Any Philippine RN required to undergo SEC Assessment?

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After two months of waiting I finally received a letter from CRNBC saying I need to complete the SEC Assessment in General (Med/Surg) Nursing. I am willing to take it and even the upgrading courses if they say so (I can loan from my parents) but I'm anxious if I will be granted a Temporary Resident Visa since embassies are very strict when it comes to applicants from developing countries. I can't prove to Canadian Immigration that I am rich because I am not and unfortunately, it seems like they only allow rich people to visit their country since they are requiring applicants to submit proof of assets which I don't have. And I completely understand them since there are also people who stay beyond the validity of their visas and I want to convince them I will not be an illegal immigrant even if I don't have any riches to come back home to but my husband.

Now, I'd like to know if there are any Filipino RNs out there who are in the same boat as I am. Talk to me, please! Or anybody who'd like to share whatever. Thanks!

Hi there, I've booked to take my SEC in Calgary in the last week of September 2009; I've been preparing for it for a few weeks now. Still, I'm very anxious about it. I'm in Vancouver. It would be nice to be in touch with someone in there who's preparing for SEC as well- for group study and sharing of resources like books.

You may send me an PM message...

thanks

Hi... how was your SEC ? Hope you wont mind sharing how the review materials you used....

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hi... hows your application now? Is your eligibility to take SEC will expire? thanks

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@rn pinas: my visa application was refused coz I dont have assests so I cant take the SEC assessment therefore goodbye Eligibility. I still have to wait and work my bum off to acquire the assests the Canadian Embassy is looking for.

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@rn pinas: my visa application was refused coz I dont have assests so I cant take the SEC assessment therefore goodbye Eligibility. I still have to wait and work my bum off to acquire the assests the Canadian Embassy is looking for.

OOOH... sorry to hear about that... anyway... how much time did they give you for the SEC assessment? thanks

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I am new in this forum. I'm having a dilemma about when to book for SEC assessment. CARNA sent me a letter stating to complete my SEC assessment within 2 years. I thought of getting a tourist visa. However, I already applied for PR at CIC few weeks ago. I am aware of the cost of going to Canada to take the SEC without any job or employer who is willing to hire me so I could payback my plane ticket, accommodation and/or support my expenses. My point is, I would like to make a decision where I can save money and not to waste time building my career.

Currently, I am working as a full time nurse here in Saudi Arabia for 4 years now. Can this be a good reason for the visa officer to grant me a tourist visa?

Should I book for my SEC this year or would rather wait for my PR to be approved since it will take approximately 12months under federal skilled program to be approved?

I have read a lot of forums about SEC and Visa application. Sadly, I think it gives me more options rather than a solution to the problem at hand. Did anyone here in anyway had the same problem. Would be happy to read your replies or advice. Thanks....

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

Applications for tourist visas are handled on a case-by-case basis. Your particular situation will be evaluated against CIC's regulations and current practices. Only they can tell you what your chances are of obtaining one. PR is not guaranteed either.

Your impression of having an employer prior to undergoing SEC is a little inaccurate. The employer will not pay any of those expenses for you unless that was part of the contract signed upon hire. There is a relocation allowance that provides a maximum of about $5000 to individuals required to relocate for employment, and that would barely cover the costs associated with SEC and CRNE. That avenue is unlikely to be open to you; Alberta employers are not recruiting IENs at this time and have only recently agreed to hire home-grown nurses to fill most vacancies. (They have signed a letter of understanding with the United Nurses of Alberta to hire a minimum of 70% of Alberta nursing school graduates for each of the next 3 years. This amounts to approximately 500 nurses per year...)

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Thanks for the quick reply.

That is a sad but informative response.

I am aware it is very difficult or unlikely to find employers for IENs nowadays in Alberta considering the employment status of local nurses. I need to work on my SEC assessment and CRNE before any employers would be interested to hire me.

This only strengthens my decision to maximize the time given by CARNA to complete my SEC and maybe before 2 years, jobs for IENs will start to improve.

