Canada-educated nurses working in the States

SeekingNur · Aug 31, 2005

May I ask, why you feel so strongly against working as a nurse in Canada?

suzanne4, RN · Aug 31, 2005

There are waiting lists in Canada as well.

Basi · Aug 31, 2005

BS"D

It has nothing to do with waiting lists. I just personally don't like the way the healthcare system works in Canada.

suzanne4, RN · Aug 31, 2005

Then why would you want to train there?

Basi · Aug 31, 2005

BS"D

There happens to be a university (McMaster) which is five minutes away from a certain other institution which I would like to attend at the same time (it is not a university, but a different kind of school).

Fiona59 · Aug 31, 2005

Gee, universal healthcare is not for you? How would you make it through clinicals working in our hospitals?

nurse rnfa · Aug 31, 2005

BS"D
There happens to be a university (McMaster) which is five minutes away from a certain other institution which I would like to attend at the same time (it is not a university, but a different kind of school).

Hi There,

I'm an RN that was educated & worked in Canada as an RN for 10 years. I've lived in Canada for 30+ years. I just recently moved the US because I wanted hotter, drier climate. I take your posting to heart. :angryfire Why are you being such a hypocrite? Why do you want to be educated in Canada? What's your drive or attraction to our education system? Canada is a great country to work, live and play. The socialized health system has its pros & cons. Why should Canada allow you to be educated in its country with an attitude like that, since you're going to take that education back to the US and apply it there? They need nurses too. Who's to say that they won't put a stipulation upon you when you are accepted into your school of choice? Canada is a different country than the USA. We are North America, but, we are very different in our culture, standards, ethics, practice, living, attitude & overall being. Ponder over that.

Fiona59 · Aug 31, 2005

Another point as well is our universities and colleges are publicly funded, so the tuition paid by a student is only a drop in the bucket. Why should the Canadian taxpayer subsize your education? We already are training RN's who leave the country with a subsidized education.

nurse rnfa · Aug 31, 2005

BS"D
I really really need to speak with nurses who were educated in Canada and work in the States. I live in the US and am considering going to nursing school in Canada. However, I would NEVER work in Canada as a nurse, so I have some question for this person (or persons). Please help me out---any help greatly appreciated.

What questions do you have for an RN educated in Canada?

Basi · Aug 31, 2005

BS"D

1) Why don't I want to work in Canada?

A. My grandfather was completely messed up by the Canadian healthcare system (he's Canadian). He had cancer and they knew it; they basically gave up on him and told him he had six months to live and refused to give him the surgery he needed. My father (his son-in-law), who's a radiologist, brought him down to the U.S., realized that his life could easily be saved with a treatment which is routine in the States, and promptly saved his life. He has been cancer-free for ten years now.

I understand why the Canadian system is the way it is, and that's fine, because each country has their own way of dealing with a shortage of funding for healthcare, but I personally don't want to work in that kind of system for good. I would be okay with doing clinicals in a Canadian hospital or working there while I am in school, but I just don't want to be there for an extended period of time after I'm done with school, although I do think Canada is a very wonderful place. Many of my relatives live there, and everyone is certainly quite nice, although different from the people in the States.

2) Why should a Canadian school bother to educate me if I don't plan to work in Canada?

A. G_d-willing I should become a good, dedicated nurse. By just being a Canadian-educated nurse who is good at what she does while working in the States, I would spread a positive (or more positive) reputation for Canadian education in the U.S.

B. I am a Canadian citizen and will being paying taxes when I work in Canada while in school, which I will inevitably be doing.

C. The American gov't also subsidizes many universities, and many more Canadian students come to American universities than do American ones to Canadian universities. Many of them go back to Canada. This is part of a natural exchange of students that occurs between countries.

D. A lot of this is for the school to decide, not for you or I. They know perfectly well that I might want to live in my own country, closer to my parents, etc.

E. I will provide necesary diversity on campus. I come from an interesting backround, and I hope I would be able to contribute to better the school through active participation.

