NNAS experience?

RN_Pro · Jul 8, 2017

... ER nurse, educated in the U.S., she has a BSN, she's been in practice for 9 yrs. THIS IS INSANE!! I feel like something must be done to change this process. I just wish we had SOME kind of way to log our complaints to Canadian immigration. ... I understand that everyone must be evaluated, make sure they're in good standing and well educated, but this is really ridiculous. I feel like our whole lives are on hold because a bunch of people in PA are following a flawed system that takes FAR too long. **weeping** Thanks 2 all for posting....depressing, but interesting read!

You've got that right. INSANE. The worst part is, provincial licensing bodies know this. They aren't actually worried that an applicant with a BSN from the US who works there as a RN is unfit to practice in Canada. They don't actually think a nurse with a US BSN is non-comparable. They just won't admit that they screwed up and created a faulty assessment system that does not catch competencies they are looking for. So they keep using it. They have made changes to allow more people to receive "somewhat comparable" and even "comparable" but they won't admit to it. Just all of a sudden people are receiving those results when people who applied 2 years ago but were educated at the same university received "non comparable". So those who applied earlier are left with their "non-comparable" because they won't admit it's faulty or that they had to make changes, while those who applied more recently and were educated in the US get "somewhat comparable" or "comparable" and are on their merry way. I'm glad for them, but it's unfair and faulty and insulting. I agree too that people do need to be checked thoroughly before getting a license, I just think continuing to use a system with so many problems is unethical. And, yes, people in Philly who aren't RN's are doing the assessment that you paid $650 USD for.

In Ontario we have Office of the Fairness Commissioner to complain to. Although they are just there to make everything look kosher, they actually don't care. Maybe there is something similar in Nova Scotia

Cate596 · Jul 9, 2017

Thanks for your response. If we get a "somewhat comparable" that means we can still apply to Nova Scotia's regulatory body? Or does it mean additional courses, etc. would be needed? It's so upsetting. All we want to do is live in Nova Scotia and contribute to society, work in a rural area, where nursing and social work is needed. It's so wrong to put people through this.

tamiko17 · Jul 9, 2017

Many of my results showed "not comparable" I only had one area that showed "somewhat comparable" but I was able to write the IENCAPS and passed which has ended up with me becoming registered with the CNO. I was educated in Ohio, with my BSN and the NNAS report showed that the education that I received wasn't up to par with Ontario standards (complete bs if you ask me) but it was a long process. I didn't get any comparable reports on mine but after taking the IENCAP test I was able to apply to the Ontario board

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jul 9, 2017

Thanks for your response. If we get a "somewhat comparable" that means we can still apply to Nova Scotia's regulatory body? Or does it mean additional courses, etc. would be needed? It's so upsetting. All we want to do is live in Nova Scotia and contribute to society, work in a rural area, where nursing and social work is needed. It's so wrong to put people through this.

Once you get your NNAS report you apply to CRNNS and let them make the decision based on your report. The college is usually quick in answering questions when you email them.

Not sure what social work is needed in NS but there are a few areas requiring RNs

Cate596 · Jul 9, 2017

It is complete BS!! Makes no sense at all.

Cate596 · Jul 9, 2017

Yeah, the social work verification was easy!! No problem, took about 5 wks. This RN verification is taking many many months as you know. Thanks so much, keeping our fingers crossed for a comparable or somewhat comparable. Because this has taken so long, we won't be able to move until next Spring! SO upsetting. We have three dogs to travel with over 4-5 days, so we can't do it in winter. They just don't care that they're messing up people's lives! Everything is on hold until this gets done. Sorry for the rant, but I'm so upset about it all & you guys know what we're going through!

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jul 9, 2017

Nurse registration and immigration have nothing to do with each other, this is the same regardless of the country and yes some countries are harder to get into than others.

It is frustrating but to be honest we see more people struggling with the US and UK than any other country. I would say traveling with dogs I would come after March when most of the storms have settled and travel is easier but saying that each year I have seen a different winter with last year pretty mild and the winter just gone also wasn't that bad.

Where in NS are you looking to live and work?

Cate596 · Jul 9, 2017

We'll probably wait until late April at least. We will move to any area of NS, wherever we can find a good job, where they need nurses. We just want to get there, work hard, get permanent residency and work towards citizenship.

RN_Pro · Jul 10, 2017

Yes you can still apply to the licensing body. They will be the ones to tell you what to do next. They might ask you to take a bridge program, or do an exam, or not. But the only way to move forward is to apply and have NNAS sen your advisory report to them.

RN_Pro · Jul 10, 2017

wait, do you have your Advisory Report yet?

Vasuema · Jul 25, 2017

Hello you all,

I'm new to this forum and was reading quite a bit on here.

I am a German educated Nurse (graduated in 2010 and worked for 4 years before I came to Alberta) and am trying to get registered in Alberta. So far my experience with NNAS has been nothing but terrible.

Just recently I received my report with 'not comparable'. There are many mistakes to find in addresses and titles, for instance: NNAS wrote the address of the courier service instead of the address of the hospital I worked. Or, my translation of my diploma states 'health care worker and nurse', all they wrote was 'health nurse' and some more.

I also do believe that many of my courses that I had during my training in Germany has either not at all or only partly been taken in consideration within that assessment.

To me, the whole assessment looks like its just a generated computer program where the Evaluator just checks off little squares and the program does the rest, properly or not (I may be wrong, it is just the way it looks to me).

However, I am currently working on a proper answer to all this which will regard all inconsistencies that have happen during the whole process as well as the mistakes and inconsistencies of my report.

Why I am writing to you here is:

I would greatly appreciate any helpful input in how to evolve my approach from Nurses from everywhere and maybe even from Germany who have been down this road themselves. Or maybe someone has any tips in what to do if I am not getting heard?

Best regards, Vanessa

RN_Pro · Jul 26, 2017

Unfortunately Vanessa, you are one of many.

You can have those mistakes corrected, and I would if I were you, however, it is not likely to have any impact on the final outcome of your non-comparable report. NNAS is known for being sloppy and they make many such mistakes. But the outcome of the report itself is common: most receive 'non-comparable' for RN, except for some (only some!) US educated nurses, only recently. A Filipino and an Indian nurse received "somewhat comparable", but this is very rare. Don't pay the $500 fee to appeal. Call NNAS Customer Support and ask them to fix the errors. If you don't get anywhere, ask to talk to a manager. If this doesn't work, you could always try calling CARNA to ask for advice as to what to do, since their 'partner', NNAS is not providing accurate information for your nursing file. This is unlikely to have an impact though. Licensing bodies are well aware of the problems with NNAS and quite honestly, they just do not care at all.

You are almost correct in the way the assessment is conducted. NNAS says it is not machine-assisted, but that evaluators go through your nursing course syllabi to search for words that have been selected from Canadian nursing course syllabi. There isn't any critical thinking involved, and the evaluators are not nurses, nor are they Canadian.