Scottish nurse looking into Canada - do I need a degree?

Published

Hi, I'm currently looking into applying to work in Canada, most likely Ontario or Alberta or wherever there are jobs available really. I graduated from universit with a higher diploma and currently I'm 2/3 through my bachelors degree which I am hoping to complete by December 2012, would it be sensible to wait until my degree is finished to apply to the nursing boards or would it be ok to apply at the moment with only a higher diploma? Any advice would be great thanks :-)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Your best bet would be to finish your degree and then apply to the college of nurses in the province of your choice.

I am not familiar with nursing education in Scotland.You will need to have taken theory and clinucal hours in peds,adultOB/maternity and mental health.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You also really need to research where you want to live. Alberta and Ontario are two very different places. And despite what you might read there really isn't jobs just waiting to be taken in either province. Provinces have made promises to hire a % of graduating classes.

Determine how you want to live, what's important to you. Rural or urban? Type of climate. It's very expensive to move from one region to another once you've realized you don't like the city or province you've moved to.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I was supposed to be attending a seminar called "working in canada" this weekend however it has now been cancelled, hence why i am trying to gather as much information as i can. I have never visited Canada, and have no family in the country so therefore i can only go by what i read online, I do not know the differences between the provinces, except obviously what i have read online. I would prefer an urban area however would take a more rural area if jobs were available. I completely appreciate that much like Scotland there will be nursing shortages all over Canada, and would never consider moving without an offer of employment. I am now concerned regarding the peds/OB/mental health experience. My degree is in Adult Nursing, and although i encounter all walks of life in my job (which is acute medical receiving) I do not have specified experience in anything other than Adult nursing (except some hours as a student)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

It isn't experience once qualified that matters although it helps it is what your transcripts from nursing school show. You need hours both clinical and theory in Paeds, Obstetrics, Mental Health and Adult

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm starting to worry now as my transcripts will only show general nursing practice, I have no OB experience (only midwives in uk work in this area) and with regards to peads I had a 7 week nursing placement with the community health visitor and some experience of peads when I was a student in A+E (or ER) mental health I encountered on all placements during university but none specific to the area

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Canada is general trained not like the UK so really only thing to do is if not already apply to the college and wait and see what they come back with

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Rural in Canada is very different from Scotland. Then there is outpost nursing which is different yet again.

In Alberta, we have many small hospitals that would be considered rural but they aren't really full service hospitals. They were built in the '90s to serve as such, so that people didn't have to leave their home communities for care. Reality strikes and now those hospitals are in many cases serving as nursing homes for the community. There is a shortage of doctors out here with many small towns not having a doctor. Most surgeries are performed in a major centre with only basic non-complicate deliveries being done and the odd emergency surgery. Google places like Stettler, Medicine Hat, etc. They are rural to us. Then there are the outposts which are totally different and usually in First Nations Communities with limited access and it's not uncommon to have only a couple of nurses and no doctor at all.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have contacted CARNA who advise i complete my degree before applying. I have been looking mostly at Alberta, communities such as Stettler and Medicine Hat i wouldnt consider too rural however the first nations communitiies i think are just a bot too rural for me. Can i ask, does Alberta have nursing agencies? and nurse bank? (Nurse bank in Scotland is similiar to an agency, it is an NHS workforce that can be joined as a first job or as a second job for nurses who all ready have a full time job and wish to pick up extra shifts as overtime)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Respiratory, Renal,Community Nursing.

I have a diploma in nursing and have recently taken the RN exam. The CNO will require your transcripts but if you did a 3 year diploma it will include your theoretical and clinical hours and you would have covered peads,obs etc in your training, so you will have met some of the criteria. I have been nursing for 17 years also in adult nursing. It will be easier for you once you have finished your degree if you want to register as an RN as opposed to an RPN. If you do not want to wait you need to show that you have degree level knowledge e.g in further education you have taken post qualifying, and in experience. It would be easier to wait but it can be done if you don't. Be aware that the process is a long one as they will require a lot of information from you and sending info between Canada and Scotland takes time, along with the time it takes them to process the information (hence starting sooner rather than later with your application is advisable if you have a time frame in which you want to emigrate). This is my experience in applying in Ottawa, Alberta may be different.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for your comment, Did you complete your higher diploma in the UK? I did cover some peads and mental health hours in my training but i am unsure if i have enough hours to qualify? Obviously i would rather apply sooner but i do not want to apply with only a higher diploma (even though i am 2/3 through my degree and hopefully will finish in December) and be rejected as the cost of applying to CARNA is almost £1000 and almost £500 for Ontario

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks, I emailed a few nursing boards and it seems the general consensus is to apply once I have my degree. The Canadian government has put a freeze the skilled worker program till January 2013 so I suppose that tallies up with when I will be applying but obviously I wish I could start the process just now as it looks like it is a very long drawn out process.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion