I am new to the forum and would like to get some opinion and advise.
I received my ADN from a community college in NYS and passed NCLEX in August 2014. Right away I did RN to BSN program at Hunter College that I finished this August.
Meanwhile being in school, I got married to a Canadian and now we are moving to Ontario since my Bachelor's is done.
I am submitting an application through NNAS to get the initial appointment with CNO.
I do not have experience with the exception of several internships done while in school.
Did anyone had the same experience applying for RN license in Ontario recently? Advantages/Disadvantages? Obstacles? How long did it take for you?
I am interested in pursuing emergency nursing and if anyone knows certifications/courses that I can obtain while waiting to license that will help me get a job, that would be amazing.
The CNO has faced a bit of heat regarding the NNAS assessment and how the advisory reports are being used to inform next steps. Especially since the Council meeting in September 2016, they have been less harsh and "somewhat comparable" has become the new "comparable", so those with "somewhat comparable" have not been required any longer to take the OSCE. For the most part, they are only being asked to provide past and present nursing job descriptions and info related to their nursing work experience. The problem now is, there are so many people who received "somewhat-comparable" prior to September 2016 who now have to be reviewed and informed that they are not required to do the OSCE anymore. The CNO said they are going to review each case themselves in regards to NNAS Advisory Reports and what action they have instructed applicants to take as a result. It seems so far that only those who contact the CNO directly to inquire about their case become informed about the fact that they may not have to do the OSCE or go back to school. So, it is likely that ZB-RN would have eventually been told that going back to school was no longer necessary, however, the appeals process brought this particular case to light and the applicant was reviewed and found to not need to go back to school since "somewhat comparable" applicants are no longer required to further prove educational equivalency.
My advice to everyone on this forum who received "somewhat comparable" prior to Sept 2016 and had been instructed to take the OSCE or further schooling would be to call or email CNO (email provides paper trail) to inquire about whether or not they will be reviewed and whether or not they still have to take the OSCE or pursue further schooling. You might be pleasantly surprised!
Just to add to RN_Pro's above post, the references for the changes in IEN assessments can be found on CNO.org- Council Meeting Sept 22/16- meeting materials/observer package- Assessment of International Applicants (webpages 60-64). The follow up to the Sept meeting can be found on CNO.org-Council Meeting Dec 7 and 8/16- meeting materials-follow up action- assessment of international applicants (webpages 9-10).
Also, refer to CNO FAQ: Education evaluation of IENs Why is the College changing the way applicants' education is reviewed? (updated Jan 30/17)
Thanks for your info in the above post, dishes. I have not done anything yet in terms of getting licensed in Ontario (or Canada for that matter). I continue to work full-time in the USA. There are a few Canadian students that will graduate this spring from my school who plan to get licensed in Canada ASAP. I plan to see how they fair with the NNAS before I apply. My school has also offered a 'Nursing in Canada' course for Canadian-bound nurses to take. It was approved by the state BON--my younger sister will get to take that course. I am fortunate to live in a border-town--I recently accepted a new job closer to home. Right now I am happy to wait and learn about this process and the tweaks that are being made to it.
... There are a few Canadian students that will graduate this spring from my school who plan to get licensed in Canada ASAP. I plan to see how they fair with the NNAS before I apply. My school has also offered a 'Nursing in Canada' course for Canadian-bound nurses to take. It was approved by the state BON--...
Good plan @bobacia. I think a lot of these glitches (glitches might be too light of a word--it is quite horrifying for those stuck in the middle at the moment) will be worked out eventually so if you are not in any rush to work in Canada then it's a good idea to save yourself the stress for now. Hopefully by the time you want to get a license in Ontario it won't be as stressful of a process.
Which school did you attend? I'm wondering because I am interested in the fact that a US school has a 'Nursing in Canada' course. I bet that would be incredibly helpful for applicants who attended other border schools to have that type of course under their belt. I wish I did.
I am fortunate that home is a border town. I'm happy I can live in Canada and work in the USA. My nursing school is not close to a border--a long ways in fact--midwest states. You can pm me if you want the name. This is the first semester that they are running the course (too late for me). They are offering it after recognizing that they need to do something to help their Canadian nursing students (I know that getting this course up and running with all the necessary approvals has been a big deal for them). I'm not sure what kind of difference it would make to the NNAS--I guess time will tell. I think that the changes in 2014 came as a shock to schools in the USA who were used to their grads taking the CNE and getting jobs. You are taking the OSCE soon right RN_Pro? I wish you all the best!
Gulp. Thanks for the info RN_Pro. It came as a shock. Interesting that this targets specialty-nurses. These would be difficult positions to fill. I guess we will see in this turns into something bigger.
ZB-RN
27 Posts
i am not sure if it was just my case, but it was amazing!