Any comments or suggestions?

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Hi everyone.. i know a lot of people here are in vancouver, and I really am desperate for some comments and opinions. my current situation is.. well, you decide. here goes..

i passed the nursing boards in the ph last dec 2006, and in feb 2007 came here in vancouver. right away, I contacted CRNBC to write the CRNE exam... but they told me to get an ielts exam first. i took it last may, passed, and got the forms for the exam. i paid all the due bills to write it this coming october..

they also told me that i can work as a temporary RN, provided I get an employer to hire me as a temporary RN. the ironic thing is, all the hospitals, nursing homes included, do not take temporary RN. is this true? or am I looking at the wrong places?

I've already sent resumes to vch, phc, surrey memorial, etc.. but got nothing.. i also inquired about the IEN program of vch, but they told me that they're not taking any applicants until december. I also went to BC children's and women's hospital, but apparently the chief HR is in london recruiting nurses..

i really wanted to work while waiting to write the exams, but apparently the system thinks i am not capable (being from another country).

i know there are others like me, and i'm wondering if are they in the same predicament? i want to know, maybe it is my fault, that i am doing something wrong. also, what did u guys do while awaiting to write the CRNE? apparently, I filed to early (submitted the forms june 13).. but then i was hoping to work as a temporary rn, so there you go..

any comments, suggestions, opinions, advice would be welcome. thanks so much!

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We see the same thing in the US as well. Most facilities will not consider a foreign nurse until they actually pass the licensing exam, they do not want them to start to work with the temporary license, or what we call the Interim Permit.

It it quite an expense to hire and train a new nurse. Even if you have experience in your country, things are done differently. They want to make sure that you will be able to work for them and not have to leave.

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We see the same thing in the US as well. Most facilities will not consider a foreign nurse until they actually pass the licensing exam, they do not want them to start to work with the temporary license, or what we call the Interim Permit.

It it quite an expense to hire and train a new nurse. Even if you have experience in your country, things are done differently. They want to make sure that you will be able to work for them and not have to leave.

I understand that training a new nurse from a foreign country is quite expensive. however, the shortage of nurses here in canada (and the US for that matter) is very high... Doesn't it make more sense to train interim IEN's right now?

Because as I see it, they want us to pass the exams... then once we do, they will train us anyway... which will be the same thing, right? Anyway, this are my views. I hope you understand where I am coming from.

Also, a couple of questions though - if i pass the CRNE, or the NCLEX, do you think they will hire me right away? or will they still require me to undergo a refresher course?

i ask this because alot of hospitals are not clear about their employment procedures. The HR dept staff that i've talked to here keep telling me that they are going to hire me right away (if i pass), even without experience.. but then alot of filipino nurses i've talked to are saying another thing (they told me i still have to undergo schooling). what do you think is the real thing? i'm really confused.

thanks so much for taking the time reading my posts. I hope to continue still this conversation. :welcome:

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most probably because you are looking for a job in the wrong places.. Vancouver will always be a hot spot for almost everybody. Most applicants you are against with are Canadian graduates or experienced foreign nurses.

For a foreign nurse, experience will always matter. Eventhough how many times you will say the practice is differennt - STILL - experience matters.

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most probably because you are looking for a job in the wrong places.. Vancouver will always be a hot spot for almost everybody. Most applicants you are against with are Canadian graduates or experienced foreign nurses.

For a foreign nurse, experience will always matter. Eventhough how many times you will say the practice is differennt - STILL - experience matters.

hmm.. ok, maybe I am looking in the wrong places. experience matters - so does that mean that the best action for me, after taking the CRNE, is to go to a nursing school to immerse myself to the system and get experience?

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I think what people are trying to explain to you is you may have to look outside the lower mainland to find a job. Nurses are in demand in most parts of the province. You may have to relocate to get the chance you want.

NCLEX doesn't matter in Canada.

There is a limit to how many overseas trained nurses can be taken on and preceptored at any time by any hospital.

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oh ok.. i would have to relocate then. i admit, i didnt expect that though.. wow. and I thought there was a shortage of nurses here in vancouver. anyway, my bad. thank you everyone for commenting, i truly appreciate it.

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Nobody is saying you are bad. Perhaps your research or information given to you by family and friends may be faulty.

The media speaks of the "NURSING SHORTAGE" but never goes into details. There are parts of Vancouver Island that are desparate for nurses and other parts that don't need nurses.

It's all a case of supply and demand. Everyone wants to live and work in the most popular cities and towns, in the most popular fields of nursing.

Just open your horizons to what may be out there and not focus on what is immediately around you.

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Nobody is saying you are bad. Perhaps your research or information given to you by family and friends may be faulty.

The media speaks of the "NURSING SHORTAGE" but never goes into details. There are parts of Vancouver Island that are desparate for nurses and other parts that don't need nurses.

It's all a case of supply and demand. Everyone wants to live and work in the most popular cities and towns, in the most popular fields of nursing.

Just open your horizons to what may be out there and not focus on what is immediately around you.

hmm.. ok. any idea which part of vancouver needs nurses then? cause the city of vancouver, i think, doesnt need a lot of them. thanks!

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