Canadian Dream.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Dec 28, 2012

Only you can decide what is good for you in regards which province you live and work in.

Yes a lot of the provinces require some form of assessment but not necessary bridge program. A lot goes on what your transcripts show.

Your godmother would not be able to assist with sponsoring you but there are lots of different routes for PR

Boots RN · Dec 28, 2012

Only you can decide what is good for you in regards which province you live and work in.
Yes a lot of the provinces require some form of assessment but not necessary bridge program. A lot goes on what your transcripts show.
Your godmother would not be able to assist with sponsoring you but there are lots of different routes for PR

thanks for your insight... are you a pinoy nurse in canada? i've read about the process... if it would be possible, i want to how many months/years do pinoy IEN usually(estimate will do) spend to be permited to write CRNE if ever they need to study or something... THANKS! :)

Silverdragon102, BSN · Dec 28, 2012

I was a IEN that moved to Canada but not from the Philippines. cost is roughly the same and if you do a study course for CRNE then that will vary depending on the place offering it.

Boots RN · Dec 28, 2012

were you able to write the crne without study course? "study course" is that the right or preferable term for the academic prerequisite when taking the CRNE?

Silverdragon102, BSN · Dec 28, 2012

I had to do some course work for CRNNS but now most just require some for of assessment first and then decide whether courses are required

Boots RN · Dec 28, 2012

so it is much better now right? base on what you know are there a lot of IENS that wrote the CNRE or CRNNS without completing a required course? and how long does those courses usually take?

Silverdragon102, BSN · Dec 28, 2012

CRNNS is the Nova Scotia provincial college of RNs. Seeing more IENs required some form of assessment and course length varies depending what is required

McLovin' · Jan 10, 2013

Hi Guys. just here to ask some opinions, insights or maybe some tips. I am a Reg.
Nurse here in the Philippines. Probably by 2013 i would be a Staff nurse in one of the prestigious hospital here. and maybe after having at least 2 years experience, i would push my luck for my Canadian dream. now i have a lot of questions for those pinoy IENS here or maybe to anyone who's very knowledgeable.
1. which Canadian province/state would be best(generally) for a pinoy IENS? currently i would love to live in Toronto.
2 from what i've read and heard alot of IENS wasn't permitted to take CRNE without taking a bridging course. how long would it take for an IEN to finnish a bridging course if he/she would pursue LPN first?
3. I have a Godmother living in Surrey BC with her family for more than 5 or 6 years. would she be able to help me in anyway? like as a sponsor or anything?

Hello there! I couldn't but help notice your post and I just want to say something about these Canadian attempts to practice the nursing profession, particularly to all internationally educated nurses.

I am a full-time, practicing RN in the Philippines. I have worked for almost four years at the most action-packed, government hospital in the Philippines

In 2012, I was able to the acquire the much-awaited Canadian permanent residency card after only 7 months of waiting. I was never happier! I sold all of my stuff and bid farewell to all my friends and relatives in the Philippines. I landed in Vancouver on June 9th, 2012. The breathe of fresh air and the majestic beauty of my new environment instantaneously overwhelmed me with an even more powerful inspiration and drive to become an RN in my new home. Basically, I was SO SURE I was going succeed in Canada.

But woe to me, I was so *******' wrong.

After I got a Social Identification Number, a mobile phone and a bank account, the job hunt began. I tried to get into nursing homes, because I was aware that this is the starting point of IEN's. But sadly, I have to be assessed at the Care Aide registry of BC to be able to practice as a care aide. No choice, I have to comply. So after waiting patiently for 3 months, I got positive results and was given a Care Aide registry number. Within this floating period, I applied for meager work, because all of my credentials and experience as a nurse in the Philippines were reduced to nothing because this was Canada's policy. Whether your a lowly janitor or a king of a country, this doesn't mean squat to Canada. Despite being irritated and ******, I complied. I then applied for ALL POSSIBLE work I could get my hands into... A gasoline boy, Tim Horton's staff, house cleaner, department store clerk, etc. After a 2 dozen applications to these companies only one replied and accepted me - but as a janitor and toilet cleaner at a restaurant. With deep regret and utmost pain in my heart, I accepted this. Because I have no other options, I have to survive! Therefore, from a respected Operating Room senior nurse I became a janitor, cleaning floors and toilets. Awesome!

