I am hold both American and Canadian citizenships. I got accepted to transfer into a top Canadian nursing BSN 2 year program and an American BSN 2 year program. However, the Canadian program graduates 4 months faster than the American program.
Ideally, I would like to graduate ASAP because I want to be streamlined into the BSN program.
However, it is really that beneficial to graduate faster? If I graduate nursing school in Canada, I will work in the US. However, if I go to school in Canada, then it will be that much more difficult to get into an American ICU position right out of nursing school?
Wouldn't the four months I save by going to an Canadian school be offset/negated by my having to spend time obtaining an American RN license anyways? I know how difficult it is to get into an ICU , let alone get into an ICU from a Canadian program!!
With the American school, there's a much better chance of getting into an ICU directly out of nursing school as they do externships with critical care units.
Would you be able to sit the NCLEX in your preferred US state with a degree from a Canadian program? Doesn't the state board of nursing have to receive documentation of your education from your school? I would think a Canadian school would not be familiar with US state board procedures.
While I don't know the exact procedure, it is definitely possible to write the NCLEX and get licensed in the US with a Canadian degree. At least one of my classmates went to the US as a new grad (and she was a Canadian citizen with no family/spouse in the states, so whatever her visa arrangement was, it was based on her own qualifications). It used to be very common for Canadian new grads to look for work in the states, in search of higher pay and signing bonuses. There's less economic incentive now (except for the cheaper tuition in Canada).
I agree with the above post..I wouldn't do it for 4 months. Cost of living is higher is Canada than in MOST parts of the US. Plus you have to think about being taught HOW to take the NCLEX, which is a lot different from the CRNE. Not to mention you have to go through all of the paperwork with the BON because you will be considered an international educated nurse...if you want to work in the US it is just a lot easier to go to school in the US. But that's just the opinion of a US licensed nurse who just moved to Toronto :)
University of Toronto has only a 2-year second entry program, and York University (suburban Toronto) has both a traditional 4-year and a 2-year program. The one at York is only a couple of years old, so your friends may not have heard of it.
There are options in other cities as well, but I don't remember them off the top of my head.
I wouldn't make the 4 months a big factor in my decision - but tuition fees are likely to be lower in Canada. There were a few Americans in my program who came for lower fees, even though they didn't have dual citizenship and had to pay the significantly higher international student fees.
On the other hand, a Canadian school may not prepare you as well for the NCLEX, so you'd have to do a lot of self-study to work in the US. The Canadian licensing exam is a lot less scientific and more touchy-feely-bullcrappy, and from what I gather from the student threads on allnurses, our courses reflect that difference in emphasis.
Two year programmes are for eligible degree holding candidates. So if you have a degree in some other field you could be eligible.
But like we've told you in the Canadian Forum, why do you want to come to school up here when you are so pro-American in your viewpoint?
Regardless of where you get your BSN, you will need to write the NCLEX in order to work in the United States. Likewise, regardless of where you train, you will have to write the CRNE to work in Canada.
I have never heard of an employer discriminating based on whether you went to a Canadian or American school. For all intents and purposes, the education is the same.
Whether you are educated in the US, Canada or Timbuktu, you must submit all your education credentials for evaluation, before you will be allowed to sit for the NCLEX (the same is true for Canadian licensing/registration). Your education will be evaluated and a decision will be made as to whether is it equivalent to that of an American fully credentialed nursing school (in essence).
I am American, live in Canada in a border city, am licensed in both countries, and have worked in both. I went to nursing school in the US simply because there was a convenient university offering a second degree program, which was not offered at my local Canadian university. I have many friends who were educated in Canada and worked with me in the US, as well.
Long story short: do what works for you, it all comes out the same in the end if you are talking US and Canada. As for the two exams: I felt they were of equivalent difficulty, and I studied the same for both.
Two year programmes are for eligible degree holding candidates. So if you have a degree in some other field you could be eligible.
