Dont know where to start...need advise for Canada

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Hi everyone,

I'm planning to take the CRNE through British Columbia, I already read and understand their requirements and how to apply for registration. I am from the Philippines, I am a Registered Nurse and working in a tertiary hospital as a staff nurse. I think I can manage to apply and eventually take and pass the CRNE. My question is,after passing the CRNE, what will I do to practice my nursing career in Canada? Is it the same as looking for a canadian employer (hospital) to petition me for permanent residency just like in the US? I understand that there would be a temporary registration which will be issued to me to work temporarily as an RN, but how will I use it? I am not familiar with the Canadian Immigration? I need your inputs.

Thank you.

hi suzanne,

Once I sit for the crne exam, will I still continue to work and be compensated while waiting for the exam result?

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
hi suzanne,

Once I sit for the crne exam, will I still continue to work and be compensated while waiting for the exam result?

If working already in Canada then you continue working whilst waiting for results. If you fail then that is where changes come in

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yes, I'll be working there as a GN maybe by September. Probably I'll write the exam by February. Thanks Silverdragon

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

You are welcome and good luck,

PS that looks like when I will be taking it too

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Hello Ma'am! I'm very glad I found this thread because these are actually the exact questions that I had about employment in Canada and I guess you are the "Go-To" person for these queries. I hope you don't mind answering some additional questions that I have for you.

First, are there hospitals in BC that consider foreign RNs with less than 6 months experience?

Second, I have been browsing the internet for quite some time and have found several health authorities in BC. Namely, Fraser Health, Interior Health and Northern Health. Would you recommend any of these? I realize there is no way to minimize travel times from the Philippines to Canada in order to process everything, what with the LMO and medical exam but is it more ideal to go through these authorities than going through the whole process myself? Thank so much for any response that you may have. More power!

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

Silverdragon102's experience is largely from the Maritimes. I'm not sure how much she can tell you about BC. I can tell you that Fraser Health is largely urban, with a significant number of large hospitals. It is close to Vancouver, with the associated high cost of living. Climate is temperate and wet. Interior Health is pretty much in the centre of the province. It contains a few medium sized cities and a lot of tourists. The climate varies a fair bit depending on how far north you are. Kamloops gets more snow than Kelowna but it's hotter and drier most of the year. Northern Health is the most rural of the three. Most of the communities are relatively isolated. Weather is cool in the summers and cold and snowy in the winter. Cost of living is high here too due to the isolated nature of the region. You're a long way from Vancouver in Northern. If one is a specialized nurse, Fraser would offer the most opportunity. If one is a generalist, then any of them would be fine.

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How about Regina Saskatchewan healthcare? I'll be working there maybe on Regina General Hospital or Pasqua Hospital? Any inputs for these hosp?

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Hello Ms. Jan! Thank you so much for your quick reply. I'm so sorry I didn't immediately realize that there are many moderators who know a lot about nursing in Canada. I apologize for the oversight. Also, thank you for the info regarding the above mentioned health authorities. Obviously, I didn't consider the weather and cost of living and was happy to be enlightened regarding these matters. After reading your post, I think the best decision for an entry-level nurse would be fraser or interior since living in place with a high cost of living would not be ideal at this point.

Also, is experience a very important factor in BC? I mean if I have less than 6 months experience, would that mean that I will not be considered for employment at all?

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Janfrn is correct my experience is the maritimes so am on the east coast I have no experience with other provinces but I do have some experience with TWP and the process of coming over to Canada. Things to consider on where you want to live is weather, what sort of lifestyle you want, transport (if you don't drive and need to rely on public transport then what is available) and work (what experiences you have to what experiences you want to gain) Some provinces require some sort of bridge program but cases are usually made individually

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Thank you Ms. Silverdragon. There so many things to consider but I am especially concerned with travel expenses when going back and forth from the Philippines to Canada in order to write the CRNE and then to have to come back here to process the LMO and the work permit. Is there possibly a way that travel times will be reduced? Right now, 1 Canadian Dollar = roughly 45 pesos and airplane fee will cost about CA$3,300 which is very high.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Thank you Ms. Silverdragon. There so many things to consider but I am especially concerned with travel expenses when going back and forth from the Philippines to Canada in order to write the CRNE and then to have to come back here to process the LMO and the work permit. Is there possibly a way that travel times will be reduced? Right now, 1 Canadian Dollar = roughly 45 pesos and airplane fee will cost about CA$3,300 which is very high.

Depending on the province you may get a temp permit which allows you to work in Canada whilst waiting to sit the exam, this will cut down on expenses. This means you will have a employer first although they probably would prefer it if you already started process with the provinces nursing board. The problem will arise if you fail the exam as work permit is set to the job

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Yes ma'am, and assure you, I am as nervous about taking the CRNE as I was taking our local boards here.:) Thank you so much for all your help. Would you mind terribly if I came to you sometime in the future should I encounter another dilemma regarding my application? I truly appreciate all your help. I know this is going to be a long, tiring and expensive process but will be worth it when it is done correctly that is why I want to make sure that I know what to do step-by-step. Thank you!

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