Canadian RN moving to US

World International

Published

HI guys!

I'm Ryan from Philippines currently living in Canada. Reason for planning to move to US is because it is very hard to process RN in Canada. Very long and expensive process plus 1 year of bridging program.

First question:

Please compare the work in CANADA and US.

Second question:

Regarding TAX, As Canadian citizen you still have to pay taxes every year right? I just want to know the ranges that we should pay for the Canadian government. I know it varies in the state your living and etc. Just want to know from the first hand experience.

Third question:

Is it true that the hospital will give you such things like Moving expenses, shelter and signing bonus?

Last question:

Is it worth to move in US or do you have lots of regerets?

Thanks and God Bless to you all!

Ryan

1st question - some people will have there own opinions about it for me i like it better then working in Canada when i was working in Canada i had a few employees who worked in the U.S. before and some had mixed feelings so liked it some didn't like it so the best thing is if you have the chance to go and see for yourself that's the only way you'll know is to try yourself

2nd question - yes as a Canadian citizen you will still have to pay both Canadian/US taxes if you become a Permanent Resident then i believe you don't have to pay Canadian taxes "don't quote me" not 100% sure depending on how much your making in the US will determine on how much you'll pay in Canadian taxes

3rd question - depending on the hospital some will offer signing bonus & moving expenses the hospital i am working for now gave me $2,000 to move from canadian to georgia

4th question - have been working in the US for over 3 years and i love it and was worth it for me and have no regrets

Bardsbeach

3 Posts

1st question - some people will have there own opinions about it for me i like it better then working in Canada when i was working in Canada i had a few employees who worked in the U.S. before and some had mixed feelings so liked it some didn't like it so the best thing is if you have the chance to go and see for yourself that's the only way you'll know is to try yourself

2nd question - yes as a Canadian citizen you will still have to pay both Canadian/US taxes if you become a Permanent Resident then i believe you don't have to pay Canadian taxes "don't quote me" not 100% sure depending on how much your making in the US will determine on how much you'll pay in Canadian taxes

3rd question - depending on the hospital some will offer signing bonus & moving expenses the hospital i am working for now gave me $2,000 to move from canadian to georgia

4th question - have been working in the US for over 3 years and i love it and was worth it for me and have no regrets

Hi The_Gift,

You mentioned that you're a Canadian nurse that works in the US. I am a soon to be RN graduate (Aug.) and I'm interested in working in the US. I was wondering what your advice is for new grads? Should I stay in Canada for a year to gain experience or do US hospital provide enough training that its safe and feasible for an new grad to succeed. Also, is the hospital culture very different from Canada in the sense of healthcare coverage etc. Did you experience some culture shock or is it very similar to our hospitals here? Any advice/tips are greatly appreciated.

well from what ive been reading and hear on forums that it would be diffcult to get a job and in the U.S. due to all the new grads in U.S. that are trying to find a job also not saying that its not possible but if you have all your credentials in order (your BSN, state license, & visa screen, NCLEX,) it doesn't hurt to try and see what happens, the hospital that i work out told me specific that they rather hire inside like people doing there placements and such cause it cost them a lot of $$ to train i worked in a small health center when i graduated for about 3 years then worked in a hospital for 2 years before i made the decision to actually leave Canada and try nursing in american....

so my advice to you is when you graduate get all your credentials that's needed and apply for Canadian & US jobs and see what happens if you don't get any call backs from US hospitals its more then likely cause you don't have experience which EVERY hospital says they want! which is a joke! work in canada for a couple of years then reapply again when you have the experience and see what happens

Bardsbeach

3 Posts

Thanks for the response!

Marmaladey

8 Posts

Hi Ryan,

I recently started working in the USA and I'm a Canadian nurse. One thing I noticed about the USA is a lot of hospitals here aren't unionized and many of the nurses I've interacted with are anti-union and thinks unions protect lazy, incompetent co-workers.

1. One thing I like about the USA in comparison to Canada is that hospitals offer tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness. The hospitals here offer a lot of nurse residency programs for new nurses (I'm currently enrolled with one in the hospital I work at). In Ontario I found it a challenge getting the into the new graduate initiative. My hospital orientation in the USA on the floor is 2.5 months, the hospital I worked in my hometown in Ontario was 10 shifts on the floor. In the USA you have PCT who are PSWs essentially and at the hospital I work at they do vital signs, bladder scans and can discontinue foleys and IVs on top of doing bedside care. In terms of ratios I have 4-5 patients on nights in the USA while in Canada I had up to 8 patients on nights.

In the USA you have the opportunity to self-schedule and pick what shifts you want to work as full time. Where I worked in Ontario not so much for full time. However I want to mention in the USA if they are low census you can have your shift cancelled and be sent home. In terms of breaks, I tend to find in the USA where I work nurses only take 1 hour breaks for 12.5 hour shifts while in Canada especially nights nurses take 2 hour breaks. This is just my observations.

The pros working in Canada you are unionized and everyone gets paid the same doesn't matter if you're in medical-surgical or the ICU and our health care. The cons especially in Ontario it's very tough finding full time positions.

The pros working in the USA is a lot of hospitals give you tuition reimbursement to further your education and get your Masters and become an NP or CRNA. I find the training in the USA is long and thorough. Cons of the USA most places are not unionized and you can be let go for anything really. I feel like I have to kiss up more to patients here in the USA. Just my personal opinion.

2. I haven't worked in the USA long so I can't give any info how taxes would work given the fact I live in Canada.

3. Some hospitals do. One hospital I interviewed for in the Southern States offer to give $5k sign on bonus for 2 year contract. It really depends on each individual hospital. One of my friend's was offered a 20k sign on bonus for a hospital in South Texas.

4. I haven't moved to the USA I live in a border town and commute but I suppose if you wanted to be closer to work then it wouldn't be a bad idea living in the USA.

I hope I answered most of your questions. I apologize in advance of any spelling/grammatical errors. Best of luck!

Marmaladey

8 Posts

Hi The_Gift,

You mentioned that you're a Canadian nurse that works in the US. I am a soon to be RN graduate (Aug.) and I'm interested in working in the US. I was wondering what your advice is for new grads? Should I stay in Canada for a year to gain experience or do US hospital provide enough training that its safe and feasible for an new grad to succeed. Also, is the hospital culture very different from Canada in the sense of healthcare coverage etc. Did you experience some culture shock or is it very similar to our hospitals here? Any advice/tips are greatly appreciated.

I'll be honest it's gonna take a couple of months to have your credentials edited from CGFNS. It took me 4 months to get my Visa Screen but there are US hospitals willing to take Canadian new grads matter of fact I got a new grad position at the hospital I currently work as I had less than 1 year experience as an RN. My training is for 2.5 months. I'd look for new grad positions and be flexible with moving far away.

Just my two cents...

YassKween, BSN

27 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care.

Ryan,

You're in Canada, why not get all your schooling done in Canada first before making another move to another foreign country. I am a Canadian nurse who went to nursing school here and it took 6 months in total for US licensing and visa screen. Visa screen took the longest, you will need to arrange to have your nursing school send your transcript to them. Why go to all the trouble you've done in Canada and start all over in the US?

Fiona59

8,343 Posts

Ryan,

You're in Canada, why not get all your schooling done in Canada first before making another move to another foreign country. I am a Canadian nurse who went to nursing school here and it took 6 months in total for US licensing and visa screen. Visa screen took the longest, you will need to arrange to have your nursing school send your transcript to them. Why go to all the trouble you've done in Canada and start all over in the US?

From what he's said in his post, he's still being assessed to see if he qualifies as an RN in Canada. He mentions having to do the bridging program.

+ Add a Comment