a letter from the CNO which states that I have met the educational requirement).
After validation of these requirements I will be immediately granted a work permit.
They have a new computer system at immigration. While I was there the border guard was able to receive some assistance and found my medical information. She gave me the necessary case numbers to give to the immigration officer when I return. This will satisfy the medical portion of the work permit process. I wrote down everything she said and her name to use when I return. She was very helpful, and when I find people who are generous with their time and willing to go a little further for me, it sure does make a difference!
I need to have another Criminal Background Check and Vulnerable Sector Screening and provide those to my employer to obtain the job offer letter. The last Vulnerable Sector Screening I had was expired but my last Criminal Background Check was only 8 weeks ago. These screenings are good for 6 months. I learned that I made yet another mistake when I sent my last Criminal Background Check to the CNO. I did not make a copy. Unless you absolutely have to send in the originals, make a copy and keep your original. If you must send in the original I still believe you will do yourself a favor if you make a copy and keep it for your records. You will need these screenings for your RN license and for just about any job or volunteer position you might have in Ontario. Save yourself money and time and keep a copy. These background checks take anywhere from one day to two weeks to receive in my area. They cost $40 for an occupational screen.
After I receive the screenings I will be giving copies to my perspective employer. They will, as I have said give me a job offer letter. I will take that letter and the aforementioned documentation to the border. I will then be the proud recipient of a work permit! A copy of that will go to the CNO. (The word of the day is COPY!)
The CNO will then finish assessing my entire file and then they will mail my RN application. I will complete that application and send it back to them with my annual fees and anything else they tell me I need to pay. I am not sure what fees are going to be due, however, when I completed the the initial application it came with an itemized list of all monies owed. I am hoping that they will do they same when they send the final application.
When the CNO receives the application and fees the website says that my registration will be complete within 15 days. There is another website that can be used to look up any nurses in Ontario, and you are advised to use that site to look for your name. https://flo.cno.org/Register/default.aspx
What I did not know two weeks ago:
1) If you are a US RN you keep company with lawyers, accountants, physicians and several other professionals that do not require a labour market opinion due to the NAFTA occupation list.
2) After I am granted the work permit and provide that to the CNO, I am still not done satisfying the requirements. There are more fees and another application. I am really hoping that this goes quickly, but I am guarding my emotions. I will call frequently to check on the status. I found calling was necessary to get my educational requirements completed and I do not want to take a passive route that may lead to many unnecessary weeks of waiting.
I will let you know how all of this goes but I hope to be working in about 6 weeks!
Happy Spring,
Stephanie
Monday, 11 March 2013
Roads To Employment
I need to preface this with the fact that I am not, in anyway, an expert on immigrating to Canada. The following post includes the pathways that I have come across to begin working as an RN in Canada. I will share what I do know, but always contact the required organizations and verify the steps for yourself.
Ways that I know of to work in Canada as a US RN:
1) Be amazingly well trained bringing something spectacular to the table that only you and a few others can provide. You will probably be hired because you are that incredible. Your new employer will most likely take care of all the paperwork which I believe involves their completion of a Labour Market Opinion and submit to HRSDC gets taken care of. The following link explains what the Labour Market Opinion is and when it is needed: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/foreign_workers/ei_tfw/lmi_tfw.shtml
2) If you have completed your education and this is a move you are making on your own, start all of your paperwork for immigration and RN licensing 18 months or more before you want to move. Start with the CNO and the Immigration websites. (Both links are available on my last blog posting.)
3) Come to Canada as a student. This helps clear a path way to a work permit and eliminates the need to prove education and also allows you to be eligible for the new nurse guarantee. Nurses who graduate from Ontario programs are assured nursing positions after graduation. Under this program you can work, after you finish your nursing program, as a nurse graduate before you pass the CRNE. It is a supervised nursing position but at least you are getting a paycheck and getting experience while all the testing process takes place. This is the link to that program: htttp://www.healthforceontario.ca/en/Home/Nurses/Training_%7C_Practising_In_Ontario/Nursing_Strategy/Nursing_Graduate_Guarantee
4) Marry a Canadian. I am amazed at the questions I have had to answer, as well as the proof of a "real" relationship we have had to provide, but I realize this system is abused. If you happen to fall in love with a Canadian and you decide as a couple that Canada is the right place to live then your spouse can sponsor you. This is what we are in the midst of right now. File immigration as soon as you are married. Begin the RN process before you are married. You must have the right to work to actually obtain your RN in Ontario, but there is so much to do that beginning your RN application right away allows both immigration and licensing to be processing at the same time.
