Australian Nurse wanting to move to Canada

[tamaralee88]

G'day from the land down under :-)

I am an Australian registered nurse/midwife wanting to move to Alberta in August 2014. CARNA currently is waiting on my university transcripts but does have all documentation including my information in Australia from my Nursing regulatory body. I am concerned about the process as I have read lots of discouraging stories, I understand nursing courses are different country to country but has anyone or know of anyone that has come from Australia to Alberta and possibly what the next step in my application with CARNA might be once they have my transcripts? I'd also like to know what my job opportunities might be?

Any advice or information would be wonderful and maybe add some piece of mind.

Thank you

Tamara

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

About the only hindrance Australian nurses have in becoming registered here is insufficient education in any or all of pediatrics, mental health and maternal-child nursing. Some schools in Australia meet Canadian standards and some don't. I've worked with several nurses from Down Under here and they've had few difficulties. Once CARNA has your university transcripts, they'll assess your application and either grant you eligibility to write the CRNE or they'll recommend educational upgrading. In the first case, you'd then apply to write the exam in October (you've missed the cutoff for June) and go from there. In the second case, you'll be offered some options about how to upgrade, with information about how long they'll keep your application open. If you do have to upgrade, you won't be writing the CRNE, because in January we're all moving to the NCLEX-C whihc will be somewhat less restrictive as to when you can write. Eligibility will still have to be granted by CARNA.

The bigger issue will be finding work.