Ontario RPN Schooling / American Bridging Question

[lmorris]

Hi, I'm an American (currently living in Ontario, Canada) and completing my 2-year RPN (Registered Practical Nurse) diploma in Ontario. I know there are tons of questions packed into each of the paragraphs below, but if anyone can shed some informed light on them, I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

1. If I decide to live in the States again (which I can do at any time, no immigration concerns at all), I'm wondering what my designation would convert to, as my understanding is that an Ontario-trained RPN is probably somewhere between the American LPN and American RN who doesn't have a BScN. Would it be as simple as passing the NCLEX-PN to work as a PN in the States, or would there be other prerequisites in order to write the exam?

2. How long would it take to bridge to RN or to RN with BScN in the States, and would it have to be in an LPN to RN program, even though I'm not exactly the same as an American LPN? I'm interested in that option because I would like to be able to work as an RN in the States (as we plan to live there sometime, too), and I hear bridging is considerably shorter there (due to different standards than here in Ontario), such as 1 year there vs. 3 here (to be an RN without the BScN... although I'm curious how long to get the BScN, too). Then, depending on which state I bridge in, could it end up being another hassle to be able to work in another state?

3. Does anyone know of a good RPN/LPN to RN bridge program located just on the American side of the Canadian border (anywhere along the border)? I know that probably sounds like a very strange question, but it would be helpful if we could live in Canada (so that my husband can legally work and earn income) while I pursue a bridge to RN in the States. I could commute across for school if it were close enough to the border.