A personal update:
My CRNE was 4 weeks and 5 days ago. My results are expected in the mail at any moment! I still do not have a completed immigration but that is also on schedule to be done any day now (though it could still be a few months). In the interim I hope to be offered an RN nursing position which I can then take to immigration with the hope that I will receive a work permit. With a work permit I will be given my RN from the CNO (assuming of course that I have passed the CRNE).
My fingers are crossed and I am hopeful that I will be working soon!
Stephanie
Ways that I know of to work in Canada as a US RN:
1) Be amazingly well trained bringing something spectacular to the table that only you and a few others can provide. You will probably be hired because you are that incredible. Your new employer will most likely take care of all the paperwork which I believe involves their completion of a Labour Market Opinion and submit to HRSDC gets taken care of. The following link explains what the Labour Market Opinion is and when it is needed: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/foreign_workers/ei_tfw/lmi_tfw.shtml
2) If you have completed your education and this is a move you are making on your own, start all of your paperwork for immigration and RN licensing 18 months or more before you want to move. Start with the CNO and the Immigration websites. (Both links are available on my last blog posting.)
3) Come to Canada as a student. This helps clear a path way to a work permit and eliminates the need to prove education and also allows you to be eligible for the new nurse guarantee. Nurses who graduate from Ontario programs are assured nursing positions after graduation. Under this program you can work, after you finish your nursing program, as a nurse graduate before you pass the CRNE. It is a supervised nursing position but at least you are getting a paycheck and getting experience while all the testing process takes place. This is the link to that program: htttp://www.healthforceontario.ca/en/Home/Nurses/Training_%7C_Practising_In_Ontario/Nursing_Strategy/Nursing_Graduate_Guarantee
4) Marry a Canadian. I am amazed at the questions I have had to answer, as well as the proof of a "real" relationship we have had to provide, but I realize this system is abused. If you happen to fall in love with a Canadian and you decide as a couple that Canada is the right place to live then your spouse can sponsor you. This is what we are in the midst of right now. File immigration as soon as you are married. Begin the RN process before you are married. You must have the right to work to actually obtain your RN in Ontario, but there is so much to do that beginning your RN application right away allows both immigration and licensing to be processing at the same time.
A personal update:
My CRNE was 4 weeks and 5 days ago. My results are expected in the mail at any moment! I still do not have a completed immigration but that is also on schedule to be done any day now (though it could still be a few months). In the interim I hope to be offered an RN nursing position which I can then take to immigration with the hope that I will receive a work permit. With a work permit I will be given my RN from the CNO (assuming of course that I have passed the CRNE).
My fingers are crossed and I am hopeful that I will be working soon!
Stephanie
Monday, 11 February 2013
Getting Started
The two organizations I am working with are the College of Nurses of Ontario (www.cno.org) and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index-can.asp).
The possibility exists to have an employer hire you and do all the paper work so that you can live and work in Canada. If you do not have a specialty and a lot of experience, or like in my case, if you are a new graduate RN, this is probably not going to happen for you. I believed that I would be offered a job and that would be my "in." I can't believe how silly that notion was now that I know better.
If you are not coming to Canada as a US citizen married to a Canadian, then I would not discourage you from getting your Ontario RN and trying to find a job, but be aware of the time involved. It will take you approximately 1 year to complete the process with the CNO. You will benefit greatly from having a strong area of expertise. Education would be my primary focus if I were doing this on my own. Another leg up will be to hone your French skills, if you happen to have any. Or for that matter if you plan to relocate to the Toronto area, any foreign language skills. Toronto is truly a melting pot and they need interpreters in about any language you can imagine. A multilingual nurse would be a terrific asset to local hospitals.
My immigration redo: I would have filled out the application during our engagement and had it and the money ready to go as soon as the i was dotted in I do!
