ADN Needs To Move To Rural Nova Scotia. What Is The Process

joanna73, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2016

You need to contact the College of Nurses in Nova Scotia for advice and an assessment of your credentials. Every case is different. The BSN is the standard now, but some Provinces used to allow nurses to practice without it, depending on experience.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Dec 14, 2016

It's possible that you might not have to write the exam, depending on how long ago you wrote the NCLEX. But it's probable that your education won't be accepted at par to be classed as an RN. Your credentials will be assessed by the National Nursing Assessment Service before anything else can happen. They really don't have a dog in the hunt, so there's not a lot of wiggle room in their assessments. It's pretty much, "Does the applicant meet these criteria? Yes or no." But the only way you'll know for sure is to jump in and get the ball rolling.

dishes, BSN, RN · Dec 15, 2016

If you apply to NNAS with an associates your education will likely be deemed not comparable to a Canadian baccalaureate, (Nova Scotia moved from diploma entry level to baccalaureate entry level in 1998). Many US educated nurses have had their education deemed somewhat comparable or not comparable by NNAS and needed to undergo further competency testing such as the SEC. If an IEN is not successful in the SEC they may be advised to complete RN bridging program see registered nurses professional development centre.

for more information look at

rnpdc . nshealth . ca, self assessment readiness tool

College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia crnns ca

National Nursing Assessment Service nnas . ca

You will not need to re-take the NCLEX as it is the same exam for both Americans and Canadians.

dayandnight · Dec 15, 2016

You need to apply to NNAS. there are many posts regarding this topic and the best thing to do is to do some research and see what you need to do to ensure you will not be jobless for too long after getting to Canada. Canadian licensing process takes about a year with a lengthy review process, and if your education is not deemed comparable you will need to take the SEC (which you probably will need to because you don't have a BSN) and after that examination they will decide if you need a refresher course which can take more than a year to complete. Afterwards they will take your NCLEX into account and you can have your license. With the refresher you are looking at 2 yrs down the road to get your Canadian RN license... so I suggest you apply now, like as soon as possible, and see what your back up career plan is after moving to Canada

Silverdragon102, BSN · Dec 15, 2016

What are the job opportunities for you in Rural southern NS? Be aware just because jobs are advertised doesn't mean jobs are waiting to be filled. It can be rough economic wise on the south shore and the Health Authority is still going through a lot of changes

RN_Pro · Dec 20, 2016

Revised from some advice I gave another poster:

Budget to spend a minimum of $1500 CDN by the time you pay for NNAS, OSCE/SEC (which you will more than likely be required to do) and other expenses such as sending paperwork here and there.

I was educated in the US (4 year BSN degree) and my NNAS Advisory Report said "non-comparable". So it is safe to say your ASN will say the same. It took about 6 months from the time I had all my paperwork submitted to receive this result. Once you gave your NNAS Advisory Report, the licensing body needs to review it and advise you on your next step, which takes a few weeks at a minimum. Because my Advisory Report said "non-comparable", I was asked to take the IENCAP (OSCE). It will be over 6 months from the time I found out I need to take the OSCE to the time that I will have completed the OSCE (I haven't done it yet--I am scheduled for March 2017). Then it is 8 weeks for OSCE results and 8 weeks more for licensing body response to OSCE results.

To be safe, don't budget around your income contribution, as it will be quite a while, likely more than a year, before you are able to be licensed. If the licensing body asks you to go back to school, then of course that will take even longer and cost money. I'm not sure what your financial situation is like but it might be cheaper and quicker in the long run to take a BScN at a Canadian university. It will guarantee that your education is adequate and you might get transfer courses from the degree you currently possess so you might not have to do a full 4 years. It's worth looking into anyways, just to know your options.