Confused!! Irish trained nurse required to do SEC assessment?!?!

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Hi fellow RN's,

This is my first post, so hope Im putting this in the best place for your help.

I have recently just qualified (Sept 2013) as a RN in Ireland, to BSc degree level. Unfortunately, to work as a nurse here after qualifying the only options available are agency work which is ok but Im a single mom and need some continuity, new graduate contract or private nursing homes. I have taken the graduate 2yr program which offers 85% (€11.36/ hr!!!!!) of the first point of the nursing scale and 90% of the first point in year 2 and then its time to apply again as a RN but nobody is hiring. I was earning more as a care attendant for this same institution while trying to better myself and providing for my sons future and now that all my hard work has paid off Im worse off. I can't stay here any longer. It is so disheartening to be working alongside agency staff who earn more, kitchen staff and domestic staff who all start on a higher salary than the newly qualified nurse and all the responsibility that goes with this job (that I love, by the way).

Anyway, I have been doing some research about immigrating with my son in tow!!! I have decided that Canada would be a good match for us and Im hoping to apply for a 2yr IEC visa when the application process opens up ?? within the next two weeks or sooner.

I feel that BC or Alberta is a good option. Im leaning more to BC, esp Vancouver, as I know some people there already or possibly Calgary vs Edmonton. Any advise on where I would have a better chance of getting a job, with 1yr acute experience (in acute stroke) would be a great help.

I am aware that to get an RN license I will need to do a CRNE exam. However, I have also discovered that I may have to do an SEC assessment exam also. Does any IRISH trained nurse know if this is required. I have read that UK trained nurses have to do this, but I know they only train for 3yrs vs the 4yrs in Ireland.

I can't afford to stay in Ireland anymore, like much of my uni colleagues who have already left. Any help or advise is much appreciated :)

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

They will decide if you need to do the SEC after they have assessed your education. It has nothing to do with where you are from.

You do realize that the job out look for nurses is bleak, especially in BC and Alberta?

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Hi Loriangel14,

Thanks for your reply. I may not have been very clear, I am aware that the requirement for assessment is education based. However, no disrespect to UK trained nurses, but from researching this topic I haven't found any info as to whether Irish trained nurses have needed to do this further exam. We train to degree level in Ireland over 4yrs and in the UK they train for 3yrs. From speaking to other nurses who have travelled abroad to work, Irish trained are deemed better trained! Not in every case though

can you advise me in why the job outlook is bleak?! I plan to travel on an IEC work visa, so hopefully once licensed, this would allow me easier access to work. Its a two yr visa and no LMO needed I imagined. After this time, I may consider staying on and then will need to look at visa/lmo process!

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Bleak as in there are no jobs..Plenty of job cuts and bed closures. Plus they tend to hire locals before IENs.BC and Alberta are the hardest hit provinces although Ontario is not good either.Vancouver is the most expensive place in Canada to live.If you do a search on here there are numerous threads regarding trying to find jobs in these provinces.

There is no standard rule regarding who has to do SEC.It is determined on an individual basis.Are you generalist trained?

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Pretty much similiar to Ireland then. Yes, generalist trained. If visa is granted Im hoping to travel once I have 12months acute experience. Thanks for all the info,think I need to look at this long and hard!

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Good luck.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Best of luck but a lot depends on your transcripts and not where you trained. Not just the UK nurses that have had to do SEC but seen many other nationals have to do it as well.

You do realise that even if you get IEC you will still require a medical to work as a RN?

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I work in Alberta. Our new grads are having difficulty finding that first job despite the provincial government stating they will hire 70% of all local new grads.

Competition within the health service is stiff. I have 12 years experience and can't even get interviews for positions I'm interested in. I work on a specialty service. Our last two vacancies for part time jobs had over 60 internal applicants. Preference is given to nurses who have been displaced by beds being closed and the revamp of staffing that our ministry of health is doing.

That's how bleak it is.

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Hi

If you wanted to consider UK to expand on your experience then the UK still has demand for agency nurses and as an Irish trained nurse you would find it easy. I trained here in UK(trained myself AFTER getting my RGN ) as my training was not good !! The agency rates are dropping thanks tp govt cutbacks but im setting up my own as have 100 nurses to start with and contacts etc. The UK govt are now trying to find cheap as chips nurses from Italy and Spain as they did in Portugal !! See the www.kentfreedommovement for the global agenda !!

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