madricka

Yes, consolidation hours are not paid work. And you can only do 200hrs/semester at George Brown. It’s also kinda pricy — each semester of clinical was around $1500. The theory classes are cheaper (between $325-450 each). There are also books, supplies, scrubs (burgundy), etc. Centennial has a program that is a bit more condensed but they focus on community & psych as opposed to acute care which is why I opted for George Brown (I planned to return to critical care nursing, which I did right after).

The clinical is usually one day a week for 8hrs for 12 weeks — which I know, doesn’t add up to 200hrs/semester. They count all the homework, prep, group work, assignments, etc towards the 200hrs. So it’s entirely doable for you to stay in Peterborough & commute in for the clinical day once a week. Alternatively you might be able to find a preceptor locally who is willing to work with you. Definitely talk to George Brown, they are eager to help students.

It isn’t fair but it is what it is. I was VERY angry about the reinstatement requirements but I really wanted to work again. They will not consider your unregulated work as nursing practice since you were not registered with the CNO. As for the CNO letter — 21 subjects but not individual courses. You’ll have to take about 10 courses to cover all the subjects. As for the clinical, 400hrs is 2 semesters (at least at George Brown since you can only do 200hrs per semester). You also need to complete most of the coursework before you will be permitted to do the clinical hours. So yes, over a year to complete plus the wait time for CNO to receive your transcripts & fees (this takes a few months). You will not have to do English language proficiency test — if you take courses for reinstatement with an Ontario college, that will count as proof of English language proficiency. There is no wiggle room, the CNO is very firm about their rules. The time will pass either way so if you want to work as a nurse again it’s best to just grit your teeth & get through it. It goes by surprisingly fast.

No, it is a set program. It is designed to cover the courses required by the CNO. Pretty much everyone has to do the same thing so it’s not really unique to you. The only difference might be the number of clinical hrs required but that is pretty much 400hrs for 99% of people. I saw one person have to do 600hrs but she had been away from nursing for 17yrs. Otherwise everyone takes the same courses/clinical.

The CNO doesn’t tell you where to go, in fact they are not allowed to because it would be unethical for them to endorse one program over another. So choose the program you like that suits your interests, learning style, financial situation & location. I picked GBC because of location. I hate online learning & most of their courses were offered in-class & online. The campus was beautiful (literally overlooking the lake) & easy for me to get to. I had done my critical care certificate there so I was familiar with them. The focus was on acute care nursing. So it worked well for me. Different programs will work better/worse for you. The courses you would do as part of the refresher are all you need to do. The colleges will get a copy of your CNO letter from you & they have these students all the time. They know what is needed to satisfy the CNO requirements. They are the experts. No worries there. So yes, just the one program at whatever college you select. When you complete all the courses/clinical there is a verification form the college fills out for the CNO & they send that directly to CNO. You also send a copy of your transcript as evidence of completion. Note that the list of topics for theory courses the CNO requires will have some overlap. So if CNO says you need theory courses in pharmacology, geriatrics, computers, health assessment... you don’t need separate courses in each subject. If half of the theory courses you take have a module dedicated to geriatrics, then that requirement is satisfied. The college knows this & will complete the verification form with this in mind.

Not much to tell. You apply for registration with the CNO & pay the fee. They send you a letter with the list of things they require (ie. proof you did nursing program, ID, police clearance, English language proficiency, etc). One of those things will be evidence that you practiced nursing in the last 3yrs. If yes, they will process your application & you will be registered to work. If no or you are unable to provide proof, they will give you instruction on how to fulfill that requirement. Specifically they will say theory courses that cover certain topics (pharmacology, health assessment, computers, geriatrics, etc) plus give a specific number of clinical hours you must complete. I’ve seen the range between 200-600hrs, most ppl have to do 400hrs. Once you provide all the documentation in that letter & pay all the fees, they will register you & you can start working as an RN.

I can’t add links here but the Centennial College program is called, “Bridging to University Nursing - IEN”. If you read the program description it specifically stated it is not just for IEN’s but also for domestic students needing to refresh. My prog at GBC was the same. There is no separate program that is an RN refresher. They put you in with IEN’s because the courses are the same for both. I just looked & it is 2 semesters. Fees are listed at the bottom, roughly $3500 for the 2 semesters. Everything is listed on the program page.