So there I was job hunting (again!), while working at this pathetic excuse for a work. I was in a hurry to get myself out of the janitor gig, knowing that I have my go signal from the care aide registry. After numerous and expensive short courses, (to beef up my resume) like first aid with CPR for HCP, foodsafe level one, workplace safety certification, etc., I applied to EVERY nursing home I can find in the classified ads, both online and on paper. Amazingly enough, none of them made any return calls whatsoever. :wideyed: Angrily, I took it upon myself to follow up my application. This is the part where I encountered a wide array of excuses just to shut their doors on your face. I WILL NEVER FORGET one Caucasian woman said to me... I was just humbly asking why all of the posted ads for care aides prefer locally educated care aides? To be honest, I am a good hire. Not only I know direct patient care, but I practiced nursing for a considerable amount of time! Compared to the locally educated care aides who are limited in their health care knowledge. This arrogant woman said to me, that has forever etched in my soul... "Please stop complaining, and start from the bottom like everybody else...!" Dang! After that, I turned my back and went home and finally ended that useless campaign. Because it was clearly an unfair battle.

Going back to my original RN plan, I inevitably passed the expensive IELTS exam and was able to muster $500 for the assessment fee for CRNBC. I have this clear picture in my head that I will just take the SEC, pass the darn thing and immediately take the boards. But NO! I was required to study for 2 MORE YEARS! Wait for at least 18 months to get into college and still tackle an uncertain board exam. To add to this story, I have a Filipino friend in Canada who DID NOT practice any movement whatsoever in caring for a patient back home, was only told to take the SEC and state boards. I asked myself, "what the hell is BC's basis in assessing IEN?" Random? Drawing of lots? Or mood swings? Nah, I wouldn't want to know... :-)

Ever heard of the saying, "The straw that broke the camel's back?" Well, that was it for me. :banghead: And my back wasn't the only thing that was broke... it also involved my wallet, my emotions and professional career. And I was still cleaning toilets and floors!

One day I was cleaning a crap-filled toilet and said to myself, "To h#ll with this, I'm outta here..." I did not come to Canada, get my education, language, and work experience assessed just to work in this pathetic excuse for a living? Canada should have gotten waiters, janitors, dishwashers instead of professionals! During my stay in Canada, I have met quite a large number of people who were doctors, lawyers, PhD holders from their countries of origin, only to find themselves in FULL regret in ever migrating to Canada. So after a week, I got into a plane and went home to the Philippines. And when I got home, I was looking for a place to put my precious Canadian PR Card and found the BEST place for it - the toilet! Luckily I was able to go back to my previous work because of my clean record.

f you plan on moving to Canada, DO NOT DO IT. But if you are compelled to, don't think twice... think about it a HUNDRED times! Don't go there unprepared. Think about what is important to you, money or profession? Do your research. And by all that is holy - DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT QUIT YOUR WORK HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES UNLESS YOU ARE ALREADY SURE OF CANADA.

And I'd like to answer some of your questions as well:

1. Stay away from big cities. The job market there is highly competitive. Instead go to provinces with less people. The competition is clearly much better. You can always transfer anytime once you get the much sought for "Canadian experience" :uhoh3:

2. Yes that is true. Bridging courses are becoming the new norm for IEN's to practice in Canada. For RN's it is usually 2 years and 12-18 months typically for LPN's. But you better act fast, because educational policies in Canada are changing just as fast as they change their underwear. ;-)

3. I don't think a godmother can be of any help. It should be at least a next of kin. For example, a brother/sister, mother or father. Your godmother can probably help you in settling or sheltering you.

So good luck with your plans! ;-) And please, think it over... :no:

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jan 10, 2013

McLovin sorry you had this experience. Could you not have tried another province or further afield in the province you was living in? Seen many Philippine nurses in Nova Scotia and they appear to be settling in well

Boots RN · Jan 11, 2013

@mcLovin sad to hear your story... i hope you are in a much better condition now... and thank you for sharing your story... i still have 2-3 years to think about it... this is the reason i posted this topic because i wanna know things that could help me decide when or if my time comes...

tokidoki7, ASN, RN · Jan 11, 2013

@McLovin I'm sorry to hear your story! I can imagine how angry and let down you probably felt. I'm an RN myself from the US and I just recently turned in my application to CLPNA with the goal of eventually become an LPN. Since I only have an associates degree, I'd be wasting my time and money applying to become an RN. I already know I need additional schooling and I don't need to pay hundreds of dollars for someone just to tell me that. I figured maybe going the LPN route would be less complicated, but only time will tell if that's true. I've also thought about how difficult it would be for me to obtain a job in AB in the case that I am able to take and pass the licensure exam. I know for sure to definitely stay put in the US until I'm giving a job offer in writing.