Nurses from UK in canada

i would like to know the answer to this question, as the americans still think that canadians are dying while they wait for treatment, and it takes for ever to get mri's and elective surgery and even stuff like hip replacements. and of course, that rubs off on the uk as they know the uk has a similar system.

HI,

I moved recently to Canada (Alberta) from the UK & from initial impressions I think the health service here does a good job on the whole. I'm not saying it's problem free (what health service is) but the pt care, at least where I am, is of a very high standard, as is the cleanliness.

I don't know enough to comment on waiting lists but the pts I deal with don't wait any real length of time as they are oncological.

I did have to take my daughter to emergency a few days into being here, as she cracked a bone in her foot. We were all done & dusted (x-ray, cast etc) after 2 hrs. I think that was pretty good service.

I feel comfortable with the health service here because I know is that I'll never face bills I can't afford. There's always good & bad in everything but I'm happy I made the move. I can give high quality care (most of the time) in a system which doesn't discriminate on the grounds of wealth.

Nursing here is closer in style to the UK (from 1st impressions) & I think that most UK nurses working here settle quite quickly as the adjustments are fairly minor. From chatting to US nurses I work with Canada really seems a bit of a halfway house between US & UK nursing. In some areas they are more like the US, in others more like the UK.

One thing I do know is that N-CLEX is much easier to study for (not neccessarily pass but study for) then CRNE!! There's way more useful material out there for the US exam than there is for the Canadian one - which is more of a trial than an exam!!

On the whole I think you make your choices & you make the most of those choices. I'm happy I came to Canada, others are happy they went to the US, still others wouldn't leave the UK for all the tea in China!

I am waiting to start my Diploma Adult Nursing here in the UK. My wish is that once qualified I will start the process of emigrating to Edmonton AB in Canada.

I know some of you have done just this albeit with more experience, so what advice would you offer to someone in my position, especially regarding top up courses for the Canadian Accreditation?

I am waiting to start my Diploma Adult Nursing here in the UK. My wish is that once qualified I will start the process of emigrating to Edmonton AB in Canada.

I know some of you have done just this albeit with more experience, so what advice would you offer to someone in my position, especially regarding top up courses for the Canadian Accreditation?

Hi and welcome to the site

I would recommend that your training covers all areas as Canada is generalist not specialist like the UK. If you do not have hours both in theory as well as practical in Mental health, midwifery, paeds will be covered by adult then you will have to make hours up before they will allow you to sit the CRNE

I am waiting to start my Diploma Adult Nursing here in the UK. My wish is that once qualified I will start the process of emigrating to Edmonton AB in Canada.

I know some of you have done just this albeit with more experience, so what advice would you offer to someone in my position, especially regarding top up courses for the Canadian Accreditation?

Suggest you do a search on the topic in the Canadian & International Forums, as much has been said on this topic.

In a nutshell though you won't really know where you fall short until you submit your records to CARNA, check out their website for more details: http://www.nurses.ab.ca/Carna/index.aspx

As a guide the areas most likely to be short, depending on your course, are paediatrics, maternity &/or psychiatry. There are ways to make up this shortfall but they will cost a pretty penny. Again I think people have posted about that on the afore mentioned forums.

Also, as an aside, there is talk of Alberta becoming an all degree training (& therefore all degree accepting) Province - so if you can, switch asap to the degee course.

Happy researching!

I don't believe it SD you beat me AGAIN!!!!!! I must have been editing my post & you snuck on in there!

I don't believe it SD you beat me AGAIN!!!!!! I must have been editing my post & you snuck on in there!

:rotfl:

You know me :)

:rotfl:

You know me :)

:kiss

Thanks very much everyone for your comments.

Unfortunately as a much younger man I binned my A levels, which means that I may only sit for a Diploma, unless in the first two years I show my tutors that I am capable of taking the final year as a thesis year.

By the sounds of it I will have to work very hard and get my Bsc.

My course, which ever way I get the qualification is aimed at Adult health so it is likely that when I move to Edmonton I would have to work on a restricted practice licence until I had done a 12 week rotation with either a Paed or Obs tutor.

This last bit of info comes from Geneva Health in London. Are medical recruitment firms to be trusted?

Not sure why you would want to use an agency and the process can easily be done by yourself and would take approx 8 months from start to finish. RGN1 went through the process by herself with no real big problems. We did it ourselves although hubby is the main applicant in our visa and I am not nursing yet but the application in most is the same but working in healthcare you have to have a medical

I rang a the HR department at The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton and they said that the best person to speak to was Geneva Health in London as it would be they who would recruit me.

If I can do it myself I will. God knows you cannot depend on anyone else to do stuff for you.

I fully intend to apply for a job once I finish training, as both my wife and I have agreed that the sooner we get to Canada, the better. This is mainly because we have two young sons who we wish to benefit from living over there.

As I will need to do Paediatric and Obs/Gyn work to get my full licence, do you have any idea what these rotations cost and how long they take?