I didn’t mean to overwhelm you! I think the Centennial program is shorter (a year, I think). No idea if it’s cheaper. They might give you credit for courses if taken relatively recently. GBC waived a few courses for me because of my work experience (ie. they didn’t make me take basic emergency management). I think you could likely get a job in LTC here. You have relevant experience & the LTC facilities here are desperate for staff. Actually, everywhere here is desperate for staff. But because you don’t need acute care experience to work in LTC, your chances are much better there. It might mean taking a less desirable job at first & then working towards transitioning to something you would prefer later. Or you could do the program at Centennial (or wherever) & get the education/experience you need to go into your preferred area straight away. Lots to consider.

I did 3-4 courses a semester, depending on availability. I think I did one theory course that was allowed to be taken during clinical. Some are lighter than others. Some are very heavy & a LOT of work. For example, “Nursing in Ontario” wasn’t too bad. Mostly reading with a few assignments/exams. But “Pharmacology” & “Health Assessment” were WAY heavier in terms of content, reading, essays, exams, group work, presentations, etc. So you also need to consider that or you will overload a semester & burn out. But yeah, pretty much like university all over again. Not fun. And yeah, they required theory courses be completed before you can do clinical (with a few courses that can be taken during clinical but very few, like one or two, most had to be done before). It makes sense though, you kinda need to do pharmacology & health assessment & stuff first. I think the Centennial refresher program is more geared towards mental health if that’s your thing. And they do clinical at the same time as theory. When I was researching different schools before I remember not choosing them because of that. I needed something more acute care hospital-based because I was planning to return to critical care. I don’t think you could work in mental health nursing without experience in that area. I could be wrong but most places want you to have some kind of experience. No disrespect to you but no one would count your camp nursing experience. So on paper you haven’t done anything nurse-wise since you graduated 6-7yrs ago. Again, I’m not disrespecting you at all, life happens. I’m just speaking from a practical standpoint. I’m not going to sugarcoat things & waste your time. LTC nursing is caring for geriatric & disabled population. So basic nursing care: meds, baths, personal care, ambulation, assessments, etc. Nothing fancy. Different focus from acute care nursing. One last thing, CNO is SLOW! So you submit fees/docs, they take forever to assess.

BTW, I should point out I am only talking about the program at George Brown. Other colleges might do it differently. But that was my experience 2yrs ago.

I was previously working full time in critical care before I was injured & away from nursing (graduated with BScN in 2007 & started working immediately). I was away from nursing for 3yrs & 2 weeks and CNO made me do refresher. I did refresher at George Brown in 2017-2018 & started working in ICU in Jan 2019. Doing the fresher is pricey. Each course between $350-450. Clinical placements are only 200hrs per semester & cost around $1500-1700 a semester. Plus textbooks, scrubs & other misc costs. You cannot finish all the courses in a year. They are not hard but very time consuming. There are pre-requisites for some courses & not all are offered every semester (plus they fill up fast). Clinical cannot be done until certain courses are completed (ie most of the theory ones) & you can only do 200hrs in each semester. I finished in 4 semesters (2 semesters just theory courses & 2 semesters of clinical). You also have to consider work/family obligations. There is a LOT of work in these courses/clinical (reading, assignments, essays, group work, etc). I cannot comment on the CNO placement, I know nothing about it. As for finding work with just camp nursing, you wouldn’t get hired in a hospital for sure. You may find work in LTC.

I did it. What did you want to know? FYI, you can’t just do a refresher course. You need to apply for registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario. They will then send you a letter outlining what you need to fulfill their requirements to practice nursing in Ontario. One of those requirements will be courses and clinical placement. This is usually about 8-10 courses plus 400+hrs of clinical placement. Once you have that letter of direction you can then apply to a community college to do the required courses/clinical. It takes roughly 4-5 semesters to complete the requirements. Once done it takes several months for the school to forward documentation to the CNO & for them to process everything. The entire thing will take a few years & is pretty expensive. I think it’s worth it. The time will pass either way. I did the courses/clinical through George Brown College in Toronto. It’s the same program IEN take. Good program, nice people. Feel free to ask more questions.

