Advice needed for CDN Citizen with NYS Education..

[jenn8500]

I am in my last semester of a 2 year associates degree in nursing and I'm trying to figure out where to work when I graduate in May. I would love to move back to Canada to work, however in most provinces the minimum requirement is a bachelors degree. The only province that seems to be hiring Diploma/associates degree RN's is Manitoba and they would have to evaluate the program which can take anywhere from 3 months to a year. As much as I would love to do the RN to BSN program after graduating, it is financially impossible for me at this time. It seems like my only option is to work in the U.S. until I get a BSN and this concerns me as many American nurses and new grads are having a hard time finding jobs. I have also learned from this website that some nurses in the U.S. resent foreign nurses and feel they are "stealing jobs from American nurses" and are the cause of poor working conditions in hospitals. Another problem is with the immigration process, from what I've been reading, it seems like the U.S. is not allowing immigration or giving visas due to retrogression.

I am so passionate about nursing and I just want to be able to work somewhere when I graduate! It would be greatly appreciated if anyone has some advice on working as a nurse in the U.S. if your a Canadian citizen and the immigration process etc..or if there is anyone that is currently trying to get a visa to work in the U.S.

[ghillbert, MSN, NP]

As a Canadian citizen, you should look into TN visas. They are temporary work visas which are relatively easy to get and permit you to work in the US. They do not confer permanent residency but the ability to work for their duration.

[jenn8500]

Manitoba also has a new (one time only) program for LPN's to get there RN diploma, I think they go for a year and a half or something and it starts in September. I'm looking into New Brunswick more seriously as there process is much quicker than Manitoba and it is easier to do the 6 week med/surg rotation than the assessment and osce exam requirements in Manitoba which take a couple of months just to book the test and then another month or two to get the results...I have never been to New Brunswick, but it looks very nice there and the people seem very nice too!

[Fiona59]

Manitoba also has a new (one time only) program for LPN's to get there RN diploma, I think they go for a year and a half or something and it starts in September. I'm looking into New Brunswick more seriously as there process is much quicker than Manitoba and it is easier to do the 6 week med/surg rotation than the assessment and osce exam requirements in Manitoba which take a couple of months just to book the test and then another month or two to get the results...I have never been to New Brunswick, but it looks very nice there and the people seem very nice too!

Do you have any links to that info? That idea has been floating around this board for a while but it's never come to fruition.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

New Brunswick is one of my favourite places in the world. I lived there when I was a teenager, near Miramichi. It's only about an hour to the ocean from just about anywhere in the province. The economy isn't very sturdy, but it's a great place to live.