Help!RN from the Philippines now a Permanent Resident in Ontario

any developments from the original post(pickles) and rogue?

Hi Pickles,
One quick question why applying Registered Practical Nurse and not Registered Nurse? Im also planning for Canada and like you an RN here in the Philippines.

Good question... I worked with an RN in BC when I was an LPN and she said she initially tried to work as an LPN also as she did not have the confidence to work at the RN level right away but then she said that it was more difficult to deal with the assessment with the College of LPN's than the College of RN's and did end up working as an RN in the end. Don't sell yourself too short.

In the past the College of Nurses of Ontario has not usually recognized a BScN from the Phillipines as equivalent to a Canadian BScN. Before 2005, Filipino nurses who migrated to Ontario were accepted as RN's but their education was considered equivalent to a diploma RN's education. After 2005, a BScN was required to enter practice in Ontario and a diploma education was no longer recognized and this has resulted in more Filipino nurses being accepted as equivalent to RPNs.

dishes

Hi cheerbear
Which province in Canada are you planning to apply to?
dishes

The entire mess goes back to the education system in the Phillipines. It was once explained that a student over there finishes high school at around 16 and therefore doesn't have the 12 years of education required of a Cdn. student to enter university. Somebody once described it as to the first two years of uni over there being roughly the same as our Grade 12/13 and as a result the education at university level wasn't the same.

Don't bite me, I'm just telling you how it's been explained to many, many Canadian nurses.

Yes Fiona the difference in the years of education prior to taking the nursing program is one of the reasons that the CNO has frequently not recognized equivalence in degrees. Another reason is the program content. Some IENs, for example nurses from Iran, have 12 years of elementary and secondary education prior to taking a 4 year university nursing degree but their education is still not considered equivalent. The content of their nursing program does not have the same clinical and theoretical experience that a Canadian program has.

If the CNO recommends that an IEN needs to upgrade their theoretical or clinical knowlede through a college, this means they will need to enrol in a bridging program and the tuition will cost about $5,000
http://coned.georgebrown.ca/owa_prod...rt_code=CE0133
In addition, the bridging might only make the IEN eligible to write the RPN exam and they may still have to take university courses to become BScNs.
I think it has become more difficult for IENs who apply to Ontario since the BScN as entry to practice became the standard.
dishes

Hi dishes, good to see you again.
I haven't started a "bridging program" for IENs, but I've gotten a bad impression just by inquiring. I called the community college this afternoon to see if I could register for some of the modules, specifically those regarding nursing skills and procedures/sim lab. I was willing to attend a full module even if I didn't need to because my education was accepted by CNO. A few things that I didn't like about the program:

-The intake is only once a year, so even if one just needs a few courses or would like to register for the second or third module still has to wait for fall. This means a lot of time wasted, and for new immigrants time is gold.

-The program needs to be completed totally, even if one doesn't need the certificate and just needs a few courses.

-There are no independent courses to be taken in the mean time, and the ones that are opened are towards certificates. I'd love to get a certificate but to be admitted into the program I need a certain number of hours working in a similar setting. But how would I get that job without the certification: it defeats its own purpose somehow no???

-I was tickled by the fact that I started my inquiry stating that my interest on the program was personal because I've been successfully assessed by CNO already and was waiting for the exam results. So how come I was asked if I had been assessed by CNO, if my education was equivalent to a BsN , if I had a letter of directions or which were the requirements I needed to complete the equivalence. How would they help IENs if they have that little idea of the process. Gee!!!

So here I'm, alone and waiting for my exam results. Probably I'll have to prepare on my own because there's either no support, or the mechanisms in place really don't work for me. Sadly I just wanted to do the right thing: make sure I was strong, confident and updated before starting my career in Canada, and not being a burden to my future employers. The ironic part is that the Government is trickled into reporting that programs like this are of great help to newcomers and our taxes are going to support them.

I see what you mean petgroomer, even if the staff at the school did not give you suggestions as to how you can increase your professional growth and enhance your competence as a nurse. I wonder if you could just apply to take a continuing education class? Usually there are continuing education classes open to RNs at universities that have post diploma BScN programs. You do not have to be registered in the post diploma-BScN program to take a continuing ed class, (you may need to have proof of registration with the CNO, but I am not sure of this so check with the school). I would recommend starting with health assessment, it is a useful full systems review.

dishes

Hi dishes,
Im planning for Ontario, I have done some research and as I read the posts here, it seems that I cant apply for RN, too bad though, and as I read petgroomers post, gosh! I don't have the luxury of time to get one module yearly, so I guess I have to change province, Im thinking Nova Scotia, since a friend of mine already have a permit to exam and she said some hospitals do hire them even if she's not CRN yet.