Aussie trying to work in Eastern Canada

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A year ago I moved from Australia to Canada (I'm a neonatal nurse for the past 10 years). Its taken 12 months for NNAS to assess my qualifications & paperwork and now the nurses board for the province I live in have determined that I need to complete a Competency Based Assessment before I can sit the N-Clex.

Its been about 8 years since I have sat any test and I'm getting rather anxious. Has anybody had to do a CBA? how did you find the process? Is there anything you could recommend for me to do?

Any help would be appreciated!!!

Quite a few IENs find the licensing process lengthy and complicated, the problems started after the provinces and territories moved from diploma entry level to baccalaureate entry level for RNs. In the past, when IENs education was compared to a Canadian RN diploma education, the assessment process was relatively quick and the results positive, but now that IENs' education is being compared by NNAS to a Canadian baccalaureate education, many IENs are receiving negative results. To make matters worse, some aspects of the process are not transparent. Many IENs react to the assessments in a way that is similar to culture shock. Fortunately the shock phase doesn't last forever and they adjust to the process and accomplish what they came to Canada to do, become licensed and work as nurses.

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@rupi I recommend you read the information on the CRNBC website regularly as the assessment process is evolving. Currently it looks like BC has a new competency assessment that is being piloted called Nursing Community Assessment Service ncasbc ca. I wonder if (after CRNBC receives your NNAS advisory report and your application), you will be directed to be assessed by the NCAS pilot?

@sarah & rupi, check the sample CBA for RNs on ncasbc ca, it may give you some ideas how to create scenarios in order to prepare for your competency assessments.

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Thanks dishes. I just looked up the NCAS assessment introduction. Yes, it is fairly new and in making. Well, lets see what happens. Thanks to you, I am planning to attend the information session tomorrow in Vancouver.

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sarah have you received any instructions about the competency based assessment you are expected to undergo?

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Specializes in Neonatal and Maternity.

Hi Dishes,

Ive replied to a few of the questions here but they havent been posted, i guess I cant go into detail about my assessment?

I have decided to not pursue my RN here, by the time I pay the fees & take tests etc my husband will be transferred for work. Instead I am studying to sit the N-Clex in the states :)

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Hi dishes

I attended the RN session at CRNBC. Any nurses requiring assessment now will have to do the ncas. Sec assessment is being phased out in September.

Hi Sarah

Can I get in contact with you via email please. how do we exchange email ids? Also, How did you already reach the NCLEX stage in US nursing whereas in Canada it is kind of the last thing after the assessment and refresher courses?

Right now, my NNAS dashboard states Ready for Review. So, I am keeping my fingers crossed.

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@sarah I don't know why your posts about your assessment didn't show, if the post didn't reveal the content of the competency based assessment and just provided general information such as; when you did the test, where and what your results were, it wouldn't compromise the integrity of the assessment, and would not be considered a violation of TOS. Sometimes posters write a post and after they hit post comment they experience a glitch and lose their post (it has happened to me, it's annoying to re-write it).

Which state BON are you applying to for licensure? I don't know if your aware, but there is a NCLEX section on AN, if you look at the top yellow banner under students you will see NCLEX exam and programs. Once in the section, suggest you start by reading the FAQs and articles, then the zillions of posts.

Rupi, if you want to give private information, you can send PMs after you have 15 quality posts, you have 13 posts, so you are almost there. sarah won't be able to respond to your posts until she has 15 posts.

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Thanks dishes. I just looked up the NCAS assessment introduction. Yes, it is fairly new and in making. Well, lets see what happens. Thanks to you, I am planning to attend the information session tomorrow in Vancouver.

If you are one of the ones doing the NCAS when it is still in the pilot phase, will it be free?

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hi dishes. Nothing was mentioned about NNAS being free for the trial period. So I am assuming it won't be free.

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It is likely that your NNAS report will show you have deficiencies in some competencies and you will likely be referred by CRNBC to do the NCAs. According to NCAS, there will be a computer based assessment which is a multiple choice exam and simulation labs which is 2 scenarios with mannequins and 2 scenarios with a standardized patient. It might be a good idea to start preparing by practicing scenarios and assessments with friends or other IENs, do you have a stethoscope and any other equipment to practice with?

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Specializes in Telemetry, Emergency, Cardiology, Respiratory.

Hi Sarah and to everyone following this thread,

My name is Vince and like Sarah I am also an Aussie nurse. I have about 9 years of medical nursing (respiratory, cardiology, and dermatology).

My situation is a bit different in that in 2010 I started having these uncontrollable urges to move to either the US or Canada. So I started applying for registration with California and took my NCLEX-RN exam which I passed, as well as my CGFNS exam which I also passed. Then I thought, I really want to live in Vancouver so I started my CRNBC application. Back then, the only way to get CRNBC registration was to write the CRNE (and at that time it was almost impossible because it was only offered in Canada and I think they required some sort of Canadian employer supervision before full registration was granted). In 2016 things changed, they emailed me (at just about the same time I was thinking of abandoning my plans to move to Canada) and said that they would start accepting NCLEX-RN in lieu of the CRNE. So I asked the California BRN to forward them a copy of my NCLEX results and voila! I was registered.

All this NNAS is new to me coz I never had to deal with the NNAS, just the CRNBC. Is this a relatively new thing for IENs to go through? If so, was it just pure luck that I started my registration process in 2010?

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Vince, Yes the timing of your application and the province of application are the reasons why you were successful in becoming licensed. You might not have had the same outcome if you had applied to Ontario. The licensing process has been evolving, from the 1990s to 2012 as each province moved from diploma level education to baccalaureate level education. After Manitoba (the last province) became baccalaureate as entry to practice, the provincial regulatory bodies worked to develop a standard, national IEN education assessment tool and have a third party vendor (NNAS) be responsible for doing all IEN education assessments and employment verification.

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