If you will be staying in the United States until your immigration is complete, then you will have a slightly different experience than my own. We chose to be together during this time. Canadian border immigration has given me what is called a "visitor record." It is attached to my passport, it states that I am married to a Canadian and it gave me 12 months to be in the country. I am currently on my second visitor record. They have been very kind and accommodating when we have gone to get these records. We were told they do not want to keep us apart, and that made me feel very good. The upside is obvious, the down side is that I am not able to work. There is a slightly shorter time frame for processing if you are not with your spouse. In my case the process is slated to take 13 months and cost $975. The link to sponsored immigration is: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/spouse.asp
The first step in obtaining your Ontario RN is applying to the CNO. You must request an application packet online and then it is emailed to you. I did not receive a packet after my first request. There seemed to be a problem with my email, so I began to use my husbands email and that has worked without any issues. The email should come fairly rapidly, I would say within 24 hours on weekdays. If you do not see it in your email check your spam and if it is still not there phone the CNO and get them to resend. I doubt this is a common problem, but like everything in this process it was one I got to have. This is the link to apply from outside of Canada: http://www.cno.org/en/become-a-nurse/new-applicants1/outside-canada/ and this is the link for inside Ontario: http://www.cno.org/en/become-a-nurse/new-applicants1/ontario/
The application fee is $231.65 and the fee to have them evaluate the nursing program I completed (they call this PLAR, Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition) is $1,130.00. I completed and submitted these forms and fees before my graduation, however, they will not proceed with your evaluation until you have graduated from University and had a transcript sent from your school to the CNO. That is when the clock begins for the 4 months they promise it will take to do the PLAR. I did not know they would wait until I graduated and I was disappointed when I realized that starting early with the paperwork did not jump start my application. I am glad I did this early because after graduation all I had to do was have WVU send proof of my graduation (via transcript), the WV RN board sent a verification that I was qualified to take the NCLEX (more on this form later) and I mailed them a copy of my diploma.
When my 4 month mark came and I still had not heard from the CNO I began calling them to check on the status of my application. They told me to call back in two weeks. When I called back at the 4 1/2 month mark, they told me it still was not done. I asked who was going to assure me that it was done, and when it would be done. I was very upset! We had paid them a large amount of money to preform a service and it was not getting done. I was given a phone number for the customer service supervisor. I began to call him multiple times a day leaving my phone number, email address, times I would call back to assure he might be able to answer my call. I never received any communication from him but after a week of multiple calls a day, I called back to the main customer service number and I was told that my file was assigned to an evaluator. I was able to speak to her almost immediately, and that afternoon she had my evaluation complete and in the mail to me. If I had not been persistent with my phone calls I have no idea how long I would have been sitting in the pile. My suggestion would be to call immediately at the 4 month mark and ask that your file be given to an evaluator. The customer service personnel cannot do anything more than report what is in your file, so you will need to ask for a manager or supervisor. I have been very patient with them, understanding that this is not something they have any control over. They just answer the phones.
Phone calls to the CNO are a lengthy process. They appear to be very short staffed and my phone calls are generally 30-45 minutes, 28-43 of those minutes are spent on hold. Just be prepared. You can get angry and frustrated about it, but it won't change anything. I hope that soon they invest in the technology so that we all have accounts online and utilizing a password or our applicant number, that we can go online and check the status ourselves. There really isn't a good reason for them to have to do this for all of us, but right now, it is the system that is in place and it takes a very long time.
My application redo: I actually did a great job with this with the exception of the form from the WV RN Board to the CNO. (I keep trying to find the name of the form and I can't find it because it is part of the application packet and I do not have access to that online, but I believe it is called the B1/ B2.) I did not realize that after graduation that I needed to send that form to WV RN Board. I didn't know what to do with it, though it was part of my packet. I should have asked the CNO what I was supposed to do with it. When my evaluator completed my packet this was something I was informed was missing. I mailed it to WV and then I called a couple of weeks later to make sure the CNO had it on file, but they did not. When I called the WV RN Board they had to find the form because it had been laid aside, and then told me they needed $35 to put the official seal onto a document. I sent them a money order and with the very slow mail it took 3 weeks for them to receive the money and get it back to the CNO. Two lessons here: If you have an official form and you don't know what to do with it, ask! And... before asking anyone to do anything for you ask how much it costs!
