Emergency/ Critical care nursing in Canada

[UK_RN_AJ]

Hi all

Just a quick question in regards to emergency/critical care nursing in Canada. From what I can find out on the internet there are several courses in emergency nursing and critical care nursing in Canada.

I know there are several courses such as the ALCS , TNCC and ENPC which are much like courses we have in the UK but under different name with slight differences to practice.

However I am a little confused when it comes to the CCRN and CCNC-© for critical care and CEN and ENC © for emergency nursing, I understand that one of these in each specialty is American and the other being a Canadian course for each specialty.

Is there anyway of choosing between these courses ?? I.e is one held in higher regard within Canada? I am just trying to find out information as I hope someday to work within Canada as an emergency nurse.

Any help would be great.

[loriangel14, RN]

If you were going to work in Canada you would take the Canadian course.Th US and Canada are two different countries so it would make sense that you need the certification for the country you want to work in.

[UK_RN_AJ]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, now that I see how I have phrased the question I do look a little stupid. However looking back at the boards a lot of emergency nurses in Canada have completed the American CCRN and CEN rather than the Canadian version, just wondering why ??

What are the differences between the American and Canadian courses?

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

The Canadian Nurses Association doesn't recognize the American certifications and many employers don't either. The designations CCRN, CEN (American), CNCC© and ENC© (Canadian) relate to the nurse being certified in critical care or emergency nursing and are not connected specifically to any course, just the fact that the individual has passed the certification exams. Their knowledge base may come from post-basic specialty courses at the college level or from a combination of education and experience. The main differences between the two sets of credentials is related to the differences in the two health care systems. Canadian health care includes more focus on determinants of health and preventive health care while the American credential is almost purely clinical. As to why Canadian nurses would choose to complete the American credential, the exams are cheaper, they're offered more frequently and they measure clinical competency. As well, many Canadian nurses who would be of an age and career trajectory to have obtained these certifications are likely to have been part of the cohort of nurses graduating in the mid 1990s at a time when jobs in Canada were extremely scarce. American hospitals aggressively recruited Canadian nurses at that time with the result being that a significant portion of a generation of Canadian nurses went south for work, returning to Canada (and their families) once the pendulum swung and Canadian nursing jobs opened up about a decade later. As long as they continue to work in their chosen specialty they're able to maintain their certifications, no matter which side of the border they were obtained. Does this help?

[UK_RN_AJ]

Yes!! Thank you so much for that reply Janfrn . So once experience is gained and courses taken, from your answer I'm guessing the only real option would be to take the Canadian certification course it order to gain my status as a emergency nurse and/or critical care within Canada, also Is possible to attain both certifications ??

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Of course you can obtain both certifications. But it isn't necessarily a condition of employment to be certified. I've been working in peds critical care for more than 15 years and have no formal certification other than Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and that's about to lapse because I won't be able to recertify before the deadline due to operational requirements at my job. However, I have decided to become certified with CNA as a Certified Nurse Critical Care Pediatrics (Canada) or CNCCP© this year, on my own time and on my own dime, even though it's not a requirement and there's a very paltry 50-cents-an-hour wage adjustment for it. (If I leave the ICU that extra cash disappears... there's no recognition by my employer for certifications not applicable to one's job.) Of the hundred or so RNs I work with I believe there are only half a dozen who are certified.