RN from US to Québec to Ontario

[RN_3000]

I am forced to apply to the College of Nursing of Ontario (CNO) because the way the Ordre des Infirmiers et Infirmières du Québec (OIIQ) is set up, I will not be able to sit for the nursing exam in Québec. Let me explain:

I am a United States (US) trained BSN-RN with 5 years of experience in a major hospital in the US. I am a Canadian citizen but have lived in the US for many years.*

I decided to bring my family to Canada, in the province of Québec where I grew up. It was a hard decision, but my wife supported my ambitions and together we made the move to Québec happen. My wife and kids do not speak English, but my childhood memories in Montréal were full of kids who spoke little English. Furthermore, Montréal is a vibrant city and we wanted a change from our life in the US. My family also has a nursing related business that I wanted to help sustain. For those reasons and others I will not share in this post, we left the life we knew in the US to move to Québec. I am sharing this to emphasize the weight of the move and how I feel that the Québec system does not take into account the livelihood of foreign educated health care professionals applying to work in Québec.

I applied to the OIIQ and they decided that I had to do 30 days of clinical and upon passing this latter, I would be eligible to sit for the next nursing board exam (given twice a year: March/Sept). I was unble to secure a 30 days clinical rotation in Montréal and its neighbouring regions. Therefore I was also unable to sit for the nursing exam. On the same token, I am unable to work, even as a "Candidat de l'Exercice à la Profession Infirmières" (CEPI), which is similar to a paid student nurse in US term.*

My family and I moved here from the US and I cannot provide for us because the plan did not go accordingly. I did not factor the fact that although I am qualified, experienced, bilingual, and ready to work I would come upon this obstructive wall. I, of course, called the OIIQ to informed them of this unacceptable situation and was told to look into doing my clinical at a college, however it would take me more than 30 days to accomplish and that I would have to check with the school. After doing some research online, it looked like it would take at least a full semester. The idea of having to do clinical hours was a tough pill to swallow, but I comforted myself in the fact that the OIIQ gave me the least amount of hours possible because my education and work experience must have been very similar to Canada's. But the new twist of having to actually go to school for at least a semester before even being able to work as a CEPI, and that after having already missed a Québec nursing test, only given 2 times per year, due to not being able to complete 30 days of clinical because I did not receive a call giving me the opportunity was the straw that broke the camel's back as they say.

I decided to look into other options and realized that Ontario was a very good option for me. I would not have to take a nursing test since I have already passed the NCLEX in the US. The NNAS website and application process makes it so much easier to stay updated on the progress of the application. So I went ahead applied. Regarding working as a nurse in Canada, this was the best decisions I have made in my opinion.

I wanted to write and post my experience on allnurses.com because I have used it so much during these tough times. I am not bashing the OIIQ nor hospitals because I was not able to secure a clinical rotation. Rather, I am writing to shed some light on a problem that I have personally experienced.*

Qualified foreign educated nurses look at Québec (specially Montréal) as a great place to work, live, and raise a family;*please do not push them away.

Thank you for reading.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Had you done some in-depth research into the process of becoming registered while planning your move back to Québec you likely would have learned all of these lessons the easier way - before you'd put all your eggs into one basket. It's called looking before you leap. If there's one thing I've learned it's never to make assumptions. Reading your post suggests to me that you made several, including that you're a Canadian citizen, that you were raised in Québec, that you're bilingual and that you have a baccalaureate degree in nursing - so everything should have been a slam-dunk. But you failed to take into account that Québec and its "distinct society" has a decades-long history of behaving in ways that would not be tolerated in the politically-correct rest of Canada. Unfortunately, you're not the first to have this happen, and you won't be the last. Hopefully others will learn from your experience.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Moved to the International Nursing forum

[dishes, BSN, RN]

That's unfortunate, Quebec has a shortage of nurses whereas Ontario has a surplus of nurses. How long ago did you submit your application to NNAS? Have you received your advisory report?