This mistake was my biggest time waster. What seems like a small mistake pushed me past the deadline to register for the October CRNE. I missed it by 10 days. In 2015 Canada is changing to a new exam and format. The exam is being written by NCLEX but it is not the US NCLEX. My hope is that the testing will be as it is in the US. (Contact the testing site, schedule a time that works for you.) Currently the CRNE is offered 3 times a year, and you must register for the exam 3 months in advance. I have literally been sitting and waiting for the exam, qualified to take it yet unable to do so, for the past 7 months.
My next blog posting will describe the immigration and work permit system as I understand them, and different avenues toward employment. I know this was long and has a lot of information but it is the most overwhelming part of the process.
Take a big breath!
Stephanie
The possibility exists to have an employer hire you and do all the paper work so that you can live and work in Canada. If you do not have a specialty and a lot of experience, or like in my case, if you are a new graduate RN, this is probably not going to happen for you. I believed that I would be offered a job and that would be my "in." I can't believe how silly that notion was now that I know better.
If you are not coming to Canada as a US citizen married to a Canadian, then I would not discourage you from getting your Ontario RN and trying to find a job, but be aware of the time involved. It will take you approximately 1 year to complete the process with the CNO. You will benefit greatly from having a strong area of expertise. Education would be my primary focus if I were doing this on my own. Another leg up will be to hone your French skills, if you happen to have any. Or for that matter if you plan to relocate to the Toronto area, any foreign language skills. Toronto is truly a melting pot and they need interpreters in about any language you can imagine. A multilingual nurse would be a terrific asset to local hospitals.
My immigration redo: I would have filled out the application during our engagement and had it and the money ready to go as soon as the i was dotted in I do!
If you will be staying in the United States until your immigration is complete, then you will have a slightly different experience than my own. We chose to be together during this time. Canadian border immigration has given me what is called a "visitor record." It is attached to my passport, it states that I am married to a Canadian and it gave me 12 months to be in the country. I am currently on my second visitor record. They have been very kind and accommodating when we have gone to get these records. We were told they do not want to keep us apart, and that made me feel very good. The upside is obvious, the down side is that I am not able to work. There is a slightly shorter time frame for processing if you are not with your spouse. In my case the process is slated to take 13 months and cost $975. The link to sponsored immigration is: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/spouse.asp
The first step in obtaining your Ontario RN is applying to the CNO. You must request an application packet online and then it is emailed to you. I did not receive a packet after my first request. There seemed to be a problem with my email, so I began to use my husbands email and that has worked without any issues. The email should come fairly rapidly, I would say within 24 hours on weekdays. If you do not see it in your email check your spam and if it is still not there phone the CNO and get them to resend. I doubt this is a common problem, but like everything in this process it was one I got to have. This is the link to apply from outside of Canada: http://www.cno.org/en/become-a-nurse/new-applicants1/outside-canada/ and this is the link for inside Ontario: http://www.cno.org/en/become-a-nurse/new-applicants1/ontario/
The application fee is $231.65 and the fee to have them evaluate the nursing program I completed (they call this PLAR, Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition) is $1,130.00. I completed and submitted these forms and fees before my graduation, however, they will not proceed with your evaluation until you have graduated from University and had a transcript sent from your school to the CNO. That is when the clock begins for the 4 months they promise it will take to do the PLAR. I did not know they would wait until I graduated and I was disappointed when I realized that starting early with the paperwork did not jump start my application. I am glad I did this early because after graduation all I had to do was have WVU send proof of my graduation (via transcript), the WV RN board sent a verification that I was qualified to take the NCLEX (more on this form later) and I mailed them a copy of my diploma.
When my 4 month mark came and I still had not heard from the CNO I began calling them to check on the status of my application. They told me to call back in two weeks. When I called back at the 4 1/2 month mark, they told me it still was not done. I asked who was going to assure me that it was done, and when it would be done. I was very upset! We had paid them a large amount of money to preform a service and it was not getting done. I was given a phone number for the customer service supervisor. I began to call him multiple times a day leaving my phone number, email address, times I would call back to assure he might be able to answer my call. I never received any communication from him but after a week of multiple calls a day, I called back to the main customer service number and I was told that my file was assigned to an evaluator. I was able to speak to her almost immediately, and that afternoon she had my evaluation complete and in the mail to me. If I had not been persistent with my phone calls I have no idea how long I would have been sitting in the pile. My suggestion would be to call immediately at the 4 month mark and ask that your file be given to an evaluator. The customer service personnel cannot do anything more than report what is in your file, so you will need to ask for a manager or supervisor. I have been very patient with them, understanding that this is not something they have any control over. They just answer the phones.
