Is canadian nursing higher than that of the United states?

suzanne4, RN · May 12, 2006

Canadian training is no different than the US, it is not better of higher, but the same in many cases.

Not sure if you realize that it will much more expensive for you to attend school in Canada, you will be a foreign student. And depending on which province that you go to, some are now requiring the four year degree.

You will need to go thru processing as a foreign trained nurse if you attend in Canada and wish to work in the US. Meaning that depending on the state, you may need to get a CES, or even write the CGFNS exam.

I would do alot more research before you decide that this is something that you are definitely going to do. They have waiting lists there as well.

spirit11 · May 16, 2006

Suzanne, what is a CES? or CGFNS?

thanx

gchelak · May 17, 2006

Canadian training is no different than the US, it is not better of higher, but the same in many cases.
Not sure if you realize that it will much more expensive for you to attend school in Canada, you will be a foreign student. And depending on which province that you go to, some are now requiring the four year degree.
You will need to go thru processing as a foreign trained nurse if you attend in Canada and wish to work in the US. Meaning that depending on the state, you may need to get a CES, or even write the CGFNS exam.
I would do alot more research before you decide that this is something that you are definitely going to do. They have waiting lists there as well.

I agree! I finished my pre-reqs and was just accepted into nursing school in TX when my husband was transferred to Canada (we are dual citizens so I would not have had to pay foreign fees for classes) but not all of my classes would transfer and I would have had additional classes to qualify for the nursing programs in Alberta. I called the AARN and they advised that if I finish school here and take the NCLEX so I would be coming to Canada as an RN. I did just that (my husband moved and it has been rough) and just received the OK to take the Canadian exam for licensure the other day. If you transfer, (as suzanne4 said) you will have to pay international student fees and probably have to take more classes. You need to do some research before you decie.

Gail

suzanne4, RN · May 17, 2006

Suzanne, what is a CES? or CGFNS?
thanx

Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools.

CES is the Credentials Eval done by them, a sevice that some states require if you did not graduate from a program in the US.

spirit11 · May 17, 2006

Thanks Suzanne;)

nursesarah · May 24, 2006

Canadian training is no different than the US, it is not better of higher, but the same in many cases.
Not sure if you realize that it will much more expensive for you to attend school in Canada, you will be a foreign student. And depending on which province that you go to, some are now requiring the four year degree.
You will need to go thru processing as a foreign trained nurse if you attend in Canada and wish to work in the US. Meaning that depending on the state, you may need to get a CES, or even write the CGFNS exam.
I would do alot more research before you decide that this is something that you are definitely going to do. They have waiting lists there as well.

i would like to comment on this. im not going to say that the canadian education programs are better or worse, because i do not have experience with any american colleges. however, it seems as though alot of american recruiters hit canadian colleges and universities to hire and set up interviews for hospitals down there (i was approached about jobs in california, texas, and arizona). the general impression me and my fellow classmates received is that canadian trained nurses are highly valued and respected down there. i was told outright by one of the recruiters that its because the programs in canada are better and we have graduated with degrees. i dont know how true this is (bc there whole point is to try get us to go down there, so they might be appealing to egos lol)

but over 1/3 of my graduating class has gone to the states. these are nurses that have graduated this year. they all have full time work and have gotten amazing packages for moving. just to give you an example of one friend of mine....she's going to california. she's working full time. they paid for her to fly down twice for interviews. they are paying for a hotel for 40 days while she finds a place to live. they are covering all the costs of her move there. and they are giving her a huge signing bonus. not only that, but i believe they are also paying (or reimbursing her) for her Visa screen and all that stuff as well as training for the NCLEX.

control · May 26, 2006

On the flip side, I've been trying to get someone in Canada to hire me. I have 4 years experience (perfect job record), a state-side education (4 year BSN, graduated magna, passed boards on the first try); I'm a hard worker, a good work ethic, and I'm ready and willing to pay for my own moving expenses. I've had a couple of interviews, but no results over the last year. Not only that, I can't write the exam in Ontario because I'm not a resident. I've even contacted everyone from individual hospitals to the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration directly, and no one "wants" me. It's like they're thinking "why do you want to come here??"

It's very depressing. I'd really like to migrate to Canada and hope to become a permanent resident. But it seems so involved and I feel very unwanted. I'll probably just hire an immigration lawyer for 200 USD an hour (that I don't have to spend).

We import Canadian nurses easily, but Canada isn't importing US nurses very easily, it seems.

Sorry for the venting.....

I think the reasons companies/hospitals recruit Canadian nurses out the wazoo are because we have a shortage, Canadian nurses are trained very similarly to US nurses, and most Canadian's are pretty indistinguishable from Americans, so they "fit in" easier than say someone from the Phillipines.

nurse_ange1 · Jun 3, 2006

I think the reasons companies/hospitals recruit Canadian nurses out the wazoo are because we have a shortage, Canadian nurses are trained very similarly to US nurses, and most Canadian's are pretty indistinguishable from Americans, so they "fit in" easier than say someone from the Phillipines.

I'm American and did all of my schooling in Canada and was offered a FT permanent position. The customs thing is a big headache I know... However I do believe you can write the the CRNE before becoming a resident, however they will not actually give you a liscence until you have an offer of employment. Then once you have those two things you go to canada customs pay about 200 dollars and get a work visa. This will likely only be for one year and will require annually fees until you decide to fully immigrate (which takes several years of living/working here). Try Ontario.... There are lots of jobs and I know specifically at my hospital we need nurses--- there is a shortage of new grads because of the switch from diploma to degree. PM me if you want some more info. Hope this helps.

Also... personally I know that American/Canadians are trained slightly different with a different focus. American students don't do a lot of clinicals and most of that isn't until the 3 & 4 year (degree). However, in Ontario (cant vouch for other provinces) we have clinicals from the 1st semester and in the final year we only have 1-2 online classes and do clinicals or "consolidations" full time until graduation in areas that really interest us. Also, the focus of the care is patient care whereas much of the American theory is on management and delegation. Alot of this has to do with how the health care systems are set up. Just my 2 cents.