Hospitals Volunteer in B.C

[john snow]

Hi guys, I'm a registered nurse in the Philippines and new here in BC Canada and looking for hospitals that accept a volunteer, any positions related to the health field will do, the purpose is to gain the so called Canadian experience.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Are you licensed as a nurse in BC?

[john snow]

No. Only in my country. Just arrived here at BC first week of June. I still have no idea what credible assessment center to be evaluated my credentials by Canadian board of Nursing to be able to upgrade my profession here.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Then how can you do volunteer work as a nurse to get the "so called Canadian experience" if you are not licensed to do so? You cannot volunteer as a nurse in BC unless registered with CRNBC. An out of country credential does not permit you to practice as a nurse in BC even as a volunteer

There is only one agency that evaluates credentials for all provinces except Quebec: NNAS. It is not a quick process and may take up to two years.

There are no boards of nursing in Canada. The regulatory bodies for nursing are Colleges of Nurses. For BC it's the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia.

Here is the information for IENs:

Registration for international nurses

You start with NNAS & also are required to prove English language competency to the professional standards of CRNBC.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

While I understand nurses frequently volunteer in hospitals in the Philippines this is not an acceptable practice in North America. Only licensed nurses may work as a nurse whether paid or volunteer

[dishes, BSN, RN]

It can take many months for education to be assessed by NNAS, suggest you start the application process ASAP. Also, consider applying to be assessed for both PN and BSN, as your BSN from the Philippines might not be deemed comparable to a Canadian BSN. While waiting for your credentials to be assessed, suggest you find work as a private health care aide, it won't count as nursing work, but at least it will give you a small income and Canadian references.

[john snow]

ok thanks, but I mean to say is any health care position related to my course like care aid etc in the lower position except (household aid) that will benefit me to growth professionally.

[john snow]

How about ICES that evaluate my credentials?

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

How about ICES that evaluate my credentials?

NNAS is the only valid service accepted for nurses. If you look at the ICES list CRNBC is not listed

[dishes, BSN, RN]

ok thanks, but I mean to say is any health care position related to my course like care aid etc in the lower position except (household aid) that will benefit me to growth professionally.

I am not clear what you are asking, but I consider 'professional' to mean someone who holds a license for the profession in which they are working and if they move to a new country, their professional growth is on hold until they are licensed in that country.

[loriangel14, RN]

You cannot work as a card aid as a volunteer. As the others have said, NNAS is the only body that can evaluate nursing credentials.

[nursejane29]

hospitals do not have any volunteer position for care aide.. most of their volunteer positions are information/greeter and way finder. I did volunteer before and that help get me connected to the right people and get the feel of working in a hospital setting here.