Hi Jass How long it’s will take you depends on how many courses you take at a time. Some are in-class & some online. Some courses might be full so register early for them if you can. There is a lot of work to do so don’t take too many at once & burn yourself out. Note that some courses have pre-requisites you must take first. The program coordinator can help you map out a plan — just call & make an appointment to see her. She is very nice & helpful. Clinical is done last. 200hrs per semester at the end, after you finish the theory courses. They place students in hospitals all over the city, usually in acute care or rehab. You will be able to request a certain area of the city to be as close to home as possible but they cannot guarantee a certain placement. But definitely ask. Clinical hours count as your evidence of practice so don’t worry about yours expiring. The CNO counts all your clinical hours as nursing practice. Best of luck!

No, the program does not count for OSAP because the courses are Continuing Education. George Brown does have some financial assistance for Cont Ed courses, I would contact them for more information.

The CNO does approve courses taken at George Brown. Nursing in Ontario & Scholarly Writing were pre-requisites for all the other courses in the academic pathway program. I'm not sure if you can take others at the same time, the pre-requisites for each course are listed on the George Brown website under each course description. If there is no pre-requisite, you can take it anytime. If you are concerned or need help, I would suggest making an appointment to see ***** ******** (program coordinator) in the office (if you are in Toronto, otherwise just send her an email). She can help you structure your semesters to work best for you. I did 4 courses a semester so I'm sure it's possible! Good luck!

Hi Laura, -- The number of courses you are required to take depends on your situation -- if you are IEN then you have to take more, if you are reinstatement it depends how long you have been away from practice. Everyone's needs/requirements are a little different. -- You cannot do clinical until you have completed all the theory classes first. I only had to do 8 courses. I did 4 courses last spring, 4 last fall, first clinical in winter, and second clinical in summer. I finished in July. Just waiting for the school to send my VCC to the CNO. Let me know if you have any questions about the program, courses, instructors, exams, assignments, clinical, etc. You will meet some really amazing people in the classes and the teachers are awesome. If you are doing them in-class, the campus is gorgeous. Enjoy your time there!

For the 8 classes + 2 clinical courses, I paid out $6,420 (I just added it up now!). That includes all fees and whatnot. You do not pay it all at once. Like any continuing education class, you pay when you register for each individual course. They do fill up quickly though so it's always good to register for them early. As for other costs... textbooks: not all classes have them. The library has ALL the textbooks, both on the shelf and on reserve (to borrow for a few hours at a time). Used books are always an option too. I didn't buy all of them but when I did, I bought used copies on Amazon. The expensive ones are the Lewis Med-Surg book and the Jarvis Health Assessment one (I did a workshop thing at Chapters and they gave me a $300 gift card for participating, that's the only way I could afford those books!). They are the same ones you used in nursing degree so if you kept your books, you're good to go! Student ID/library/copy card is $12 cash, you get it in the library & this also becomes your clinical ID badge. Pre-clinical stuff: Before you can start clinical you have to get a bunch of clearance stuff done (they have a workshop several months beforehand to explain all of this in more detail). Police clearance is $20 (done through the school). 2-step TB test (free if it's for school purposes). Blood titres for chicken pox, measles, mumps, etc (if you need boosters, you might have to pay for them). Flu shot is required. Mask fit test (if you do it at the ParaMed place it's $50). ParaMed is a place downtown that has a contract with a bunch of schools to clear students for clinical placements, you make an appointment and bring all your documents and give them around $50 to check all your bits and stamp your form. They also update all your stuff online so the school/facilities can see if you have been cleared or not. Scrubs have to be burgundy but they don't care where you buy them. I did work (surgical oncology and critical care) and I did the critical care program at George Brown. I also have 2-1/2 degrees (BA, BScN, MLIS) and I'm a strong student, so it wasn't difficult, just time-consuming. I wouldn't say any of the course work is hard, but you have to do it (go to class, do the readings, do the assignments, tests/exams). It's a lot of work but if you made it through your nursing degree, you'll be fine. Email is miss.x_tina (at) yahoo (dot) com

