Advice needed for CDN Citizen with NYS Education..

World International

Published

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.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Well, it's not really a topic that Canadian, working nurses know anything about.

You would have to apply to the College of Registered Nurses in the province you plan on living in to find out if they will accept your education and permit you to write the national exam. For what it's worth, several provinces require Practical Nurses to have a two year diploma.

Canadian nurses can work in the US under the NAFTA agreement and don't seem to have problems getting visas.

But depending on which province you plan to live in, work isn't that easy to find either. Home produced new grads of both levels of nurses are having problems finding that first job.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home Care.

I'm a nursing student in the US, a US permanent resident and a Canadian citizen.

I'd love to return to southern Alberta to nurse, but the reality is that there is a nursing freeze on not only in Alberta but also most of the other provinces of Canada. Jobs in the States for new RN grads are also hard to come by.

Nothing like having the right to work in both the US and Canada and still having to worry about finding a job as a new RN.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

If you don't mind me asking, how hard was it to get permanent residency in the U.S.? I've been looking into it, and it seems like it is a really bad time right now due to the economy and retrogression. I don't know if this applies to NAFTA countries, but nurses from the Philipines are having problems immigrating to the U.S. as they are not giving anyone visas or green cards. I'm not sure what state you are in, but if you are interested in working anywhere in Canada and not placebound, I know that New Brunswick & Manitoba will accept American associates degrees. I just talked to the nursing associations in those provinces and they have many open RN positions and will accept new grads. Don't give up! There has to be jobs somewhere for new grads!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
If you don't mind me asking, how hard was it to get permanent residency in the U.S.? I've been looking into it, and it seems like it is a really bad time right now due to the economy and retrogression. I don't know if this applies to NAFTA countries, but nurses from the Philipines are having problems immigrating to the U.S. as they are not giving anyone visas or green cards. I'm not sure what state you are in, but if you are interested in working anywhere in Canada and not placebound, I know that New Brunswick & Manitoba will accept American associates degrees. I just talked to the nursing associations in those provinces and they have many open RN positions and will accept new grads. Don't give up! There has to be jobs somewhere for new grads!

If you qualify for NAFTA visa then you can use that whilst waiting for a GC however GC for nurses is under retrogression and many nurses not just from the Philippines are affected. Suggest you search the International forum and retrogression

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.
I know that New Brunswick & Manitoba will accept American associates degrees. I just talked to the nursing associations in those provinces and they have many open RN positions and will accept new grads.

I'd be very careful about listening to the nursing associations (colleges) when they speak of vacancies. It has been my experience that they are very uninformed about employment issues. In Alberta, CARNA was still talking about a nursing shortage here long after AHS stopped filling vacancies. They really aren't aware of what is happening in the workplace.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for the heads up. Maybe I will call the hospitals in those provinces and find out how the market is. I know for sure that Manitoba is in need of nurses.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home Care.
If you don't mind me asking, how hard was it to get permanent residency in the U.S.? I've been looking into it, and it seems like it is a really bad time right now due to the economy and retrogression. I don't know if this applies to NAFTA countries, but nurses from the Philipines are having problems immigrating to the U.S. as they are not giving anyone visas or green cards. I'm not sure what state you are in, but if you are interested in working anywhere in Canada and not placebound, I know that New Brunswick & Manitoba will accept American associates degrees. I just talked to the nursing associations in those provinces and they have many open RN positions and will accept new grads. Don't give up! There has to be jobs somewhere for new grads!

I've been a permanent resident of the US since 1989, my husband was American.

I'd like to return to Alberta, but that will have to wait until the nursing situation settles down there. I figure in 3-5 years from now I can start looking for a job there.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

i am NYS trained with an ADN...however, i came back to canada and got my license transferred here before the BSN requirement. i saw on another chatboard here that some foreign nurses without a BSN are able to challenge that requirement by filling out a "9-page" kind of like resume/questionairre type of thing. seems like its not an easy hurdle to get through...and to me seems illegal, since our graduates MUST now have a bsn in order to practise at the RN level. like the college is setting two different standards, if that is in fact true. i dont think it should be allowed imho. seems like a major disadvantage to cdn trained nurses.

but anyway, getting my license here wasn't hard at all at that time, it was just a waiting game.

and i just passed my nclex, so all i would have to do is get my visascreen and could pretty much work in u.s. right away through an agency. being NYS trained the you can go through a much more streamlined process for the visascreen so that is a nice bonus.

wishing you luck on your decision

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi,

Thanks for the advice. I have looked into Manitoba and New Brunswick which currently do not require a BSN for entry level practice. Manitoba is still offering a 2 year diploma RN program. I have heard that BC requires a BSN but IEN's can challenge it. I can totally understand how you feel about that being a disadvantage for Cdn RN's who have to get the BSN, but there are some provinces that still do not require a BSN, however it is limited to two provinces. Having said that, most of the ADN programs in the U.S. do not have sufficient clinical hours so they will require ADN RN's to complete an assessment (osce exam) or a 6 week rotation on med/surg to meet their competencies.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

I'm going to move your questions about Visascreen and TN visas to the International forum under a thread of its own.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

Okay, now that's done...

Manitoba's diploma program just closed with the 2009 intake so that class will be the last of the diploma nurses to be allowed entry to practice there without a degree. The programme is 21 months so they'll be done in June 2011. You have some time to get things in the works if you decide to go to Manitoba. There are worse places.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment