letina

Hi, hoping silverdragon or RGN might see this post and advise me, as I know they are both British RN's who are now in Canada. I immigrated to the USA from the UK in 2006 and have worked continuously as an RN here since then. However, I'm ready for a change and seriously considering Canada. My main question is age related. I am 57 years old. Would I be too old to apply? If not, could anyone please point me in the direction of how to apply to live and work in Canada? Thank you.

She did not get ATT due to the deficient hours in OB and peds. However, the board members all seemed very willing to try assist her and this was their judgement, after discussion and questioning her about her UK training..... They will provide her a letter to apply for a place on a remedial course, the one for NCLEX takers who have failed the exam 3 times. The course is 80 hours theory and 96 hours practical, and she has 12 months to complete this. As soon as she can provide the BON with proof of completion and passing, they will then issue her ATT for NCLEX RN. My friend is very happy with the decision, and I personally think it's a better situation than getting ATT right away as she will have the opportunity to study and review with the guidance of an instructor. The practical experience will be good for her too, she will get a flavor of floor nursing in the US. Thanks for asking :)

Hello Rachel, That's a shame your chosen BON are not being helpful with your questions. My friend was told the same when she applied to Florida BON......no hours in OB and paeds. However, they did not reject her outright. Instead, they have passed her file on to be discussed at the monthly board meeting (which is in 2 days time) and she has the opportunity to speak to the Board. She is under no illusion that they will approve her, but at least she gets the chance to hear what they say. Seems every BON is different. Good luck to you :)

Hi Nick, I have some info which might give you an idea how things work with regards your transcript etc. I have a very close friend from the UK who is living in Florida now due to her husband's work. She is an RMN and had her transcripts evaluated to see if she qualifies to do NCLEX. She is deficient in hours in OB and paeds (she actually didn't do any during her training) but the Board did not reject her application and say no outright. Instead, they have decided to present her transcript for discussion at the next monthly board meeting, which is on Wednesday November 30th. She does, however, have excess hours in all other areas, and many years of experience, but not sure if this is considered. She has a job offer pending a Florida RN license and in the meantime has been hired as a CNA (she challenged the test, passed, and got a CNA license) So it would seem there is no definitive answer regarding hours. As others have said, best to have your transcripts evaluated and see what happens.

If you are L2 visa, I take it your spouse is on L1? You say your visa expires next year.....is your spouse (or his company) not planning to apply for a renewal / extension then? Also, many companies who hire L1 employees go on to file for their green cards. So you have options that you need to look into.

{quote=Ginger's Mom;5708877]At my husband's employer all L1 visas were denied renewal. With the US economy in such tough shape an international company is only allowed so much time. Considering it is almost 2012, and you friend has not passed the NCLEX yet, it would be hard for her to find employment for one year ( plus all the extra paper work). Trouble is most nursing schools have intergrated their programs, meaning pedi and ob is not a unique course. Years ago when the test was broken down into certain subjects, it was easier to pick up a course, now I would think it would be min. one year and most places have a waiting line. The current wait for a green card is retrogessed to 2005 I believe, so I don't think the L visa will hold the family over. As far as talking at the board, I would advise your friend to hire an attorney, I don't think she can speak unless she is on the agenda. Legal counsel can help with this. Thanks Ginger's Mom for your contribution to the thread :hug: I'm sorry for the people who got denied their L1 renewals. They must be very disappointed. My friend's L2 is good through September 2013 and she has already been networking with the hospital she wants to work at. They have been very supportive of her and actually have offered her a position as a PCT whilst the RN licensing issue is hopefully being resolved. This is a godsend to her, as at least she will be able to familiarise herself with the culture and how we work here. Her husband's company have filed I-140 petition for him under the EB1© category which is current right now and has been for a while. His company lawyer said he is confident the I-140 will be approved well before this current L1 expires. His experience says this particular category have been getting approved in approx 6 months. So my friend could in fact have a green card in about a year if all goes well. Regarding the attendance at the BON meeting, she still plans to go and has made some notes in preparation for making a statement to plead her case. Does she have to let them know to put her on the agenda? Or can she just ask to speak when her case comes up? Not sure she would really need a lawyer, it's not a disciplinary matter. What do you think?

Hi :) Sorry you did not get any help with your question. I have just found your post and would like to ask how it worked out for you at the board meeting? My friend is in the same situation for RN license. She is going to the next meeting on November 30th as the board has to approve her application. Hope you got the result you wanted :)

Thanks :) My friend's husband has an L1 visa and his company are petitioning him for a green card, and I believe that particular category is not subject to retrogression or a cap on numbers. As things are right now, their visas (L1 and L2) are valid until September 2013. So, aside from the visa issue, my friend plans to attend the board meeting to hear her case discussed. Do you know if she will have the opportunity to speak at the meeting? She is prepared for the fact she may need to do some classes to make up the deficient hours. If you have any further advice it would be much appreciated. She has tried to get some answers from the BON but they are being rather vague and will only say it will be discussed at the meeting.

Hi, Nursing education and qualifications in the UK are very different to how nurses are educated in the US. A mental health nurse in the UK is an RMN and a general nurse is an RGN (maybe you could google those to understand the differences between the two. To work in mental health in the UK, a general nurse won't cut it. You have to go the RMN route and be a specialist in psych nursing. Similarly, a UK RMN cannot work as an RN in the US unless the RMN has evidence on their nursing school transcript to demonstrate they did the minimum number of hours (both theory and practice) in med/surg, OB, pediatric and psych during their training. Hope that answers your question somewhat, but google those 2 things (RMN and RGN) and see if that helps. :) The RMN course consists of 18 months generalist training and 18 months specialising in psych.

Florida Hospital are holding a recruitment event for RN's at all 7 campuses in Central Florida on October 6. Not sure if they are hiring GN's though. The last recruitment event was for experienced RN's only, but don't know about this one. If you go to their careers website you should be able to get details.

OK, so now I have seen the letter my friend received from Florida BON. It states "you do not meet the minimum number of hours in pediatrics and obstetrics" Just wondering why they plan to review her case at their board meeting? If she does not meet the minimum requirements, I would have thought it would be a "no" or at least suggest she make up the hours. Any thoughts anyone?

Hi, My friend has had her UK transcripts evaluated and the report has been received by the Florida BON. She has received a letter from the BON saying "you are deficient in hours for pediatrics and obstetrics and your application will be discussed at the board meeting on November 30th" We have googled and found minutes of board meetings and it seems some nurses are approved due to "excessive hours in other areas" but of course some have been denied too. Just wondering if anyone else has been in this situation and what the outcome was? November 30th seems a long time to wait. We naively thought the report would state any deficient hours and those hours could be made up in an approved college, as my friend is already living in Florida as a dependent on her husband's business visa and she has an Employment Authorization Document so is legally entitled to work. She just needs to get past the dreaded NCLEX so she can apply for a job. So, any thoughts anyone? Thanks :)

You will need to show a contract of employment when you attend the embassy interview. No employment contract means no visa I'm afraid, but I'm sure you are aware of this and it is your cause of worry. Do you have a phone number for anyone at the hospital who petitioned you? You really need to speak with them to clarify your situation. Good luck :)

Hi :) Has anyone used www.wes.org for evaluation of transcripts as a foriegn nurse for the USA? I'm a bit out of the loop with requirements now, as I went through the immigration process several years ago and the only option at that time was CGFNS. But I heard you can now use alternative agencies, provided the applicable state BON approves. Is this correct? Thanks

Anna, is Suzanne still around? Haven't seen her posting for a while. Hope she's OK.