Canada and the USA

This isn't quite the forum for the question. (see stickey 'what kind of forum is this?"). I'm going to first move it to the Canadian forum in the International section where hopefully someone will be able to help.

Best wishes.

Hi There,

I may be mistaken, so take the following with a grain of salt. I have done quite a bit of research on this though.

Basically your options are 1) Go to school in Canada, or 2) Go to school in the states.

If you go to school in Canada, a 2 year diploma is not enough to warrant a working permit under the NAFTA agreement between Canada and the states (requires a minimum of a bachelor's degree).

If you go to school in the states, you have to apply for an F1 visa. You do this only after you have been formally accepted by a school down there (there may also be a minimum credential requirement, such as a BSN vs a diploma). Also, note that schools in the states are about double if not triple the price of Canadian ones (I've been comparing public government institutions). You have to show your financial capabilities to the school so they can accept you and you can get the visa. You also can't work for the first year of obtaining the visa, so must show immigration proof of how you will support yourself, etc. After that year, you can apply for working permit but it is my understanding they are in no hurry to process it (you will have to show proof for the duration of study without income).

I wouldn't think that you can transport a LPN/ADN accross the border from USA-Canada either, as I earlier mentioned the above restriction of a minimum BSN as per the NAFTA agreement. You could however most likely come back here and challenge some exams or whatnot, if thats possible.

Lastly, I don't think the 2 year vs the RN is more "hands on" vs administrative. RN is less restrictive in terms of skills you have and use, and areas of clinical practice in which you can work. Ultimately, I suppose it depends on what area of nursing you'd like to get into.