3) What questions do I have for a Canadian-educated nurse who works in the States?

A. Does your nursing licsence (sp?--sorry it's past my bedtime :-)) transfer or do you have to have more education or take the American exam?

B. Is it difficult to transition between the Canadian healthcare philosophy and the American healthcare philosophy?

C. Is your degree respected in the US?

D. Etc, and I might have a few more questions.

Thanks very much and I hope I didn't offend anyone. If so, please accept my deepest apologies.

Sincerely,

Basi

nurse rnfa · Aug 31, 2005

BS"D
1) Why don't I want to work in Canada?
A. My grandfather was completely messed up by the Canadian healthcare system (he's Canadian). He had cancer and they knew it; they basically gave up on him and told him he had six months to live and refused to give him the surgery he needed. My father (his son-in-law), who's a radiologist, brought him down to the U.S., realized that his life could easily be saved with a treatment which is routine in the States, and promptly saved his life. He has been cancer-free for ten years now.
I understand why the Canadian system is the way it is, and that's fine, because each country has their own way of dealing with a shortage of funding for healthcare, but I personally don't want to work in that kind of system for good. I would be okay with doing clinicals in a Canadian hospital or working there while I am in school, but I just don't want to be there for an extended period of time after I'm done with school, although I do think Canada is a very wonderful place. Many of my relatives live there, and everyone is certainly quite nice, although different from the people in the States.
2) Why should a Canadian school bother to educate me if I don't plan to work in Canada?
A. G_d-willing I should become a good, dedicated nurse. By just being a Canadian-educated nurse who is good at what she does while working in the States, I would spread a positive (or more positive) reputation for Canadian education in the U.S.
B. I am a Canadian citizen and will being paying taxes when I work in Canada while in school, which I will inevitably be doing.
C. The American gov't also subsidizes many universities, and many more Canadian students come to American universities than do American ones to Canadian universities. Many of them go back to Canada. This is part of a natural exchange of students that occurs between countries.
D. A lot of this is for the school to decide, not for you or I. They know perfectly well that I might want to live in my own country, closer to my parents, etc.
E. I will provide necesary diversity on campus. I come from an interesting backround, and I hope I would be able to contribute to better the school through active participation.
3) What questions do I have for a Canadian-educated nurse who works in the States?
A. Does your nursing licsence (sp?--sorry it's past my bedtime :-)) transfer or do you have to have more education or take the American exam?
B. Is it difficult to transition between the Canadian healthcare philosophy and the American healthcare philosophy?
C. Is your degree respected in the US?
D. Etc, and I might have a few more questions.
Thanks very much and I hope I didn't offend anyone. If so, please accept my deepest apologies.
Sincerely,
Basi

Ok, Basi...apology accepted. Thank you for the detailed reply. Your RN license would not transfer to the US RN license. You'd have to take the NCLEX exam. Apply to the state of choice for your licensure. Minnesota tends to be very speedy with their processing time. From there, you can apply for endorsement to any other state in the USA. That's what I did. Minnesota was very fast. You'll just have to pay the extra application fee for the other state that you'd be applying to. You may have to apply for a CGFNS certificate as you'd be considered to be 'foreign trained' eventhough you're in North America. You may want to check on this, don't quote me on it. But, if you're going to be educated in Canada as an RN, like me, then you will have to follow through. If you go to their website you can find all the info to start the process when you're ready. The transition was very hard and still is for me, personally. I'm still learning the ropes. I've only been here in the US for 9 months. By respected, I think you mean recognized? Yes, the degree is recognized and some hospitals will pay you extra per hour for your degree or any other professional designation that you carry after your name. You'll have to ask them at the time of the interview. Many US healthcare employers want Canadian educated RN's because we are better educated...our curriculum is on a different scale than that of the US. Our hospital/clinical orientation/experience is different.

Hope this helps in your future endeavours.

Good Luck Basi! :)