RPN in Canada wanting to work in the usa

Published

I would like to talk to a RPN from Canada who works in the USA and is the RPN equivilent to LPN in the USA:uhoh21:

https://www.excelsior.edu/portal/page?_pageid=57,53097&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

ok thats sort of long - but it should take you to the school of nursing page - complete with a list of programs. If it doesnt work, try http://www.excelsior.edu. (their home page).

Hope that helps!

Vida

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I looked into Excelsior too quite seriously a few years back and heard a lot of negatives from people who took their program about their clinical exam. It is very expensive and you have to travel to do the exam and many people fail it several times. And until you pass that clinical exam you cant write NCLEX or work in the US. Also some states like California do not accept Excelsior at all and other states like Washington State require a practicum type experience with clincial component that some people have been able to do where they work. So I would ask a LOT of questions before going forward. In the end (for me) I thought I would benefit from a traditional program in order to get the weekly clinicals and the confidence that goes along with not having to do a high pressure exam after satisfying the theory portion of the program and am glad I did. It took longer but it was worth it. I also did not have years of LPN experience so it may not be the same for everyone. I went from my LPN into my RN with minimal work experience in between. There is a lot of info on the website though. I do think they would accept your education for entrance though but I could be wrong.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

:yeahthat:

yeah - DEFINETLY do the research before you decide if its right for you...where you want to work, money, rules etc.

I care for a small child, and am about to go back to work as an LPN, and job-shadow with an RN at our local hospital..therefore the one-on-one experience with her, no class time, income as I go, and the freedom to study when my son sleeps really works for me.

I have been told that the end clinical test is a mind game, so yep, beware, but you'll find alot of people talking about it around here - a BIG help.

...and you've got to be disciplined enough to actually DO the studying all on your own... ;)

good luck,

Vida

Up Vote Up Vote ×

WOOT!

If it matters anymore, I got a letter today from the NYS people saying my Ont RPN schooling is approved... I am eligible to sit for the NCLEXpn!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Palliative Care, NICU/NNP.

" we are needed being as that the RN are always too busy to tend to the patients in the manner that they should."

You won't be very popular here if that's the way you feel! Sorry you're frustrated but that's the policy, not a critique on LVN/LPNs.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

why did you not get a nexxus card from canadain border patrol and ins immigration naturization servicemay be able to answer your questions also I know that no health insurance if you dont work and private health insurance is very expensive I know of canadian nurses who work in detroit, mich and live in windsor ,ontario retain there ohip,sin and they say its the most logical route you dont want to get ill over here with no insurance you get bankrupt if you do consider everything before the move you maybe young but that means nothing if you get ill Ask the us nurses honestly whats the health insurance deal here. The adverage lpn makes 19 to 23 a hour in ltc i wouldnt know about the hospital because in most states lpns in hospitals hmm rare, Good luck to ya and always remember the steve smith red green show says we are pullin for ya keep your stick on the ice

Up Vote Up Vote ×

What is being left out here and not addressed is that there is not a shortage of LPNs in the US, therefore there are no visas available for them. The only way that they can get a visa is if they are married to an American, or a green card holder and get a spousal green card. But applying for it on its own is not going to happen.

Licensure and immigration are two very different things. The other fact that is being brought up here, but is no longer valid is that NY will accept the license from Canada via reciprocity. That used to be the case for both RNs and LPNs, but with the requirement of the Visa Screen Certificate, that requires either passing of the CGFNS exam, or one of the NCLEX exams to get. But only the NCLEX-RN if you are applying for a visa on your own.

Even nurses that were in the US for years working via this reciprocity agreement had to take an American exam when the VSC became mandatory for all just a couple of years ago.

The NAFTA TN Visa is a treaty visa that is good for RNs only from Mexico or Canada that hold those visas, not permanent residents there. It is not available for LPNs, same thing with the other trade visas such as the E-3 that is for those from Australia.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Not wanting to step on any toes, but NY does accept Ontario LPN's.

No, not via reciprocity, you need an active ON license, a report from the CGFNS, and if your application is accepted NY will send you a letter saying you are eligible to write the NCLEX-PN. (I got my letter a few weeks ago, and UT has recently told me they'd give me a license here via reciprocity once I pass the NCLEX.) Immigration is MUCH more complicated story though, and the rules keep changing - good and bad but a long, complex journey, and you really have to do your homework!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yes, you can get a license there, but you need to write the NCLEX-PN exam, the other states for the most part will let you write the exam.

And I stated that above, they do not accept the Canadian license any longer for reciprocity as you need to get a Visa Screen Certificate, and that goes for RNs there as well.

But what you are not understanding is that getting a license does not get you thru the immigration process and will not get you a visa to work in the US.

Immigration and licensure are two very different things, and having a license does not get you a visa of any type as we do not have shortages of LPNs in thew US if you do any reading on the boards here.

Same way that there is actually an LPN school in the Philippines, that is recognized for licensure here in the US, but unless they already have a green card, or are US citizens, they cannot work in the US.

This is the point that we are trying to make here, that a visa is needed and is not issued with the LPN license with anything having to do that is a work-related visa.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

And you would be getting a license in the new state because you have written the NCLEX-PN exam. Not because of reciprocity with your Canadian license, that does not exist any more. And licenses in the US do not have reciprocity, only the NCLEX exam has it.

But the issue for you is what type of visa are you currently on? Since you have been in the US for a while, suspect that you were given a green card because of a spouse. That is the only way that you can work in the US, not because you have a license; but you need the visa.

And most others here do not have that.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

And looking back at your first post on this thread, you have a green card so there is no issue with you working in the US and you obtained your green card thru your husband.

And that is why you got the green card, not because you applied and found an employer because you are equivalent to what we term the LPN on this side of the border.

Immigration plays a large part and you cannot get a visa, any type including the TN Visa without having RN after your name. As well as a valid RN license for the US.

In the US we no longer have reciprocity of licenses, you do not even see an application for it, only for endorsement of a license. Reciprocity stopped when the Canadian license was no longer accepted as well as when the actual indlividual state exams stopped and the NCLEX came into play. So not to confuse others about the terms that we use here.

Only the NCLEX exam has reciprocity.

Requirements about visas for working in the US can be found in stickies at the top here, as well as on the International Forum.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

And for others that are reading this:

The NCLEX exams in the US have reciprocity, meaning that one you write them, you do not need to rewrite it, your score would be valid in all fifty states as well as the US territories.

But a few things need to be mentioned, passing of the NCLEX exam does not guarantee that your educational curriculum meets the requirements of all of the states; just like the program from Excelsior is not valid for licensure as an RN in all of the fifty states.

Licensure in one state does no automaticaly permit you to endorse to another state, whether with the RN or the LPN license if you do not meet the theory and clinical hours from your program.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion