Is Academic IELTS still a requirement?

[eager_ruby]

I've started out this thread in quest for some answers from the experts in the forum....

We all know that Nursing is a regulated occupation in Canada. We need to be registered first in theprovince of our choice and sit and pass the CRNE for us to be eligible to work in our profession. My question is...should an international educated nurse who has already granted PR card still requires to sit for Academic IELTS to meet the requirement for registration?

Please, I want to hear from you guys.....

 

[izabelle07]

I've started out this thread in quest for some answers from the experts in the forum....

We all know that Nursing is a regulated occupation in Canada. We need to be registered first in theprovince of our choice and sit and pass the CRNE for us to be eligible to work in our profession. My question is...should an international educated nurse who has already granted PR card still requires to sit for Academic IELTS to meet the requirement for registration?

Please, I want to hear from you guys.....

hi eager_ruby...

we have the same case...so long before i started my search for some answers too...
example in my case i have chosen Manitoba for the said province...

To be assessed by CRNE they have some requirements for Internationally Educated Applicants:

1. Evaluation of Language Skills:
Results from one of the accepted language tests. If English or French is not your first language*, you must not apply until you are able to provide evidence of having achieved acceptable scores on one of the English or French language tests accepted by the College. For the purpose of opening a file, you may include a copy of the test results that you received, but must arrange for the College to receive a copy of the official results directly from the testing company within one month from the date of the application. Language fluency test results are valid for two years from the date of the test.

* English or French is only considered to be your first language if: it is the language you primarily use for reading, writing, listening and speaking; and it is the language you first learned and understood in childhood; or it is the language you know best and are most comfortable with. You are required to provide one of the following sets of results (a, b, c, d, or e):

1. Internet-Based TOEFL
Minimum score of 79 with 26/30 in the spoken portion.

[size=10pt][size=10pt] 2. International English Language Testing Source (IELTS) (academic version)
Minimum overall score: 6.5
Minimum score on spoken English: 7.0
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3. Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB)
Minimum overall score: 83%
Minimum score on spoken English: 3.0

4. Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) – Red River College
Listening: 9
Speaking: 8
Reading: 8
Writing: 7

5. Test de français international (TFI)
Minimum overall score: 750 (institution code 9289)

Results must be mailed directly to the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba by the test provider. Results submitted by applicants will not be accepted.

...Every province has its own qualifications regarding Evaluation of our Profession...hope this helps...

 

[eager_ruby]

Hi Izabelle...as for my case, I have already received CRNNS eligibility letter to sit for CRNE, likewise to apply for temporary license if you are inside NS of which the College has discouraged me to apply for TL since it is just a waste as I'm still outside NS. Nevertheless, I am planning to take CRNE comes June 2011 as I'm very much worried of my IELTS that will expire by February 2012 and I have to provide another IELTS to the College should I am unable to pass the CRNE before expiration. And mind you, the College had even increased their Ielts bands requirement per module last Jan. 11,2011 that adds to the stress.
And this is the reason why I wanted to know whether IELTS will no longer be a requirement for registration should we already are a permanent residence of Canada?

 

[lins]

Regulatory bodies in canada has increased the IELTS requirement for nurses. Starting from SRNA all are on the same way. So its now diificult to achieve the required score. Except ontario u need to take the academic IELTS

 

[eager_ruby]

@lins...what do you mean except Ontario that is accepting Academic IELTS?...To my knowledge, when you apply for nursing registration to any provinces they always require you Academic Module not the General Module. Academic Module is intended for Professionals seeking registration, higher study while GT module is intended for immigration purposes that is why CIO only accepts GT not Academic module.
Hope I am right....have you ever heard of nurses NOC 3152 being registered with GT Ielts?

 

[canimmigrant]

Hi Izabelle...as for my case, I have already received CRNNS eligibility letter to sit for CRNE, likewise to apply for temporary license if you are inside NS of which the College has discouraged me to apply for TL since it is just a waste as I'm still outside NS. Nevertheless, I am planning to take CRNE comes June 2011 as I'm very much worried of my IELTS that will expire by February 2012 and I have to provide another IELTS to the College should I am unable to pass the CRNE before expiration. And mind you, the College had even increased their Ielts bands requirement per module last Jan. 11,2011 that adds to the stress.
And this is the reason why I wanted to know whether IELTS will no longer be a requirement for registration should we already are a permanent residence of Canada?

hello eager_ruby... IELTS or proof of language proficiency is required FOR REGISTRATION... however, it is not required to be evaluated to sit for the CRNE... at least that is true with CNO... for other provinces, such as the CRNBC, SRNA etc., IELTS is required as part of their assessment for you to sit for CRNE... since you have already been made eligible by CRNNS, i want to ask you if part of your assessment was to submit a proof of language proficiency... because if you were asked and have already submitted, you have already been assessed on that requirement, therefore, they will no longer require that from you for your final registration... on the other hand, if they have not asked for proof of language proficiency yet, then you will be required to submit this to complete your registration with the college after you pass your CRNE...