I'm assuming you graduated from a Canadian/Ontario school? If not, a WHOLE different situation! When you graduated, did you register with the CNO? If not, then you will have to apply as though you were a new RN from scratch and provide them with all the required documentation/pay the fees. If you can do that before May, your "evidence of practice" is your nursing education (because clinical placement counts as practice). Be forewarned, however, that you can send them the documents but it takes them several weeks to process/receive it. So even if you sent it tonight so they could have it by Monday, there is no guarantee you'd make it before the 3 year mark. It's worth a shot though because the refresher program is a total pain in the butt!! (and expensive!). It's also worth noting that you would have to complete the Jurisprudence exam through CNO (done online, $40 each attempt, based on CNO standards/guidelines, everyone has to do it). If you were never registered with the CNO after graduating you would also have to have your school forward transcripts and such (and hope they are received by CNO in time). If you were previously registered with CNO after graduation and maintained your registration since that time you have nothing to worry about, just start working. If you DO have to complete the refresher, these are the steps/info: * Apply to CNO for registration & pay the fees. They will say you are lacking evidence of practice because you have been away from practice/school for more than 3 years (and there is NO wiggle room, 3 years is 3 years, even if you're 1 day past the 3 years -- and it's not based on when you apply, it's based on when they receive ALL the documents and look at your application, which can take weeks-months). * The letter from CNO will say what you need to do in order to meet the requirements for registration. In your situation (assuming you are Canadian) it is likely they will say need 400 hrs of clinical placement + several courses (at George Brown it is about 10 classes + clinical). They give you 3 years to complete the requirements. You will also have to do the Jurisprudence exam on the CNO website. They will also say you have to provide "evidence of English or French language proficiency" in the last 3 years. Don't stress that too much, doing the refresher counts as "evidence", you don't need to do any extra exams or anything. * You can apply to GBC to do the courses online (there is a form + you send a copy of your letter from CNO). Your contact there would be Gayle and she is awesome. In fact, everyone there is awesome. She will approve your application and you can start next semester. They run year-round, so Fall/Winter/Spring, you can start in any semester, all the courses are offered each term. * The courses are about $350-450 each, clinical is more expensive ($1500 each and you do 2 of them, they are 200 hrs each). Budget also for textbooks, transportation, child care (if needed), parking, etc. For clinical you just have to buy a burgundy uniform and a stethoscope. You don't need specific shoes or other equipment. Also, budget for the list of stuff you have to do for clearance for clinical (police check, immunization stuff, booster shots, mask fit test, ParaMed fee, etc) -- that alone is a few hundred. Note that this program is continuing education so you cannot get OSAP to cover it. There are some very limited bursaries available through GBC but they are SUPER slow (e.g. I applied for Winter term bursary in October, I still haven't received it yet even though my application was approved!). I cashed out my pension to pay for this. Other options are personal loans, bank loans, lines of credit, savings, etc. * The courses are offered online and in-class (there are a few online-only classes, but most of them can be taken either at the college or online). I've done a mix of both and I MUCH prefer the in-class and recommend them if you can make it to the school. The instructors are awesome and you'll learn SO much more if you take it in-class. Also, the campus is beautiful! It's on the lake (literally) and they have tons of natural light. The library is great to study in. * You have to successfully complete all the theory classes BEFORE you can do the clinical. * I had exemptions for 2 of the classes because of my critical care background and other degrees so I only had to do 8. You CAN do a challenge exam if you think you don't need to take a class they say you need but it costs around $200 do do a challenge exam and they're not easy. I never bothered, I just took the classes they told me to. I did 4 last spring, 3 last fall, 1 course + 1st clinical this term and I'll be doing my final clinical this spring. I'm not working and I don't have kids so it was easy for me to do that many at once. Consider your situation before signing up to do a lot of classes at once. They can be very time consuming, even if you are a strong student. You can take as few or as many as you want -- but be reasonable with what you can handle. * Passing grade for most of the classes is a C, except Health Assessment, I believe you need a B to pass that. * You can use the college's Accessibility office if you have any medical/psych/learning issues. I had to use them, they are great. Instructors are also incredible accommodating and flexible. * The courses I had to take: Nursing in Ontario, Intro to Electronic Documentation, Pharmacology, Leadership and Advanced Communication, Health Assessment, Complex Care, Interprofessional Communication, Care of the Frail & Elderly (I was exempted from pathophysiology and basic emergency management). I heard they added an ethics course. Lots of reading, assignments, group work, reflections, group presentations, etc. * It is not a separate program for refresher students. There are only a few of us so we are in classes with IEN students which is awesome! It has been a great experience from me and you really learn a lot. You will meet some of the most incredible people. * Clinical is in a group with a preceptor. They keep a short leash. There were 8 of us in my group. We were on a general medicine/stroke floor. We had to do a lot of the usual assignments -- learning plans, reflections, etc. I know this seems like a lot. It will take you about a year & a half to two years, depending on how fast/slow you go (I think the fastest you can do it is 4 semesters, which is what I'm doing). It IS worth it though! Time is going to pass whether you are doing it or not. And, as with everything in life, what you put in is what you get out of it. I was VERY angry about the whole thing when I started, but quickly decided to make the best of it and it's been pretty good for the most part. I still think I didn't need to do the program (I've gotten A+ in every class) but I've met some amazing people and learned a lot. I have no regrets and I'm glad I did it. I have an exam on Monday and then all I have left is clinical consolidation, which starts in May. By the end of summer I will be registered as RN with CNO again! I know this was super long but if you have any questions, let me know, more than happy to answer them!

