Future Peds Nurse (from US) wanting to move to BC?

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Hello everyone!

So I'm currently a BSN nursing student in Virginia who will be graduating in two years. I know I will be moving to BC, Canada at some point because I'm marrying a Canadian. I want to be a peds nurse once I graduate and figured I'd ask a few questions on here to see if I get any responses. I've been reading all about how tough the job market is in BC and how difficult it is to get a job as new grad...let alone an internationally educated nurse. I'm a little worried to be honest, as I really do want to move but don't want to be left jobless and frustrated.

Is it a good idea to gain some experience (1 year ish?) in the US before relocating?

When should I look into registering with CRNBC?

What's the job outlook for peds nursing in particular?

Any tips for preparing for the process?

I understand that it's going to be a long, difficult journey and that it's still really early, but I want to prepare myself mentally as much as possible.

Help/advice would be much appreciated :) Thanks!

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In Canada, esp in BC, normal hospitals in the suburbs only have children observation units,not a full peds unit, and children there only stay for a few days max. There are 24obs area for peds too and usually some work in the ER. Most peds jobs will prob be at the bc children's hospital, which I bet would have a lot of competition from new grads and those who are experienced. You need to go through Nnas first before CRNBC, and If you are also a peds nurse, you may need to take an additional assessment exam for your sec. The regular sec is like 2 days for regular med surg nurses which means your exam will have an additional day or two depending on what they require. It seems more US nurses seem to go through Longer processing and documentation gathering for nnas, and expect to take more than a year at least for getting your Canadian license. It is getting harder each year (before nnas it was a bit simpler for US nurses to obtain Canadan license) and if you don't do well in sec, you have to take a refresher course up to a year in BC, so I recommend maybe starting with gathering info and applying ad soon as you graduate so you can work and build experience while you wait

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Refer to comment below :up:

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Thanks for clearing everything up for me! Very helpful. :yes: I'll gather as much info as I can now and start the process as soon as I graduate. One more question, do you happen to know if I should begin the process with NNAS before or after I establish my residency status in Canada?

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

You can start the process as soon as you graduate

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

There are peds beds outside of Vancouver. Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops and Kelowna General Hospital have some - they provide surgery and oncology services and have a peds asthma clinic. They both also have NICUs. Cariboo Memorial in Williams Lake provides some pediatric inpatient care but most likely not dedicated peds beds. The is a small PICU and a peds inpatient unit at Victoria General Hospital, and rehabilitation services at Queen Alexandra Centre for Children's Health in Victoria. Comox has several peds inpatient beds as well at St Joseph General Hospital. So there are actually a few choices there for you. But be prepared to apply on positions that aren't in peds, so as to keep your options open. And of course, a lot will depend on where your spouse wants to live and work.

You would be wise to start the process with NNAS as soon as possible after you graduate. They don't particularly care if you've ever worked as a nurse, so experience isn't as big a factor in this application as it will be for employment applications... experience you'll be getting while you wait on NNAS. :up:

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Great information! Thanks a ton. I'm excited :)

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