What to do after SEC assessment?

Has anyone taken SEC assessment and been asked to take remedial or bridging courses so far? Please share your experiences

I just got the letter from CRNBC stating that I need to undergo the SEC assessment (Med-Surg Area) and it seem all of us are anxious about the waiting time between the assessment and getting the result. And the anxiety does not stop there. There is also the upgrading courses and the CRNE of course.

To those who have accomplished all these requirements to become an RN in Canada, I'm sure a lot of us will appreciate if you share your story.

wow! congrats! At least now, you know what is next....

@atzrn Thanks! What's the update with your application? Isn't it that we applied almost at the same time? Next step for me is to apply for Temporary Resident Visa.

Hi everyone,
I have just received a notice from CRNBC requiring me to undergo a SEC assessment on one area: (General Medical/Surgical Nursing) at Kwantlen Polythecnic University and also I got an email form the in-charge person in Kwantlen asking me my range of dates for scheduling my assessment, since I am presently in Singapore working as a Nurse I believe I need to aquire a visa first for me to go to Canada before I can give my shed dates. And so I have been reading all the comments in this tread and got a lot of info's. Thanks to the experts on this site..you really help Nurses with your infos. I have learned that its not easy be a Nurse in Canada, I need to invest a lot of effort, time and money to meet the standards of being a Nurse in Canada. Honeslty I am willing to do so but I want to know what are my chances. Is it worth pursuing this application?
i hope you can help me with some of my questions.

1. What are the % chance of an applicant like me in SEC Assessment? Do they always require you to upgrade yourself by taking courses?

2. With my required area (Gen. Med./Surg. Nursing), what advise can you give me on what to expect on the assessment or perhaps you could share some sources for me to check and study to prepare myself.

3. (I may need to check with Canadian Embassy on this question but I was hoping that there are those of you who have experienced it and can share some info's) What visa should I apply for or what does the embassy ussually issue or a SEC applicant like me? is it always visit visa or I hoping a working visa so i can work there temporaryly while on the process.
Is there something that you can advise or help International applicants while waiting for the process (since most of us have the same concerns) esp. me I dont have any relatives to stay to in Canada.

4. Kwantlen Polytechnic University is offering me to participate in a study they are conducting (comparing the use of high fidelity simulation(using computerized mannequin) with the use of conventional stadardized patients in one of the assessment process) Is is wise to join it? what could be the advantages / disadvanntages?
I hope you can help me, thanks and best regards

No, what they're assessing is the combination of education and experience that nurses accrue in the course of their work. They require SEC if they're unable to evaluate your nursing school educational preparation adequately and acknowledge that learning in nursing doesn't end at convocation. Someone who has been working in a med-surg environment for a few years will have learned many things not taught in school. Please read FAQ - Substantially Equivalent Competence (SEC) Assessments for more insight into how the process works. No one can give you a prediction on your success.
Again, read through FAQ - Substantially Equivalent Competence (SEC) Assessments .
It's unlikely that you'll be able to get a working visa due to the regulations surrounding skilled workers and a temporary resident visa won't allow you to work. It's a Catch-22. (Not that it's likely you could find work in the short period of time actually required for the SEC since human resources departments are very slow to move on most things. Unless you were planning on being a cleaner or a nanny.) Then there's the changes being made to immigration regulations that are tightening up everything that most of us here have no knowledge of. Your best bet is to contact the embassy.
I would think there would be little direct effect on you if you chose to participate. It might make you more memorable in some people's minds, but the purpose of the study would be to improve the process for future candidates. I can't see any real disadvantages.

Good luck with your endeavor. You're already prepared for the worst, it seems. You're correct that it isn't easy for IENs to become nurses in Canada. Those who want it badly enough will succeed.

You'll need a canadian textbook and the code of ethics to know your scope of practice, and probably info on that specifically for BC.
I would contact the University if they have any book suggestions.

good luck
5cats

thanks janfrn and 5cats i really appreciate your replies.
i got a lot of work to do i guess.(coz aside from the busy work I am having now, i need to have time to work on the process of my application).
to be honest I am trying to weigh things as of the moment.(to proceed or not)
my next step is to go to canada for SEC assessment then go back to singapore to wait for sometime and if I am blessed to have a good result I need to wait for the scheduling of the exam(by the way how hard is the exam? any idea?) and I need to go to canada again to take the exam after that go back to singapore again to wait for the result. its really a long and expensive process specially that i dont have any relatives and I dont know anybody in canada.(concerns like where to go, where to stay)
I am trying to assess my self if i could make it or not(to the assessment and exam) (because it would be really a lot waste of time, effort and money if i wont make it)
I find it hard applying in canada comparing to applications in australia or new zealand(though they require higher score in IELTS).
Can you pls. answer a few Q,s:

1. How come there are employment agencies in philippines who process the applicants papers to work as a nurse in canada(and a lot of nurses are going but of course with a high agency fee).
what are the status of those applicants ther? how come they were able to work easily?
(I am thinking of going throughan agency, maybe it would be easier)

2. Can I not apply in any hospital there to at least help me with my application process(at least I have work while waiting for the process / I dont mind working on any field)

3. Is there any hospital or company that you you that would do such thing? (help applicants)

Pls give me your advises (I really need it for me to decide)
Thank you very much.

The exam is quite difficult for non-Canadian-educated candidates for several reasons. First is the complexity of language used, since the exam was designed to test Canadian-educated nurses and therefore uses university-level English. Second is the focus on community health and all its ins and outs. This is not usually a priority in the education of nurses in other countries. Third is the emphasis on therapeutic communication and psychosocial aspects of care, also not a huge focus outside of Canada. The exam has less emphasis on pathophysiology and clinical performance and more on the intellectual. SEC on the other hand looks at pathophysiology, clinical expertise, clinical judgment and integrating all the components of nursing into your care.


The Philippines has turned the education of nurses into an industry for export. In order to "sell" their "product" they need a broker and these agencies provide that. However, the emphasis on quantity over quality has created some serious issues for the Filipino nurses who believed they were being educated to the North American standard and then found that wasn't true. They also were/are fooled into believing that an agency will smooth out all the bumps in the road for them, but the agencies are really only looking after one thing and that's their profits. There may be some element of collusion between health authority recruiters and the agencies; the Alberta experience has been largely a failure. Many of the nurses who were placed in Canadian jobs through an agency have found it very hard and they haven't all been successful. A few had been returned home because of an inability to manage the scope of practice and the work of Canadian nurses.

There are some health authorities in BC, Saskatchewan and Manitoba that have some experience in that sort of thing. Have a look at the Colleges of Nursing websites and use the links provided there to check out employment through the regional health authorities. http://allnurses.com/canadian-nurses...es-303171.html

As you say, the process is long, it's convoluted and it's very costly. I advise people to be very sure that they have the resources and the perseverance to follow through with it before they start. You might want to give some thought to checking out the Singaporan community in Vancouver to see if there are groups already in the act of helping out potential immigrants. There may be some practical assistance you could obtain, such as a billet for the time you're in Canada to take SEC, and to write the CRNE and emotional and cultural support. (You can write the CRNE in any province, once you have eligibility confirmed by the province where you wish to work, you just have to request it.)

Thank you so much janfrn, your such a great help.
I also hope you can help me with the sources to prepare my self.