every province has a different process and requirement for registration... having a permanent resident status does not affect the requirement these colleges impose on language proficiency...

keep in mind that most provinces require a proof of language proficiency (IELTS) result as part of their assessment for applicants BEFORE they are made eligible TO SIT FOR THE CRNE... but there are some, such as the College of Nurses of Ontario, that require the proof of language proficiency FOR FINAL REGISTRATION (meaning you may or may not have already taken the CRNE)...

the best thing to do is to send your querries to the college involved... they do respond to inquiries, though it may take a few days to a week... make sure to include your complete name, application number with the college (if you were assigned one) or any information that would help them find your file...

i hope this helps... goodluck!

 

[canimmigrant]

i forgot, yes, it's ACADEMIC IELTS that they require... what do you have? and on that note, what did you submit to the VO as part of your FSW requirement? General or Academic? thanks!

 

[chandi2564]

hey guys,

CNO accepts academic and general IELTS. I've checked with them.

 

[canimmigrant]

hey guys,

CNO accepts academic and general IELTS. I've checked with them.

this is good news chandi2564... my IELTS has expired already so i need to sit for another one... i'm just not sure when, it will depend on the CNO's assessment i guess... though i inquired and they said IELTS is not required to sit for CRNE... i have already submitted my assessment application and i still haven't heard from them... though my credit card has already been charged :'( are you an applicant as well? it would be nice to share some experiences and timelines... ;D

would you know at what stage IELTS will be required? before issuance of CRNE eligibility or after? and how old should it be upon submission? i'm thinking 2 years (because that's how long the results are kept with the British Council and the college wants it sent directly to their office right?)... many thanks!

 

[chandi2564]

this is good news chandi2564... my IELTS has expired already so i need to sit for another one... i'm just not sure when, it will depend on the CNO's assessment i guess... though i inquired and they said IELTS is not required to sit for CRNE... i have already submitted my assessment application and i still haven't heard from them... though my credit card has already been charged :'( are you an applicant as well? it would be nice to share some experiences and timelines... ;D

would you know at what stage IELTS will be required? before issuance of CRNE eligibility or after? and how old should it be upon submission? i'm thinking 2 years (because that's how long the results are kept with the British Council and the college wants it sent directly to their office right?)... many thanks!

at the final stage i guess, when they issuing CRNE eligibility you have to submit your IELTS.

 

[eager_ruby]

IELTS Academic is one of the requirements for registration in Nova Scotia. It is included and needed before eligibility for CRNE. The only good with cRNNS is that they can check your IELTS online and all you have to do is send a photocopy of your result unlike other provinces that you pay the Testing center to transmit the result.
Once CRNNS finds you eligible, they will send you e-mail with the eligibility letter attached and in that eligibility letter states the dates that they received your papers from the School, PRC, Hosp, Employer and of course Ielts and it also states the dates when each document will expire usually 2 years pending CRNE. But if you will be able to sit and pass the CRNE then you dont have to worry about the expiration as you are already fully registered.
Regarding GT module for CNO...i am not sure of this but I'll try to enquire from them this week.
Meanwhile, I really need to take the exam this year and hopefully I will make it so that I will not bothered updating my files and resit for IELTS as mine will expire February 2012. Hope I can make it. I am also worried might embassy will not grant me visit visa.

 

[KimK]

Dear Ruby,

I just found your post today, and it is long after July 2011. I was wondering how you did on your exam, and if all of this worry has faded or if you will be retaking the exam next year and having to worry about your IELTS score expiring.

As a note, in my 5 years of working with IENs becoming RNs I am glad that you knew about the exam expiry date ahead of time. This is often new news, that comes at a very bad time: when people are preparing for the CRNE.

The process of becoming a nurse is different in every province, and not always transferable. It is interesting to hear that CNO accepted the non-academic version of IELTS as BC and Alberta (like NS) require it. There is, however, an alternative in the CELBAN. Most nurses find this easier, as all of the questions are about nursing. But it too has a 2 year expiry and the scores for both are increasing all the time.

Over my 5 years I have seen many changes when it comes to what is accepted for the English Proficiency: the exams accepted, the scores. From these trends there may come a time when the expiry date is shorter, and scores are even higher. The important point is that a person becoming a nurse is required to have a university level of English, at levels between 8 and 10. So, IELTS will be accepted for a long time: because of the academic version. It takes time and effort to get a score that high, if a person's levels are around a 5 or 6, what most people immigrating to Canada come with.

What is wonderful is that you have already passed once, and you are now preparing for the CRNE, which has its own troubles.

At the end of the day, I hope that you did pass, and all of this was just worry. If not, consider taking the CELBAN.

Sincerely,
Kim