Changes for foreign nurses -- especially American, but others also

[on-hold]

Many people might know this already, but I was shocked today to find that two major changes are coming to nursing licensing in Canada. Firstly, Canada is abandoning its own nursing licensing exam (the CRNE), and is adopting the American exam in its place (the NCLEX-RN). This will happen on January 1st, 2015, and applies to both Canadian and international nurses. Each province will have to decide what they will do with international applicants who have passed the NCLEX-RN prior to 2015, but B.C. has already announced that they will accept NCLEX-RN passers all the way back to 1982. The NCLEX-RN is a computerized test that can be taken at any time, with results that come back almost immediately; the CRNE is a paper test that can be taken three times a year, with results that take weeks or months to return.

Secondly, the system where each province evaluates foreign nurses individually is finished within a few weeks -- there is now a centralized Canadian process. Check out the web site of the College of Registered Nurses in the province where you want to work for links.

Canada adopting the NCLEX-RN is an almost unbelievable change, it means firstly that Americans and nurses eligible to work in America can apply for registration in Canada (if they have a 4-year degree). Secondly, it means that international nurses can begin the licensing process abroad, since the NCLEX-RN is given in many foreign countries, and the CRNE is not.

Personally, I think these two changes are both extremely positive -- anything that cuts down on the burden of interprovincial registration is valuable, and I think it's amazing that Canada will share a licensing exam with the United States. This will go a very long way to increasing nurse mobility, and I believe that Canadian RNs are eligible for a TN visa to work in the United States; not sure about American nurses in Canada.

 

[mcbeth]

Does this mean my wife, a Russian trained nurse, will be able to simply take a test to prove her credentials? Or will she have to take some months/years of schooling as well as this new test?

Fraser Health here in BC was less than helpful when I contacted them on her behalf, and even less helpful when she tried to contact them.

 

[on-hold]

Your wife will have to have her education evaluated, after which you'll know if she needs more classes or not. Doing this will require that her school in Russia submit her transcripts directly, you cannot do it yourself -- if her degree is not a four year degree, then there is no possibility of her working in Canada. In addition to that, she has to take a licensing test, an English test, and meet a variety of smaller requirements as well. Fraser Health has nothing at all to do with this, I'm sure that they told you to contact the College of Registered Nurses for British Columbia, which has a page on how foreign nurses can become qualified.

 

[Fpm800]

Your wife will have to have her education evaluated, after which you'll know if she needs more classes or not. Doing this will require that her school in Russia submit her transcripts directly, you cannot do it yourself -- if her degree is not a four year degree, then there is no possibility of her working in Canada. In addition to that, she has to take a licensing test, an English test, and meet a variety of smaller requirements as well. Fraser Health has nothing at all to do with this, I'm sure that they told you to contact the College of Registered Nurses for British Columbia, which has a page on how foreign nurses can become qualified.

Sorry to respond to this old thread. Regarding the four year degree, how does that work? My fiance and I are moving this March from the USA. She has her RN degree from a 2 year program then got her BSN (bachelor of science in nursing) which is a four year degree via a bridge program. Would she be eligible to work in Canada as a nurse? She originally passed her nclex-rn on October 2011.