US Nursing student needs help in Canada.

Silverdragon102, BSN · May 26, 2010

OK for a start there is no such thing as Canadian NCLEX it is CRNE and to meet requirements you will need to complete nursing course and if in the US sit and pass NCLEX first as you need to be licensed.

I doubt you will be able to transfer across to Canada but someone with Canadian student experience would be able to respond more accurately to this, so you may have to consider staying and completing your training and then apply to the province college of RN

Fiona59 · May 26, 2010

dear all,
i am an international nursing student in tx, usa. i have recently got my canadian permanent resident card and willing to move to toronto, since i cannot work in the usa legally. also, i just completed second semester of nursing school (rn) and heading to get a third semester in the fall of 2010. so, how can i transfer my nursing and other prereq. classes into colleges in toronto? i am really confused, i've e-mailed to several colleges that offer rpn programs in toronto. unfortunately, no one has replied yet. i really do not know what to do? i do not want to stay in the usa. or is it better to complete my associated degree in nursing in tx, and then register for canadian nclex??? please help me, your advises would be highly appreciated...
thank you.

wow, your willing to move to toronto? the hardships you will suffer. :devil: :eek:

people who were born here and those who settled here becauses they wanted to, have a hard time moving nursing courses from province to province, never mind country to country.

you do not want to stay in the us but are willing to move to toronto. where do you really want to be.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · May 26, 2010

It's VERY difficult to move education credits internationally, as you are wishing to do. Educational programs differ widely from place to place in what they include and how they're organized, making assessment of equivalency on a credit-by-credit basis extremely complex and time-consuming. Most schools won't even look at the possibility of transferring credits for that reason.

You say you're in an RN program in the US, so I'm wondering why you're looking at RPN programs in Ontario. Then there's the issue of your possibly completing your ADN in Texas... Ontario will not accept that educational preparation for entry to practice so it would be wasted time and money. The minimum qualification for entry to practice as an RN is a baccalaureate degree in nursing. If you truly want to live and work as a nurse in Canada you'd do better to just start over at a Canadian university.

Bek1975 · May 26, 2010

Yes, thank you very much for all comments,

As janfrn said, it's better stay in TX and complete my ADN program, I guess. The reason why I do not want to stay in the US is as I mentioned earlier, I do not have a Green Card to work in the US. So what is the point staying in the US? I thought maybe better to move to Canada, since I have Canadian PC and at least can get a job like phlebotomist or nurse aid while I am going to Nursing School. (I have certificates in both).

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · May 27, 2010

You should read what I wrote again. It's NOT better to complete your ADN in Texas, because Ontario won't give you a permit to practice with an ADN.

jenn8500 · May 27, 2010

If you are on a student visa, you can get one year work experience on that visa in the U.S. its called optional practical training

jenn8500 · May 27, 2010

In addition to the last post: If you did the OPT on your student visa, you could work in the U.S. for a year and then maybe an employer would sponser you after that? This is just a suggestion since it seems like you truly want to work in the U.S. but are only "willing" to work in Canada because you can't work in the U.S legally. After reading several posts, I have noticed that many Canadian nurses who are MORE than willing to live in Toronto are having a hard time finding work in Toronto at this time..

dishes, BSN, RN · May 27, 2010

bek

This is a very busy time of year for colleges so you may have to wait for a reply. In the meantime, maybe you can post your question on settlement.org and see if anyone can describe their experience of applying to transfer international credits to a Toronto college.

Also, try contacting York University regarding the IEN program, ask if you will be eligible for this program if you complete the ADN in Texas, pass the NCLEX and obtain licensure from the Texas BON.

Regarding getting a job as a phlebotomist or a nursing aide while you go to school, just to let you know there are not many of these jobs available and there are people already in Toronto with Canadian training and experience and local references who are competing for these jobs.

regards

dishes

itsmejuli · May 27, 2010

Here's a dose of reality.

I'm a Canadian citizen and US permanent resident. I live, work and go to nursing school in Florida. Sounds all rosy doesn't it?

I want to go to Alberta to live and work. My children left Florida; they are in Alberta along with the rest of my family.

The reality is that I need to complete a BSN here in FL before I can go to Alberta. I wouldn't dream of attempting to transfer college credits to a Canadian university.

The reality is that there are few to no nursing jobs right now in Alberta. And from what I've read the employment situation for new RN grads is dreary across Canada and the US.

Hopefully in 5 yrs things will be different and I can find a nursing job in Alberta.

In your case OP, since you've been granted permanent residency in Canada, you'd probably be better off living in Canada and starting over with school.

Silverdragon102, BSN · May 27, 2010

Just to add even if you use OPT and you do find a sponsor unless retrogression has lifted and visa allocation is current you will have to leave the US and wait.

I strongly suggest you think long and hard, BSN is required for most provinces so if you do ADN and pass NCLEX and work OPT you may have to maintain student status and do BSN to meet Canadian requirements, alternatively start over again in Canada from scratch

knina · May 30, 2010

One possibility is finishing your ADN in Texas and working there for year while you complete an online RN to BSN program in Canada such as the one at Athabasca or doing that after you get to Canada and are working some other job.

As others have mentioned there aren't many RN jobs in Toronto or Alberta or other Canadian cities right now.

If you can get into an RPN program in Ontario it might be worth doing even without being able to transfer classes. I hear there are more RPN jobs than RN jobs in Toronto.

Alberta said last year that it was going to replace RNs with LPNs. It is a weird situation that RNs are supposed to have BSNs now but the market wants RPNs/LPNs.