The IEN program at George Brown will satisfy the requirements listed by the CNO in your letter of direction. You should look at the George Brown website, I believe there is an application for you to complete and send in to George Brown. The program coordinator will send you an acceptance letter with the list of courses & clinical you are required to complete. The program can be done online and most of the courses are also offered in-class if you prefer to attend classes in person. They are offered in the evenings during 3 semesters (fall, winter, and spring). The clinical is arranged by George Brown with instructors supervising you (there are also assignments), you do the clinical only after you have successfully completed all the required courses. You can take one at a time or several. I am doing the Reinstatement to Nursing Practice program (I am a Canadian RN who was away from work for 3 years) -- but I am in all the same classes as the IEN's at George Brown. Let me know if you have any questions about the program!

The CNO does make it extremely difficult for everyone but I beg to differ when you say they want to "push us out to the US and then pave the way for nurses for other countries". No one is pushing you anywhere. You chose to go & the return. As for "paving the way" for internationally-educated nurses, hardly! I'm in the reinstatement program because I was away from my job for 3 years and 2 WEEKS (no wiggle room there). Yes, it sucks. But the IEN's have it WAY worse. I had to pay some fees, do 8 courses and will be doing 400 hrs of clinical placement (annoying, time-consuming and expensive, indeed). IEN's have to pay WAY more fees, jump through far more hoops, and complete several YEARS of classes (18-20 classes) in addition to clinical placement. These are RN's & RPN's who have (in many cases) decades of nursing experience back home and yet they have to spend 5-7 years in school before they can work here. And all the ones I know (in my classes, we take the same ones) also work full-time and are raising families. Explain to me how you are not being "protected" as a citizen of Ontario? And how the CNO is paving the way for IEN's? Because what you have said is not meshing with the reality I see everyday. (and yes, I was born/educated/worked as an RN in Ontario before my work injury) Oh wait, are you trolling??

You are NOT being a crybaby!! Nor are you "giving up" if you want to leave. This is not the right job for you. Period. And that's ok! They are taking advantage of you. They know you are nice and hardworking and will just take what they give you and not complain. Totally not fair and totally not safe (for you or the residents). Nurse life shouldn't be this hard!! Get out now and chalk it up to a good learning experience. Do your LVN-->BScN and don't look back. It's ok to put yourself first and considering your physical and mental health are suffering, it's time for change. Do not feel guilty, you are not letting anyone down. You are just moving onto greener pastures, people do it all the time. Don't let them make you feel guilty either. You deserve to work in a place you enjoy that isn't killing you!

We were not allowed to wear anything on our wrists as per infection control (nothing below elbows actually, even sleeves had to always be rolled up, not just nurses but all staff including docs). I used a pin-on watch for years & loved it because you can be hands-free (the watch face is upside down so you just need to look down. I originally bought mine at Walmart for around $15-20 but Amazon has a million of them now. Only tricky part is if you are in isolation since a gown covers your watch -- but that is true of ANY watch.

