British nurse looking at working in Canada

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Hi all, I am a Scottish registered nurse at the very start of the immigration process. I am looking to hear from some Canadian nurses regarding the structure of our job in Canada. I understand that all provinces have different regulations but I'm only looking for the basics, what different types of nursing are there? I am a registered adult nurse on the uk and I am unsure what that translates to in Canada. Are hospitals private? Government funded( like the NHS that I work for) or perhaps a bit of both. Is health insurance required in Canada? Any information would be great :-)

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Have you selected a destination yet?

Healthcare in Canada is universal and similar to the NHS. Everyone is entitled to care. Depending on which province you live in there are monthly insurance fees paid for the provincial health plan. Prescriptions are paid for by the individual (with some exceptions)

Hospitals are publicly funded. There are private surgical suites for some procedures. Our system does have waitlists for some procedures.

Top up health insurance can be purchased from some employers (covers the cost of prescriptions, glasses, podiatry, etc). Dental insurance is offered by employers.

You need to figure out which province you will live in and look at the provinces website under health care and there will be links to tell you what is available and how much the monthly (if any) premiums are.

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Thanks Fiona. I am currently looking at Ontario and Alberta. Although i understand that i will be best to apply where there are jobs available for international nurses however i am struggling to find online where the job shortages are, i would consider applying for a rural area if i thought it was a good way of gaining entry to Canada. I am also unsure as i currently have a higher diploma in nursing and i am working towards my BSC (due to finish dec 12) Not sure if i should be applying at the moment or wait until my degree is complete.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

That may be a moot point. It's already the end of june and it's going to take six months or more for all the evaluations and assessments to be accomplished. You will probably be finished your degree before you're in a position to accept a job here anyway.

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Specializes in Cardio thoracic.

Hi pamiwhite, I was just wondering if you had got anymore information on the immagration process to Canada? I'm not long qualified and have recently decided i'd like to live and work in Canada but don't know much at the minute about the whole process ie where to start CRNE or applying for visas etc. Any information you could offer would be geat.

Mark.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Coming here from the UK can be dificult because nurses gere are generalist trained. That means you need theory and clinical hours in pes,adult,OB/maternity and mental health nursing.Many UK nurses run into this obstacle due to being specialist trained.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Hi pamiwhite, I was just wondering if you had got anymore information on the immagration process to Canada? I'm not long qualified and have recently decided i'd like to live and work in Canada but don't know much at the minute about the whole process ie where to start CRNE or applying for visas etc. Any information you could offer would be geat.

Mark.

Also what route are you planning on obtaining a work permit or PR?

Advice on nurse registration we request is posted in the Nurse registration forum as not many Canadians know what International nurses are required to do to meet provincial requirements and for immigration routes we request that you post in the Advice on Immigration forum

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Hi all, sorry not been on the site for a few weeks. I have decided to finish my degree before I apply as I think it will give me a better chance of being accepted, also the canadian government has put a six month hold on all federal skilled worker applications so we can apply until January for a visa anyways. I have been doing a lot of research it it, I have decided that when the time comes to apply I will choose 2 from BC, Alberta and Ontario, dependent on which province had the most chance of getting a job. I am also planning on taking a holiday to Canada early next year, I am wondering however if I should look into taking the CRNE when I come here on holiday however I am unsure on the validity of the CRNE, If I sit it in February 2013 how long does it stay valid before I would need to sit it again? Mark any questions fire ahead, can't promise I will be much help but trying to find out as much as j can as I am dead set on this, just the time and financial constraints that are difficult

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You can't write the CRNE unless the college of nurses (the province of your choice) says you're good to go (i.e., your credentials have been approved). The CRNE can be written february, june and october. I'm not sure how it works for IENs, but Canadian educated nurses are only allowed to write the CRNE 3 times.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Same for IEN can only sit it 3 times. Difference for IEN is that we are seeing more and more requirements for some form of Physical assessment and then coursework before eligibility is given

Once sat exam and passed as long as you meet requirements and pay fees each year when renewal required then you can keep license going otherwise you can ask college if you can make it inactive until out in Canada and getting ready to work as a nurse but that is something you have to ask the college about

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

If a person passes their CRNE then they never need to write it again. It's not like language fluency where if you're not using it you lose it.

There are big changes coming to the federal skilled worker program. Essentially, anyone who has an application in the works but not approved as of July 1 will have their applications and fees returned. Criteria for selection will be tightened so that younger, highly-educated people with exceptional language skills will be favoured. The goal is to accept only those who can be work-force ready very quickly and to fast-track those applicants whose credentials will fill the most pressing needs in the labour market. Another thing the changes will do is increase the number of successful non-professional applicants, ie tradespeople - pipefitters, machinists, heavy-duty mechanics and such for example and likely decrease the number of professionals and managers accepted. Given that there is a significant number of unemployed, homegrown nurses in Canada at this time it's unlikely that nurses will be anywhere near the top of the list when applications are reopened... if they're even on the list.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Janfrn the FSW cap for RN was actually reached within 2 months of it opening in Jul 2011 so for many who was waiting for the list this month was greeted with the new of a delay until Jan 13. I too expect not to see much in the way of changes and for many a mad rush to get application in once list opens again but again think if nurses are on the list then it will close quickly due to the numbers waiting

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