I'm an American RN looking to relocate to Ontario and told that I have to take CRNE

[nandrani]

Hi. I have to take the CRNE and understand that you have only 3 chances to take this exam. If you dont pass by the 3rd chance then what happens? I also have an Associates Degree, is that a problem for Ontario? I was told that provience wants only RN's with Bachelors degrees. Does anyone know? If I study off of the prep tool book for the CRNE is that a useful guide. Would I be able to pass if I complete the study guide? Someone please help me. Thanks:nurse:

[elkpark]

But in reality, are you really meant to be a nurse if you fail the registration exam three times? Would you want that nurse to care for you or your family?

(I completely agree with you, Fiona, but you do realize, don't you, that we have nurses in the US that took the NCLEX seven, eight, or more times before they finally got licensed?? I figure that, if you take it that many times, it becomes more like playing the lottery than passing a licensure exam -- eventually, you just get lucky (with the questions you get asked) ...

I wish we had a firm "three strikes and you're out" policy across the US, but the reality is that the Canadian policy seems v. arbitrary and odd to many US nurses.)

[linzz]

I am just wondering if US employers ask nurses that are new, how many times you took the NCLEX, because here in Ontario, the exam is only written three times per year so you might have to explain if you don't pass the first or second time.

[elkpark]

I am just wondering if US employers ask nurses that are new, how many times you took the NCLEX, because here in Ontario, the exam is only written three times per year so you might have to explain if you don't pass the first or second time.

I don't know if employers ask potential employees, but I do know that that information is not available from the state BONs, just the date that the license was issued. However, potential employers are certainly free to look at when you graduated from school and the date that your license was issued, and draw their own conclusions ... If I were an employer and there was a sizeable gap between when someone finished school and when they were licensed, I would certainly ask that question -- but there's no way to verify whether the answer you get is the truth.

[want2banrn]

Can you be more specific on the hiring freezes in the provinces? Is the situation up there as dire as it is in the states for new grads?

[Fiona59]

Read the various threads in this forum. BC, AB, SK, Ont. have either reduced hiring of new grads and IENs or completely frozen.

Less than 50% of the new grads in AB found work last year.