But like we've told you in the Canadian Forum, why do you want to come to school up here when you are so pro-American in your viewpoint?
I don't know about the other Canadian 2-year programs, but for the two I mentioned (Toronto and York), you don't necessarily need a degree already. Both require some university background (2 years full time or the equivalent) with some specific prereqs in physiology, statistics, etc.
Having said that, I did a 2-year program and almost everybody did have another degree already, so you may need a degree to be a competitive applicant, even if it's not strictly required.
I guess this is a moot point for the OP - he or she has already been accepted into a Canadian school, and is just deciding whether or not to go. But it may be useful for other aspiring nursing students.
As for the two exams: I felt they were of equivalent difficulty, and I studied the same for both.
They may be similar in difficulty, but for different reasons and with different emphases. The NCLEX emphasizes "hard" knowledge - a typical question may require you to know the side effects of a drug. The CRNE emphasizes "soft" knowledge - a typical question may require you to decide which way of phrasing the same question would support the patient's autonomy.
Besides the different emphases, there are different details to be learned in the two countries (i.e. common names of drugs, and what units lab values come in).
American schools are geared towards preparing you to write the NCLEX, and Canadian schools are geared towards preparing you to write the CRNE. If the OP wants to go to school in Canada and work in the US, then he or she will have more work to do when studying for the NCLEX than if he or she went to an American school. Since time appears to be a big concern for the OP, this should be one of the factors in making a decision.
Regarding the two Canadian programs you listed, it is uncertain whether in actuality you would save time overall.
York's program requires a previous degree, or 60 previous university credits (which is the equivalent of two years/4 semesters). After that, you need to complete 6 semesters (3 normal two-semester years), for a total of minimum 5 years (doesn't sound better than a 4 year degree to me...).
University of Toronto's program requires a minimum of ten completed courses prior to admission (2-3years), with very specific guidelines on what they must include (stats, life science, physical science, humanities and social science and only so many are allowed to be at a "100 level"). Then, you must complete another 4 semesters (2 years) of full-time classes. Again...not a time saver.
Whether or not a second entry program is a time-saver depends on your personal circumstances. If you're fresh out of high school, then it's 4 years here or 4 years there - there are pros and cons to consider, but time isn't one of them.
But if you already have the admission requirements to a second entry program, then completion time becomes a big factor - you choose between another 4 years or another 2 years. The OP wrote that "I got accepted to transfer into a top Canadian nursing BSN 2 year program...", so they already have those requirements.
Thanks for the links to Toronto and York (I've been bringing them up as examples because they're the schools I'm most familiar with, but I have no idea if the OP is looking at Toronto or another city). However, if you take a closer look at York, you'll see that it's actually a 2 year program too; they have a summer semester, and do 6 semesters in 24 months. Of course, there are always tradeoffs - this means that you don't get as much chance to regroup or earn money during school - but it is a time-saver, if you are qualified to enter.
Do you have to be resident of Canada to pay the (much lower) domestic student fees, or would being a citizen allow her to pay them? Also, I wonder how hard it would be for her to become a resident of Canada, given her citizenship.
Anyway - lots of factors to consider - but as others have said, I wouldn't put a lot of weight on 4 months.
I think you still have to pay international fees even when you have dual citizenship. If not international fees, you have to pay out of province/territory fees which is still higher than the "cheap" regular tuition. That's why I stayed home. I sacrificed the whole university experience for the lesser debt after I graduate. lol
HealthShepherd
183 Posts
While I don't know the exact procedure, it is definitely possible to write the NCLEX and get licensed in the US with a Canadian degree. At least one of my classmates went to the US as a new grad (and she was a Canadian citizen with no family/spouse in the states, so whatever her visa arrangement was, it was based on her own qualifications). It used to be very common for Canadian new grads to look for work in the states, in search of higher pay and signing bonuses. There's less economic incentive now (except for the cheaper tuition in Canada).