I think it depends on which area of nursing you are interviewing for. When I was interviewed for a position in critical care there was a written test. It was a few pages and had questions about anatomy/physiology (heart, mainly -- like showing the flow of blood through the heart on a diagram), drug questions (including a few calculations), that kind of thing. It seemed to measure understanding of rationales and assessing if you knew the science behind the actual things you do! (like there was one question about low molecular weight heparin -- not specific, more like "which of these drugs is a low-molecular weight heparin?" with the next question asking about how it works -- i.e. does it break up existing blood clots, prevent blood clots, stop new ones from forming, etc). All were multiple choice -- except the heart diagram. That being said, it was for a sponsorship position in critical care and there were a lot of applicants so they needed to thoroughly assess each applicant for their current level of understanding to see if they could handle taking the program and working in the unit. Other units might not be nearly as rigorous as this!!!

Lots of areas in Toronto could be considered "sketchy" (if you were downtown at Ryerson, you could argue it's sketchy also). The campus is safe but I'm assuming you're going to travel around the city and explore (I hope so! lots of great stuff here!). I think that a lot can be said for common sense when it comes to safety -- no wandering around by yourself at 2 am through areas you don't know, be aware of your surroundings, don't walk around looking like you're scared someone is going to grab you (makes you look like a target), don't flash your valuables, lock your door, etc. Some "sketchy" areas are a lot of hype as well. Certain areas with a higher crime rate (violence, for example) are considered dangerous but if you look closely at those particular crimes, they happen between friends/family members/known associates, not random people walking down the street. It's not as simple as saying -- higher crime area=dangerous for you. Hundreds of thousands of York students have lived/studied at that campus and never had any problems whatsoever. No need to go to school and run home scared. If it really was that dangerous, no one would go there (or live, work, eat, play there!). As for having a car and attending clinical placements -- the TTC is super fast (faster than your car would be during rush hours!), cheap (cheaper than Toronto parking!), and 95% reliable (sometimes slow, sometimes train or bus problems). Again, hundreds of thousands of students (& working nurses and teachers) rely on TTC and manage just fine. In fact, having a car in Toronto can often be a pain in the butt. Your second issue is theory vs clinical -- all university nursing programs are required to have a solid balance of clinical hours (and lab simulation) AND theory. The NCLEX exam is not hands-on so you do need the theory, it backs up all your actions in clinical. You have to understand WHY you are doing the things you do in clinical (the rationale)! The York website states you will receive about 1400 hours of clinical experience, this is about the same I had at Ryerson and is comparable to other schools. That is a LOT of time! You will be fine. But please do not think of theory as less important than clinical, you will learn a LOT from your theory classes -- some more than others but a lot of the theory classes strongly support your clinical practice. Rely less on "what you heard" and more on facts! And take some deep breaths, your program is going to be fun and exciting! You'll meet a lot of great people and learn some amazing things.

Patient had "accidentally" managed to get a plum shoved so far up his rectum, he decided he needed help to retrieve it. Very casual, apparently a frequent flier for similar situations. Overnight stay, ended up having questionable ECG after c/o chest pain. Cardiology consult called but patient's wife arrived to check him out AMA because they had tickets for the ballet. Stay away from fruit bowl! My best dumbfounded look was when I was working in critical care. Severe trauma (MVC), young male, fractured all limbs, pelvis, flail chest, etc. Had chest tubes, fully vented, on Levo, the works. I decrease his sedation and he wakes up and DEMANDS I take him out for a smoke. Dude! Do you not realize what's going on or see your body?? He said I could just wheel his bed outside and proceeded to trash talk me for refusing and trying to explain why it was impossible (yes, fighting the vent and biting the ETT the whole time). Of course, he would randomly pass out, sleep for a bit, then wake up and forgot our conversation and ask me again and we'd do the whole thing over. I offered him a nicotine patch. He used choice words to describe his feelings for me. My fav repeater patients: gunshot wounds on gang bangers. "I was just walking my grandma to church and these guys came out of nowhere, never saw them before in my life!". Uh huh. Until the next day when the fear and shock has worn off then it's all, "B--ch! Get me this, get me that!". You're welcome for all the things we did to keep you safe and pain-free and healing!