mattmend

Hi all - Hope you can assist with some advice about my situation. I graduated from an ADN RN program in the US in June. I passed the NCLEX-RN at that time. I have just moved to Toronto. I have applied for licensure with CNO as an RPN since I only have a 2-year nursing degree. Now, here's where it gets complicated. I have been accepted to an RN to BSN program at the University of Maine, the balance of the program which I am able to complete online. If I am granted that BSN from the U of Maine, can I then apply to the CNO for licensure as an RN and are they likely to accept my degree earned there? Thanks in advance - Matt

1. How many questions did you take on NCLEX? 75 questions, 50 minutes 2. What study materials did you use? Did you take a test review course? Saunders, Lippincott's Palm program. 3. Did your SON offer any testing (ERI, ATI, HESI)? They offered Medspub.com online tools. In addition, they hosted a 4-day training with a Medspub instructor. 5. What were your thoughts coming out of the test (total disbelief, certainty you had failed, confident you had passed)? I thought it was excruciating. Easily the hardest exam I'd ever taken. Almost immediatley it felt like the questions leveled up and only got harder. Seemingly I had no easy questions after the first one or two. It also seemed almost entirely to consist of prioritization questions with (at least in my case) heavy emphasis on infectious disease, psych and med-surg. I was certain I failed in spite of many friends' sound logic to the contrary based on my observations. 6. Was this your first attempt at NCLEX? First and last.

Hi - I could use some advice. I recently graduated from a two-year RN program in the United States and passed my NCLEX-RN on Monday. I am moving to Toronto next week and am in the middle of the process to become licensed in Ontario. I have resigned myself to the fact I'll only be able to practice as an RPN in Ontario despite my more in-depth training as an RN in the US. My question, however, is as I wrap up getting licensed in Ontario, what hospitals in the Toronto area will even still hire RPNs? Any leads at all would be most appreciated. Regards and thanks in advance - Matt

Hi - I'm a semester away from graduating from an RN program. In New York, I can take the LPN exam now if I wanted to start working. Since I'm only taking one final class next semester, I'm considering it. Thoughts? Might it differ substantially from the RN material? I can't imagine most of it would. But thought I'd ask. Regards - Matt

Hi - No, I suppose you're right if there are RPN/LPN jobs to be had. They're being used less frequently here in the United States. As for not staying in the US, the decision to move to Canada was a conscious one unrelated to work, and had more to do with general shared values of Canadians, political climate there, my own values being more in line with theirs, etc. I suppose if there are a lot of RNs leaving Canada, job prospects there should increase? Regards - Matt :)

And apparently it's dependent on education level in each province. You can't automatically just take their national licensing exam for RNs just because you're an RN in the United States. If you don't have what they deem enough hours of education for that particular province, you may be relegated to licensing as an RPN (think LPN) until you get the required hours of education or just get the required education before writing their RN exam. So long-story short, apparently you have to have the equivalent of a BSN in some provinces but not others. I'm going through this right now. Though I am only graduating with an associate degree in nursing and will take NCLEX-RN in June before moving to Canada, an would be an RN in the United States, I won't have enough hours of education in at least BC and Ontario to become licensed as an RN there. So, even though I was recently granted a permanent resident visa and have the immigration side tied up, the job hunt will be entirely different. If I choose to live in BC or Ontario, I'm going to have to get licensed as an RPN/LPN and gain the extra education part time until I can write their RN exam. Matt

I took the permanent resident route (and am not actually a licensed US nurse yet). My permanent resident visa was just approved after applying in 04/04. I'll graudate from US school and write NCLEX in early June 06. And then relocate and work on temporary CNO permit while their process crawls at a snail's pace to allow me to write the Canadian licensure exam. Just my two cents. Matt

Hi - Quick question. I am a nursing student in New York who will graduate in May 06 with an Associates Degree in Nursing and write the NCLEX-RN exam right after. I already have a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. I am immigrating to Toronto next year as my permanent resident visa was just approved. Here in the US, there are a ton of RN to MSN bridge programs for those who already have a previous Bachelor's degree, the thinking being, why force someone to get a second Bachelor's degree in nursing when they can use their RN education and previous Bachelor's work to go right into a Master's program in nursing. Are there similar programs at any universities in Ontario? How about online? (another huge trend here) Thanks in advance - Matt