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Hi. I've already scheduled my SEC Assessment for the last week of July. I am only required to take the Medical/Surgical Nursing parts, which would take 2 days. I have a traveller's visa. Any tips from those who have taken the SEC before? I have no clue how to prepare for it. What books did you use and where can I get them in Manila? Is there a review class offered for CRNE? Also, I've been out of the nursing practice for a year now. Any suggestions how I can be up to speed with the expectations for the skills part? As you know, employment and even training for nurses in the Philippines is quite difficult to come by. Hence, it's hard to practice in the actual hospital setting.

Also, after the SEC, what should I expect? Can I start looking for a job even if the results aren't released yet? What's next after the SEC? I plan to fly to Vancouver mainly for the assessment, maybe a few days to go sightseeing, then go home in just a couple of weeks. Is that advisable, or can I wait until the results?

Thanks in advance to anyone who'll reply.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Once you have passed SEC and met college requirements the next thing would be either find employer and start process for immigration and prepare to sit CRNE or get sorted for CRNE and then once passed start looking for a employer. You could start looking for a employer whilst waiting for SEC results however jobs I have seen advertised usually request CRNE or eligibility to sit CRNE so probably find you will need to wait for results before applying.

Not sure which province you have applied to but be aware that you may find it hard especially in Alberta

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.
I have no clue how to prepare for it. What books did you use and where can I get them in Manila?

You can't really "prepare" for the SEC. It's testing what you should already know and be comfortable with. How do you "prepare" competence? Did you read the sticky about the SEC? It answers a lot of questions, particulalry about WHY people are required to have SEC assessments. Please read FAQ - Substantially Equivalent Competence (SEC) Assessments

Is there a review class offered for CRNE?

Many of the larger cities have CRNE review classes; they're mainly intended for new grads, but can be helpful for IENs as well. FAQ - The Canadian Registered Nurse Examination (CRNE)

Also, I've been out of the nursing practice for a year now. Any suggestions how I can be up to speed with the expectations for the skills part? As you know, employment and even training for nurses in the Philippines is quite difficult to come by. Hence, it's hard to practice in the actual hospital setting.

Without being able to actualy perform the skills, how can you possibly be up to speed? Is there a skills lab at the university/nursing school where you could practice? It has been noted that many of the IENs who have been employed in different places are very shaky in their skills and have never learned some of the more common skills that are performed by RNs every day here. This can be quite a problem. It's not the nurses' fault, but rather the educational system that cranks out graduates for export without any guarantee of employment and who are not educated to the standard of the countries they're being exported to.

Also, after the SEC, what should I expect? Can I start looking for a job even if the results aren't released yet? What's next after the SEC? I plan to fly to Vancouver mainly for the assessment, maybe a few days to go sightseeing, then go home in just a couple of weeks. Is that advisable, or can I wait until the results?

You can do whatever you like once you've completed the SEC. You might as well take advantage of being in Vancouver to see some of the sights, learn a bit about the city, check out the universities and so on. It will take several weeks for the results to be forwarded to the College due to volume and workload, and until the College has those results you really won't be able to take the next step. If you're found not meeting the standard, you will be given counselling on which courses you should take to reach the level of a new Canadian graduate. That process will take some time, and if you have to take courses, it could be months before you can get a seat in the classes. You can't write the CRNE until you've satisfied the College that you're as good as a new Canadian graduate... As you can see, there is no one-size-fits-all answer.

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Ok, got it. Thanks for your responses. Yes I've read the FAQ, but it didn't really answer my questions. I've been advised to read on the Canadian healthcare delivery system (where can I get sources for this when most of our books here are centered on the NCLEX?) and even watch YouTube videos to review for the skills. Do you think this is advisable? We do have a skills lab in my school, but I still feel that won't help much.

I applied in British Columbia, by the way.

I am sure there will be procedures/skills that would be largely different in the Philippines and in Canada, that's expected, but will it be okay if my SEC comes and I'd have no idea on how to do some things? Since they're just assessing my competence anyway right?

If I'm found not meeting the standards and advised on the courses that I need to take, do I have to take those courses in the same university where I'll take the SEC, or do I have a choice where in BC I could take them?

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

The courses are done at recognised institutes by the college or RN's

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