American LPN to Ontario RPN

Hi there,
I am in a frustrating situation. I took my LPN in Florida (long story). I am a Canadian that went down on a student visa with the hope of bridging to RN. I am back in Ontario working at my old job as a paramedic. Has anyone qualified for an RPN using the LPN education from the States? The Florida BON will let me write their exam, but will only certify me for 30 days because I do not have an American Social. Thank you in advance for any replies to my thread.

You can PM me if you want but I have a similar experience and this is what I did...it is a long story. I went to US also as a Canadian on a student visa since BC had already gone to the bachelors only program and with a waiting list it would take a long time to get work ready and I was in my late 30's and my hubby was out of work etc... Well I decided to go to Washington State for my LPN and the International Advisor in the end knew less than I did about everything and nobody even told me that in order to go on with my RN I needed a SSN and without it my schooling was not helpful. But as a technical college M-1 Visa I qualified for OPT (optional practical training) and worked for a a very short time in the US but it was long enough to get a SSN. I had already been on a waiting list for my RN as I had no intention at stopping at LPN due to the limited work opportunities. Besides as a Canadian I could not get work status in the US with LPN. The TN visa only works for RN. I did have the SSN and was able to get my license in Washington State and got my RN afterward. But in answer to your question. It was a LOT of hoops to jump through on both sides of the border...I can't believe how much I have been through because of it BUT...long story short I had to get my education assessed and pay a lot of fees but was able to get my LPN in BC after getting educated in the US. Not sure if Ontario is the same since their RPN program is a little longer than most LPN programs but you might be able to get your license in another province first and endorse over. But if you want to get your RN I would still pursue that. I figure if there is a will there is a way...and I am living proof of it. I ended up moving to Arizona after my RN due to better work opportunities both for my hubby and me and am loving it there. I have since finished my BSN on my employer's dime. It has been great. I just wrote the Canadian Exam too for my RN since we are never sure with our immigration issues and want to have a back up plan if things don't work out like we think. I have been through it all so PM me if you have more questions.

The PN programme isn't "incredibly easy". There is a lot of information packed into a very short time.

You would have to apply to the school to see what they say about your previous education. If it's anything like schools in Canada, you will have to complete a certain number of credits before they will let you graduate. If your previous nursing eduation was for an RN programme, they more than likely will not accept it. (Now people who had that happen to them here in Alberta)

Have you factored in the US exchange rate, and the fact that you will be an international student and the courses will be more expensive.

If you are able to move, Ontario offers lots of LPN programs with no waitlists, however Ontario doesn't offer the LPN program at any private colleges, and it takes 2 to 2.5 years full time to complete it.

As for exemptions, from your University studies, this varies depending on the college but the kicker is that most colleges will charge you fees to challenge credits as most colleges don't like giving exemptions. In some cases it is worth challenging the courses, you want exemptions from and sometimes it is not. I have a degree with courses in math and science but I am now forty and got the degree when I was 22, so the school would not give me exemptions because my education was over ten years old. So, I just took the same old courses and was able to do very well with very minimal effort.

I must also agree with the other posters in that the challenging part of the LPN program ins't the academic work, it is the clinical portion for many reasons but more often than not, you may end up in some very troubled units where nurses have had to fight long and hard for their job security.

Good luck.

I am looking forward to the response of RNGrad2006, the nice and very helpful poster who was in a similar predicament as me. I have done my research and made my phone calls and spoken to who I need to speak so that I can make educated and informed decisions.

Yes, I did excel in the clinical portion of my RN program and got very good grades...im incredibly proud of my tremedous hard work and dedication and is excited about the prospect of getting back into the profession... I was asked to go to PN after I had to drop out of the RN program and I couldnt afford it.