Early prep for Canadian move--is it worth it?

[TexasCourgette]

Hi everyone! I've been scanning the international forum for a few days now, and wanted to ask a question that I suppose is about efficiency.

I'm a nursing student, born and raised and studying in Texas, with a year to go on my BSN. I'll graduate in May 2012, and then I'd like to hi-tail it up to Ontario (Ottawa area) as quickly as I'm able (that's where my boyfriend of 2 years lives, and is originally from). I'm more than a bit worried about being able to find a job, and the CRNE has me scared. I bought my first CRNE prep book this morning, and am drawing up a study plan for the next 10 months/however long it takes for me to be declared eligible to take the CRNE. Is this *too* far in advance? Is there an advantage to prepping now, instead of waiting for another semester? Is the advantage big enough to warrant stressing out over it, at this point (as opposed to say, in January)? Should I be worried about forgetting everything I learn (or, everything I learn that's different from the NCLEX)?

Final question (s):

-I'm a little confused, after reading the websites for various nursing Colleges in the provinces, and the CIC website, if getting a job offer and work permit is an employer-driven process or not--at what point do I begin contacting hospitals in Ontario? January (when is when I begin job-searching in the states)? Do I need to have a work permit first? I understand that the cap for RNs is reached rather quickly each year, but it's also my understanding that a job offer will get you a permit regardless of the cap status. Is this true?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

The FSW route and cap is governed by you requiring 12 months full time experience. If you have employer then yes you can still apply and do not need the 12 months experience. However you may find the employer will prefer experience. To get a work permit you do need a employer if the FSW then that leads direct to PR and different requirements like no employer if FSW1

[itsmejuli]

I think you should concentrate on completing your BSN and studying for the NCLEX before worrying about the CRNE.

I recently relocated back to Canada from the US. I found the CPNRE much easier than the NCLEX-PN. So I imagine that the CNRE will be easier than the NCLEX-RN. :)

If you and your b/f are long term you'd be better off getting married then applying for residence and work permit here in Canada.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Ontario has a surplus of their own new grads, the government pays employers to hire new Ontario grads, however, even with the initiative some of the new grads experience a long delay in finding work. If you want more details, you can contact Healthforce Ontario and ask them what the job prospects are for an internationally educated new grad http://www.healthforceontario.ca/.

Are you bilingual? If you plan on working in Ottawa, employers prefer to hire applicants who are proficient in both English and French.

[TexasCourgette]

I'm bilingual in Spanish and English--French is a work in progress, I'm studying while bouncing around Montreal and my native Austin. Beyond French proficiency and the CRNE, what possibilities are there for making myself marketable? I've heard that Ontario is a difficult place to be hired in because of the surplus of new grads. Would my chances increase if I came in with more experience (completion of a US Versant residency or a year-long residency program)?

Thank you for the healthforce link (I'll contact them today), and to everyone for the replies so far!

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Bilingual or in your case trilingual will help your resume stand out in Ottawa. I am not sure what type of nursing you are thinking with a Versant program, but if it is acute care, then I have to warn you, in Ontario the market for acute care nurses is saturated. Also, most acute care facilities are unionized and under the Ontario Nurses Association collective agreement, the jobs go to the qualified applicant with the most seniority. You might want to consider gaining experience in long term care or community nursing, the market is slightly less saturated in these areas.

In your case, I think it might be an advantage to gain experience in area of nursing where the nurses are not unionized and an employer may recruit outside of Canada, for example clinical research trial coordinator.

[TexasCourgette]

Any idea what the market is like for maternity/women's health? Working in women's health is my "dream job", but first job out, I'll take anything, given the difficulty most people are experiencing finding employment. I've heard that community nursing is markedly different in the states v. Canada, and that this also shows up differently on the CRNE. I've yet to have my community health clinical (occurs this January--but from what I know of it, I like the field), but I have conducted a research study in that area.

Is research, then, something that I should look into more heavily (regardless of my interest in it)?

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Recommend you read through the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute website, they have research programs in cancer, chronic disease, clincal epidemiology, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, and vision. There is currenltly a clinical trial coordinator posting in the epidemiology program and the research study is on pregnant women and their offspring.

http://www.ohri.ca/Careers/details.asp?CareerID=629

[TexasCourgette]

Thank you for the info!

[dishes, BSN, RN]

In response to your question "Is research something I should look into regardless of my interest...?" I recommend you learn as much as you can about the area you are passionate about. If you want a career in maternal health, then make it your career goal and do everything you can to acheive it. You can start working on your goal while you are a student, try volunteering with a maternal health researcher. Do a Google search to see if any maternal health research studies are going in in your area, then ask the investigator(s) if they would like a volunteer to help with their research. Volunteering with a maternal health researcher will expose you to the detailed work that is involved in research and give you an even greater appreciation for the maternal health patient population. It will also help you to understand the connection between research and clinical practice. In addition, volunteer experience looks good on a resume and provides you with a valuable reference for future jobs.

[TazJ]

I graduated from an accelerated BSN program in Florida last year and then got married & moved up to Manitoba right after graduation. It's been almost a year now, and I can't take the CRNE until October so I've lost out on over a year of nursing experience.

I don't want to put you off or complain, but you need to do a lot of thinking before making such a big move. First of all, you need to find out what the nursing registration requirements are in Ontario: you will definitely need to pass NCLEX, show proof of licensure in the US, and submit all your transcripts.

Next, you need to recognize that just because you are licensed in the US does not by any means guarantee licensure in Canada. For example, I had excellent grades, passed NCLEX, etc. but since I was educated outside of Canada, my province required me to pass the Clinical Competence Assessment (or SEC in other provinces). It took about 6 months from the time I submitted my application to get the results of the CCA and approval to sit for the CRNE. Since the CRNE is only offered three times a year, my first opportunity to sit for it will be in October. Oh, and the CRNE is completely different from NCLEX.

As you can see, the process is complicated and takes time. I would definitely recommend you to ask specific questions about education requirements: do they need your program to be a certain length of time? Even though I graduated from one of the top accredited nursing programs in my state, the CRNM had issues with my program not being long enough - even though they said they didn't have specific requirements for credit hours or clinical practice hours. That's why I had to pass the CCA just to become eligible to sit for the CRNE. I have heard Ontario is even more strict and also does not have the CCA/SEC, so you need to find out what would happen if they determined your transcripts were not adequate - would you take the assessment, do you take a bridging program, or do you have to go back to school??

Like I said, I don't want to scare you, but you definitely need to do your research. That said, when I called the CRNM several times before moving, I was told the registration process would be relatively straightforward since I was coming from the US. Things changed drastically after I actually submitted my application.

If possible, I would recommend staying in the US while you wait for your nursing application to go through in Ontario. That way, you can easily get hired at a local hospital where you've done clinicals. You might have to make a trip up to take the assessment, but at least you're gaining valuable experience back home in the mean time!

Hope things work out for you!

[TexasCourgette]

TazJ, thank you so much for taking the time to write out your reply! What was involved in the CCA for you?

I too, keep hearing that it's relatively straightforward--and people outside of nursing (who have never had to look for a nursing job) keep telling me that "it will be so easy" because I'm from the US and am a nurse. I appreciate their optimism, but knowing all the waiting/wanting/effort/plain hard work that goes into it, I find it frustrating at times.

I haven't been participating on the site long enough to be able to send private messages yet, but when I do have that ability, would you be comfortable with me contacting you to find out more about your experiences?

Again, thanks for your reply--it really helps to know what questions I should be asking the CNO.