Canadian going to US school for RN

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Hi All,

I'm new to the site and thought i'd ask you all for advice.I should have thought all this out before, but did not :(

I'm starting school here in Florida in January hoping to get an RN and at the end of it all pass the NCLEX exam (I know,thinking way ahead) My questions were: Is it hard to get hired as a Canadian in the US? What kind of Visas' will I need? Does being educated in the US help or hurt me? Are employers willing to hire Canadians and go through all the Visa issues when they could hire an American just as qualified? What options other than hospitals are there? And last but not least what would be the chances of getting hired on the Gulfcoast of Florida

since I already own a house here? Please give me any advice or experiences. Thanks!

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Specializes in Home Care.

I'm Canadian. I lived near St Petersburg for many years as a permanent resident. I studied part-time working towards RN, then went to school full-time for LPN. A year ago I was in school in Florida studying to complete RN.

Well, given the current economic climate in Florida and the difficulty in finding an RN job as a new grad, I gave up that idea. I sold my house at a loss in March and returned to Canada.

Owning a house in FL has nothing to do with immigration. Being Canadian doesn't make it any easier for you to get a working visa with no nursing experience.

The Florida winters sure are nice, but reality is that life in Florida is difficult. I'm very glad that I returned to Canada. I had no difficulty finding a job as an LPN here in Calgary.

The grass may almost always be green in FL, but life certainly isn't rosy.

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Hi (itsmejuli), and thank you for your post. Like I said I'm new at all this...was the education worth it? Did you exhaust all your options when looking for a job eg. hospitals,doctors offices,private,etc? Did the school help you with employment after you left as an RN?

Thanks again all the info I can acquire helps!

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Moved to the International forum

Jobs are pretty hard for USC and people with PR without a International student making it. If you meet criteria for TN visa it is an option however what you have to think about is what RN training you are planning on doing in the US as Canada requires BSN just in case you plan at some stage returning because you will have to meet provincial requirements and pass CRNE

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Specializes in Home Care.
Hi (itsmejuli), and thank you for your post. Like I said I'm new at all this...was the education worth it? Did you exhaust all your options when looking for a job eg. hospitals,doctors offices,private,etc? Did the school help you with employment after you left as an RN?

Thanks again all the info I can acquire helps!

My original intention was to get BSN in FL before returning to Alberta. All of my family including my children are in Alberta, I was the only one left in Florida. I'd lived in Florida since 1994 and watched the state go downhill since 2008. So I decided to quit school and return to Alberta as an LPN. I'd also been reading the Canadian forum and reviewing the hiring practices of AHS. I had a better chance of finding a job as an LPN. And no I'm not going on to RN. Its too expensive and I'm tired of school.

New grad RNs in the Tampa area are lucky to find a job and lucky if they start at $22 an hour. Most of these jobs are casual or part-time, full-time jobs are hard to come by for everyone. You also have to consider how many new grad RNs are graduating every 4 months in your area.

And no...most schools will not help with job placement. If you're lucky and a great student nurse you might get offered a job where you do your final nursing management placement.

If you really want to go to school to do something that will probably get you a job in the medical field do something different like occupational, physical or speech therapy.

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