RN working as AIN?

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Hi everyone,

I am in the long process of becoming registered in Canada as an RN from Australia.

Just curious, if we move there before my registration goes through--- can i work as an assistant nurse while i wait? Most likely to be Ontario or Quebec.

Thanks!

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If you move to Ontario, you might find an employer willing to hire you as a health care aid/ personal support worker, but there is a lot of competition for most health care jobs and you might be bypassed for someone who has completed a PSW program and will not be leaving the job at the first opportunity. If you move to Quebec and you are not fluent in French it is unlikely you will become licensed or find work. You should reconsider the idea of moving to Canada before you know what barriers you will face to become licensed, you are better off staying in Australia, working as a nurse and saving your money for all of the potential future costs, CIC requires proof of funds to support yourself for 6 months, CNO may require you to undergo a competency assessment such as the IENCAP, jurisprudence exam, bridging program, NCLEX, etc.

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Look into licensing rules. A lot of provinces stopped automatically granting care aid licenses to foreign RNs and you have to go through the same stuff as RNs (tests and etc) to get licensed now. If you have permanent residency and don'5 have a care aid license you can still work in home care and not nursing homes/hospitals. Pay will be a bit better than min wage but not that much. Plus unless you know French, getting a healthcare job in Quebec even as a RN will be very difficult

Save up a lot of money in Australia and work there as much as you can while you can, because according to my RN friends in Australia, the pay, working conditions, staffing, shift differentials (you guys call it penalties) and vacations are all better in Australia compared to Canada.

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@companisbiki which government authority is or was granting licenses to health care aids/ personal support workers? These positions do not have legislation that requires them to be licensed and they are not regulated by nursing regulatory bodies.

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I know hospitals are only hiring people who have completed and aide's course, no more off the street hires.

But I've never met an NA, PSW, HSW who has a license or governing body.

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Thanks everyone. Unfortunately it is beyond my control having to move back to Canada-- family circumstances demand it. So I am just doing my best to try and get Registered or find an option in the health sector.

From what I can gather Quebec Registered their assistant nurses though OIIAQ.

Oh well, I suppose I can only apply and see how I go! Worst case scenario I'll work back at Quiznos ;-)

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In BC one must be registered through BC registry to be able to work in any residential care facilities and hospitals. I guess I meant that, not license but now they are requiring foreign nurses to take exams in similar format to NCAS to be registered as a care aid

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... So I am just doing my best to try and get Registered or find an option in the health sector. ...

NNAS has changed the way they assess internationally educated nurses (although they refuse to admit it, as do regulatory bodies) and now almost all US educated nurses are being found "comparable" despite all being found "non-comparable" in 2014-2016. As well, many more UK and Australian nurses are being found "comparable" or at least "somewhat comparable" (which only usually results in one extra step of providing job description information). So while it is a long and expensive process still, if you absolutely have to more here then I'd start applying to NNAS now and be hopeful. Be glad you didn't apply between 2014 and 2016 because it was pure hell.

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