Frustrating CNO process for IENs

[kakeru]

I'm an internationally educated nurse and have had extensive experience in nursing from my homeland and internationally. I'm on the process of assessment in CNO for RN registration. I'm also a new immigrant in Canada looking for a better future for my family and aiming for career advancement. However, ironically, CNO might have mislead me into a chaotic process of registration.

I was assessed to undergo OSCE through CEPHEA to determine if I have gaps in nursing practice. I am resigned that I will definitely have identified gaps especially in regards to Canada's nursing practice which I'm not quite familiar with. However, what ****** me off is that CNO seems to have no idea on how to help the IENs fill in the gaps. Imagine a friend of mine who recently been assessed with 3 gaps among the many criteria and after which was lost what to to next. She was given a list of colleges and universities to inquire from and guess what?? The were no particular pathway or courses available to specifically fill in the gaps. There is however, a bridging program at York university which takes 20 months to finish and accepts only 50 candidates per school year. Talk about the backlog of IENs who wanted to get in! it's hundreds or probably thousands! Other colleges offer courses too by the way, then you need to push through university. So in total that will take you three years to finish.

I understand that Canadian nursing system is different and I am most willing to conform with what is needed. However, it's really insulting to IEN's to pay for an OSCE assessment then be left without a clear tract of what's going to happen if we fail. No offense but I've worked for 15 years internationally and I don't think that I have to study for 20 months more so 3 long years to be an RN in Canada. Nursing is nursing regardless of where we came from. It's basically caring with few tweaks of technical differences from place to place. And personally, I think, it should not take 20 months or more to learn and conform with the differences. So frustrating!!!

[RN_Pro]

so which is the province u would suggest immigrant (am one of them tryg to immigrate to Canada) to go for ...i mean cheap housing and more opportunities???

I wouldn't say any province in particular. I would say any remote community, like in the northern parts of Canada or the less populated where they need nurses because people don't really want to live there. I know some people who were able to get a job even in Grand Prairie, Alberta.

The most important thing I think though is that you decide how badly you really want to move to Canada. Depending on your current situation, this may not be a decision you will be happy with in the end because immigrants, especially those who are professionals in their home country, face a lot of hardship and struggle being recognized here. Often, they don't get the opportunity to practice their profession. I have many friends who's parents are working in factories or driving taxis but expected to practice their professions as veterinarians, lawyers, occupational therapists. So you have to be prepared for financial hardship or for the potential that you could take years to get licensed as a nurse. Or, that you will have to practice nursing in a location that is not a diverse city centre. All city centres are extremely expensive to live in. Toronto and Vancouver are unaffordable to newcomers, and other city centres are becoming that way as well. Rent for a small but clean and decent one-bedroom apartment in Toronto can be around $1500 CAD. Minimum wage in ontario is $11.40/hour. Personal Support Workers make around $16.50 per hour and this is a job that many newcomer nurses take because of difficulty licensing as RN or RPN. It costs about $500 per month for two adults to eat healthy meals in Toronto.

Just providing some information because I have seen a lot of hardships. Just want everyone to make the best decision for them, which I know you will.