[RN_Pro]

...I decided to look into other options and realized that Ontario was a very good option for me. I would not have to take a nursing test since I have already passed the NCLEX in the US. The NNAS website and application process makes it so much easier to stay updated on the progress of the application. So I went ahead applied. Regarding working as a nurse in Canada, this was the best decisions I have made in my opinion.

At this point I don't feel it is reasonable or helpful for you to be told that if you had done further research you would not be in this situation, etc etc. It is actually not that clear when looking at regulatory body websites and processes that it is this difficult to become licensed in Canada. On the surface, all processes seem fair and logical. So, I will offer some reasonable information which will help you prepare for what to expect.

The NNAS process is, unfortunately, just as difficult. This is also not clear when reading official NNAS/CNO/licensing body information, so don't blame yourself. Please prepare for your NNAS Advisory Report to say your education is "non-comparable". Many US educated nurses have had this outcome. If this is the case, you will have to apply to CNO, who will then instruct you to do an exam called IENCAP. So budget for the $500 that this exam will cost. Once you are instructed to do this exam, try to get a spot in the exam ASAP.

Lately, more US educated applicants have been receiving "somewhat comparable" on their NNAS Advisory Report (prior to Sept 2016, there were very few who received "comparable" or somewhat comparable"). Some have even received "comparable". CNO seems to be treating "somewhat comparable" and "comparable" the same; not asking them to complete the IENCAP exam. Depending on where you received your nursing education, it is possible that you will receive "somewhat comparable" and be asked to provide information about your nursing work experience to determine that you are equivalent to Canadian-educated.

I apologize if this seems harsh, but I'm being blunt because I wish I'd had this information before I got into my own current situation.

[RN_3000]

Couple months. Still in process.

Thanks.

[RN_3000]

RN_Pro, thanks for sharing your knowledge. I am hopeful that it will be "comparable", but you opened my eyes to the process a little more.

I have seen a few stats of people who indeed had a "somewhat comparable" advisory report and I'm curious to know if, besides education, work experience and how many times you've taken the NCLEX played a heavy factor.

I appreciate how you began your post because the first reply I received had me questioning if it was even a good idea to have posted my experience for the world to read.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Did you write a letter to your university asking them to send NNAS a nursing education syllabus that includes an outline and summary of the topics covered in each course including the objectives, learning outcomes hours of study like the example given in the NNAS video? To get some idea of the type of syllabus NNAS wants, look at some Canadian BSN course outlines. If you look at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) nursing course outlines you will see detailed course descriptions, course learning outcomes/competencies, evaluation criteria.

Also, ask your university to provide any information that gives details about the RN entry to practice competencies. If the university has a nursing student handbook, preceptor guide, student policy and procedure guide, they may contain information that gives the philosophy of the program, expected outcomes of the nursing program, ask them to include all this information.

Give the university a flash drive and ask them to download everything onto it with your name and NNAS number. The more information that NNAS receives, the better your chances of receiving a favourable advisory report. The flash drive should contain hundreds of pages of curricula related information, I completed a RN-BScN program in Canada and the combination of the course outlines and the information I suggested above amounted to hundreds of pages.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Your education is the only thing that NNAS compares to the entry to practice competencies. As far as work experience, NNAS verifies that the employment letter came from a legitimate source and was in a sealed envelope with the employers postmark stamp (they are checking for fraud). As far as number of times NCLEX was taken, it doesn't matter, several Canadian regulatory bodies (including Ontario) allow unlimited attempts to pass the NCLEX.

[RN_3000]

Thank you Dishes!

Yes, I had my nursing school put the courses' syllabus on a USB drive, it amounted to hundreds of pages.

[Olliepancake92]

Hello RN_Pro,

Are you an RN from Quebec?

I am an Ontario GN (BScN w/o RN license yet) looking forward to working in Quebec in the future.

I am having a difficult time gathering information since the Quebec Nursing Board does not seem to specify the exact steps and what not.

As an Ontario RN, how difficult is it to work in Quebec?

Would I be in the similar boat as the OP?

Thank you in advance,

[RN_Pro]

Sorry, I'm not overly familiar with how it works in Quebec. Were you educated in Canada?