Phone calls to the CNO are a lengthy process. They appear to be very short staffed and my phone calls are generally 30-45 minutes, 28-43 of those minutes are spent on hold. Just be prepared. You can get angry and frustrated about it, but it won't change anything. I hope that soon they invest in the technology so that we all have accounts online and utilizing a password or our applicant number, that we can go online and check the status ourselves. There really isn't a good reason for them to have to do this for all of us, but right now, it is the system that is in place and it takes a very long time.
My application redo: I actually did a great job with this with the exception of the form from the WV RN Board to the CNO. (I keep trying to find the name of the form and I can't find it because it is part of the application packet and I do not have access to that online, but I believe it is called the B1/ B2.) I did not realize that after graduation that I needed to send that form to WV RN Board. I didn't know what to do with it, though it was part of my packet. I should have asked the CNO what I was supposed to do with it. When my evaluator completed my packet this was something I was informed was missing. I mailed it to WV and then I called a couple of weeks later to make sure the CNO had it on file, but they did not. When I called the WV RN Board they had to find the form because it had been laid aside, and then told me they needed $35 to put the official seal onto a document. I sent them a money order and with the very slow mail it took 3 weeks for them to receive the money and get it back to the CNO. Two lessons here: If you have an official form and you don't know what to do with it, ask! And... before asking anyone to do anything for you ask how much it costs!
This mistake was my biggest time waster. What seems like a small mistake pushed me past the deadline to register for the October CRNE. I missed it by 10 days. In 2015 Canada is changing to a new exam and format. The exam is being written by NCLEX but it is not the US NCLEX. My hope is that the testing will be as it is in the US. (Contact the testing site, schedule a time that works for you.) Currently the CRNE is offered 3 times a year, and you must register for the exam 3 months in advance. I have literally been sitting and waiting for the exam, qualified to take it yet unable to do so, for the past 7 months.
My next blog posting will describe the immigration and work permit system as I understand them, and different avenues toward employment. I know this was long and has a lot of information but it is the most overwhelming part of the process.
Take a big breath!
Stephanie
Sunday, 10 February 2013
Graduating and Moving to Canada
In August of 2011 I married a Canadian. In December of the same year I graduated from WVU School of Nursing and relocated to Ontario. I had my BSN firmly in hand ready to take on the world. Little did I know, in my naivete, that becoming a nurse in Canada was going to be such a lengthy process. Each step affording the opportunity to make mistakes and each mistake prolonging my arrival the the destination. I also did not realize that there would be so little guidance available. Often the information I have received has been unclear further complicating matters.
That was now 14 months ago. I still do not have my RN in Ontario, my immigration is still not complete and I am still not able to work. I am in the country via a visitor record which expires with a promise of renewal in April. What I do have is a clear understanding of all of the processes I have thus far completed. My CRNE exam was last Wednesday (February 6th). My immigration should be complete in March, and a job no longer seems like something permanently unavailable to me.
I am writing this blog with the hope that I may one day help someone else with the USA to Canadian nursing transition and/or the immigration with sponsorship process. There are a lot of steps and many errors to be made. I hope that I can help save someone else some of the very time consuming mistakes I have made and if possible answer questions that may ease another persons experience.
My next blog will start at the beginning of the CNO's application process and I will share each step of my experience but most importantly the mistakes I made which delayed or complicated the process for me.
Stephanie
That was now 14 months ago. I still do not have my RN in Ontario, my immigration is still not complete and I am still not able to work. I am in the country via a visitor record which expires with a promise of renewal in April. What I do have is a clear understanding of all of the processes I have thus far completed. My CRNE exam was last Wednesday (February 6th). My immigration should be complete in March, and a job no longer seems like something permanently unavailable to me.
I am writing this blog with the hope that I may one day help someone else with the USA to Canadian nursing transition and/or the immigration with sponsorship process. There are a lot of steps and many errors to be made. I hope that I can help save someone else some of the very time consuming mistakes I have made and if possible answer questions that may ease another persons experience.
My next blog will start at the beginning of the CNO's application process and I will share each step of my experience but most importantly the mistakes I made which delayed or complicated the process for me.
Stephanie
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