how to be a dialysis nurse in canada?

dishes, BSN, RN · Feb 7, 2010

I do not know what the current demand is for dialysis nurses in BC, you can do a job search to find this out. If the job posting shows the dialysis nursing position is within the scope of a nursing union contract, than the job will go to a qualified nurse who has union seniority. There are usually enough nurses working in Canada to fill the demand for these positions. As for extra education, there are dialysis nursing courses available through some of the nursing colleges. There is also a nephrology nursing certification exam available through the Canadian Nurses Association for nurses with 2 years or more working in the specialty.

dishes

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Feb 7, 2010

BC currently has a moratorium on hiring IENs. Perhaps by the time you've worked your way through the process of registration there might be some loosening of the economy and there may be vacancies again. But for right now you will not be able to obtain a Labour Market Opinion that will allow you to apply for a temporary work permit.

In order to be eligible to write the CRNE you have to have been assessed as registerable by the provincial College of Nursing. Depending on where you were educated, that process may include a Substantially Equivalent Competence assessment.

All of this information is available in one thread or another on this site. Read some of the threads on the International forum, where this thread is being moved since it isn't applicable to the majority of Canadian nurses.

Fiona59 · Feb 7, 2010

Dialysis nurses are trained through the health region that employs them. In Alberta it is roughly a three month course and practical expeience. LPNs and RNs recieve the same course and certificate after the employer based exam. It's only RNs who can write for the course Dishes mentioned.

You can work in either acute or satellite centres. From what I've seen here in Alberta there is a fairly high turnover in the satellite units. Nurses up here are required to be able to do the entire process, clean, run, and string their machines. There aren't techs like there are in the US, only a couple of service aides per unit, who can string and start the machines but cannot touch the patients.

sephine, LPN · Feb 8, 2010

Im really interested to be a dialysis nurse but I'm on doubts if it can really be a good choice when it comes to job opportunities in canada..specifically vancouver area.

my second choice is being an ICU nurse though ... I'm kind of confused...

well thanks for the thoughts shared guys!..

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Feb 8, 2010

What kind of experience do you have? I would guess that you have none.

Why do you want to be a dialysis nurse? There's a very high incidence of Type 2 diabetes in aboriginals in both Canada and the US, which means a high incidence of renal failure as well. There will always be a need for dialysis nurses; so much so that some provinces are opening satellite clinics in remote communities so that the patients can stay in their communities and not have to spend their whole lives either receiving their treatment or traveling for it. Have you done any actual research about nursing in Canada, or do you just have it in mind to move to Vancouver?

The days of wholesale nurse recruitment from other countries are over. Even when the wheel comes back around and there are vacancies in huge numbers it's unlikely that any province will again resort to blind acceptance of anyone who applies. There have been too many instances of that being a very bad move. The job market for nurses in Canada is cyclical; we move from budget cuts and massive layoffs to massive shortages and desperation recruitment. The last cycle lasted 15 years, with the height of recruitment efforts happening in 2008-2009. I can't see the current cycle being a brief one, so it may be years before IENs are able to obtain work in Canada in any great numbers. But that doesn't mean you can't apply. Be prepared for many demands for documentation and clarification, testing, more testing, waiting, rejection letters and the spending of large sums of money.

Yangi Blon · Apr 9, 2021

Hello I am from Nepal I have experience for 9years as a hemodialysis nurse I have done 3 years PBN from Nepal how can I be a hemodialysis nurse in Canada .do I have to study any course?