How much time needed to prepare for SEC?

Fiona59 · Apr 26, 2011

The SEC isn't a great scary monster. It's an evaluation of your nursing skill and an assessment of how they match up with locally educated nurses. So, how confident are YOU in YOUR skills and education? Only you know what areas you are weak in and need to brush up on.

Results depend on how many other applicants are being evaluated.

Look for posts by Mona a German RN. She's recently been posting on her experiences with SEC.

But you do understand that jobs are not the easiest thing to come by in AB right now?

jazz1983 · Apr 28, 2011

Thanks Fiona59,for insight delieverd...can I ask u that where RN job situation is better-alberta,Nova scotia or saskatchewan? Moreover,I heard that they never pass u straightaway even if u are competent-at least they will give some remedial education & for that I'm scared as I'm financially compromised.

Fiona59 · Apr 28, 2011

The job situation isn't great anywhere in Canada. The AB govt. has pledged to hire at least 70% of graduating classes this year. We have grads from previous years still trying to find full time work.

Haven't got a clue about NS or SK. Other posters have reported work drying up but how accurate that is???? There are usually jobs in the high north but they are not for inexperienced nurses without a good knowledge of Canadian culture and it's problems.

The days of hiring overseas are truly over. Many Cdn. nurses are underemployed due to hospital funding issues.

benz2222 · Jun 2, 2011

sec is a monster. i just took mine. yes they will fail u. they need to make money from us enrolling in their program... what else....

an-nie · Sep 8, 2011

I will be taking my CARNA SEC assessment this third week of September. I will let you know. Email me [email protected] on the last week of September.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Sep 9, 2011

sec is a monster. i just took mine. yes they will fail u. they need to make money from us enrolling in their program... what else....

Their decisions have nothing to do with needing money from your tuition for their program. They make more than enough in tuition from their other programs. They are looking for specific competencies and if you don't have them, you don't have them. It's as simple as that. Nursing in Canada is a highly-technical, culturally-complex, publicly-funded and highly-scrutinized field. SEC is the best way of ensuring that nurses who have not been educated here are at least as competent at the job as newly-graduated local nurses. Period.

an-nie · Sep 9, 2011

Hi Janfrn,

I have been reading a lot on this site. I noticed you have tons of replies and comments on SEC, I just want to know if you have encountered someone who took the SEC and was ask to take the whole Nursing Program (3-4 years course)? Does this really happen? And also, If ever that I fail/not satisfied with the performance I did on the 5 areas/5 days. How long do you think will they ask me to go to school? Thanks for your reply.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Sep 9, 2011

I haven't heard of anyone being required to retake the entire baccalaureate-level nursing education after SEC, but it's theoretically possible, I suppose. The screening process, including evaluation of formal education and clinical experience, should effectively weed out those who would clearly never meet Canadian standards. SEC is an additional evaluation method where the person's competence isn't completely enumerated by their credentials - those whose formal education may be lacking in one area or another but whose work experience may have filled in those blanks. The results aren't considered to be as cut-and-dried as pass-fail; they give a detailed breakdown of the areas the candidate performed weakly in and a list of options for improving to the point of substantially equivalent competence. This remediation isn't usually expected to take more than several months, a year at most.

There is power in positive thinking. You sound defeated before you've even started. While it's good to have an idea of what could happen, it's better to focus on strengths. We all have them!

an-nie · Sep 9, 2011

I don't know if I heard it or read it here too. The question is supposed to be is it really true that they require you take the baccalaureate-level when they are unsure of your competence? I think that person they say is from Ontario. I don't know how they do their assessment in there but I have a friend that have already done it and they ask her to do full time "upgrading" as she describes it for 20 months. I am not sure though if we are talking about the same "assessment". Anyway, upon hearing/reading about this, It really hit me hard and stressed me in an instant. How hard could this assessment be that they will ask you to take the whole nursing program when they're not confident on your competency? Or how mean my assessors will be to "fail" me? :lol2: just kidding! It's fine for me to take any supplemental course or upgrading or refresher for a year, because I've been out of practice for years now but the whole nursing program? I don't know! Yah, my hopes are on the highest level. I'm in fact excited to do this and get it done.

Fiona59 · Sep 9, 2011

I don't know if I heard it or read it here too. . I am not sure though if we are talking about the same "assessment". Anyway, upon hearing/reading about this, It really hit me hard and stressed me in an instant. How hard could this assessment be that they will ask you to take the whole nursing program when they're not confident on your competency? Or how mean my assessors will be to "fail" me? just kidding! It's fine for me to take any supplemental course or upgrading or refresher for a year, because I've been out of practice for years now but the whole nursing program? I don't know! Yah, my hopes are on the highest level. I'm in fact excited to do this and get it done.

How long has it been since you worked as a nurse? You do realize that you are expected to meet the same standards as a locally educated new grad?

Are you prepared to wait a long time for employment? Every employer will ask you why you've been out of the profession for an extended period.

an-nie · Sep 9, 2011

I do understand that, that is why I am so eager to get everything done ASAP. I'm out of practice for 3 years and counting.

Well, as with employment, I'm not thinking of it yet. But, If you will be my employer, and I will answer you that I have been out of practice because I went to Hongkong and work as a Domestic Helper so I can come to Canada. I entered Canada under the live-in caregiver program. I was working as a Nanny at the same time I started processing my application to get my license to work as nurse. Unfortunately, I cannot change the status of my work visa after I got my license, I can only work as a nurse until I get my permanent residency which takes about almost 4 years.

So, will you be hiring me? Can that be a valid reason?

I'm open and willing to take whatever supplemental course/ refresher course they ask me to do. Even If I get my license and an employer ask me to take this and that just to get the job. I will do it.

But for now, I'm focused on getting a license. Which is the first step anyway right? I am taking it one step at a time so I get stressed one step as a time too..:))