US nurse thinking about moving to Canada to become a Canadian Nurse

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HI

I have read many threads about transitioning from US to Canada. My problem is that these threads are old. Im currently searching for recent information.

I am a new graduate nurse from the US. I am thinking about moving to Canada after about 1-2 years of being a nurse in the US. Can someone inform me about the transition. I am not even sure where to being. I looking into relocating to Toronto.

How is it being a nurse in Canada??

Thank you for taking the time to read my thread and being willing to help me out. Truly appreciate it!!

:tku:

loriangel14, RN

6,931 Posts

Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Well for starters Toronto is IN Ontario.:)

You would have to contact the college of nurses(our licensing bodies are called colleges)in the province that you wanted to work in.They would assess your education and experience and determine if you meet the requirements for writing the CRNE. You would also have to get the applicable work visa or apply for immigration.BSN is the minimum requirement for RNs wanting to be licensed in Canada.

One of the mods will probably move this to the International Forum.

JJ2011

6 Posts

Well for starters Toronto is IN Ontario.:)

You would have to contact the college of nurses(our licensing bodies are called colleges)in the province that you wanted to work in.They would assess your education and experience and determine if you meet the requirements for writing the CRNE. You would also have to get the applicable work visa or apply for immigration.BSN is the minimum requirement for RNs wanting to be licensed in Canada.

One of the mods will probably move this to the International Forum.

Thank you for clearing that up for me. I did not know :D

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NotReady4PrimeTime, RN

5 Articles; 7,358 Posts

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.
HI

I have read many threads about transitioning from US to Canada. My problem is that these threads are old. Im currently searching for recent information.

I am a new graduate nurse from the US. I am thinking about moving to Canada after about 1-2 years of being a nurse in the US. Can someone inform me about the transition. I am not even sure where to being. I looking into relocating to Ontario or Toronto.

First of all, Toronto is IN Ontario. And Ontario is experiencing a recession. There aren't a lot of vacancies for nurses except in rural areas. It's VERY hard to find work in Toronto, especially for new grads, but even nurses with years of experience looking for a change are finding they're pretty much stuck.

The process for US-educated nurses is not much different than that for any other internationally-educated nurse (IEN). You obtain an application from the provincial college of nurses, gather all the documentation required, have your school transcripts and licensure information forwarded to the college, perhaps undergo a clinical competence assessment and write the Canadian Registered Nurse of Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination. Oh, and spend a ton of money along the way. The College of Nurses of Ontario will not authorize a permit to practice for an IEN without an employer, which of course will require a work permit or TN Visa. Read these threads:

https://allnurses.com/canadian-nurses/internationally-educated-nurses-323075.html

https://allnurses.com/canadian-nurses/faq-canadian-registered-370227.html

https://allnurses.com/international-nursing/faq-canada-substantially-387308.html

How is it being a nurse in Canada??

It's very similar to being a nurse in the US, with a few significant differences. Canada is the second largest country by landmass on Earth, but has the population of California. About 85% of that population lives within 500 miles of the border. We have a universal, taxpayer supported health care system. We do NOT have intensive care units in every hospital, we don't have CT scanners on every street corner and we don't have wallet scanners anywhere. That isn't to say that we don't offer state-of-the-art care; we definitely do. Our equipment might not be the latest and greatest but it gets the job done. Read this: https://allnurses.com/canadian-nurses/i-am-canadian-609939.html for more.

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