niccoll

Hello all,

I am just wondering if there are any british nurses who have moved to Vancouver or Canada in general recently?

I am in the process of waiting for my evaluation from NNAS, I have been in contact with British Columbia Women's Hospital as I am currently working as a neonatal nurse, but I am qualified originally as an adult nurse. They are going to interview me once I have my answers back from NNAS.

I am after some more information about the process after receiving the go ahead from NNAS. The hospital have said they should be able to sponsor my visa for permenant residency etc...

Things have taken a bit longer because my university decided not to send a completed form to NNAS, I am currently about 4-5 weeks delayed because of them.

I am going out to Canada with my husband and our 2 dogs, and rather than flying out, as ourdogs would not cope, we are going over by ship. The earliest we can book the kennels on the ship is 13th July '18, but they fill up pretty quickly, therefore we have the dilemma of 'do we book now and just pay a small fee if we need to transfer the dates?'. It would be great if someone could give me any idea of a timeframe between the go ahead from NNAS and getting out to Canada.

Thanks in advance,

Nicole.

Silverdragon102

Doesn’t matter what NNAS say you still need to go through the College of RN for the province and get licensing sorted. Great getting job sorted but a lot will depend on how quickly the college will be and you sitting and passing NCLEX. Timeframe can for nurses be difficult to gauge

Siouxie

https://www.crnbc.ca/Registration/RN...ionstages.aspx and timelines: https://www.crnbc.ca/Registration/RN.../Applying.aspx

https://www.clpnbc.org/IENRegistration

Brooks52

I am a UK trained adult nurse, BSc (Hons) First Class, currently going through the process of trying to gain registration with CRNBC. My timeline has so far looked like this.

Applied to NNAS : April 2016
Recieved NNAS Report : February 2017 *Not Comparable*
Applied to CRNBC : March 5 2017
Referred to NCAS : March 22nd 2017
Completed NCAS Assessment : July 30th 2017
Received NCAS Report : September 26 2017
Received CRNBC Decision on Registration : October 20th 2017

I am required to complete a 1 year Re-entry to practice program. I have three years to complete this, after which I will be eligible for Provisional Registration and can sit the NCLEX exam.

There is a long, expensive road to registration after NNAS. If your lucky you may get a better NNAS or NCAS result then I did though! Good Luck!

mikey8954

Everyone’s journey through this is very different but all share a frustratingly protracted and expensive process. My timeline is pretty quick compared to most I’ve seen.
Applied NNAS April 2016
Received NNAS Report and Applid CRNNS October 2016
Authorisation to Test and Eligibility for Registration December 2016
NCLEX passed April 2017

I was fortunate, I was able to,prove with my work experience that I had sufficient experience of all patient groups not to have to do a bridging course or competency’s test. One of the reasons I applied to CRNNS first was because of advice I received about their process and their comparatively speedy turnaround. Once you have a full license in one province, getting it endorsed to any other is relatively straight forward and quick.

I’m not moving to BC, instead I’m going to be in YT for a couple of years (not my first choice but I needed a work visa first so couldn’t be picky). We will apply for PR soon and then be able to work anywhere but be aware that if you’re employer will be sponsoring your application, sometimes they don’t do what they say because things change. I had this experience in NS and Ontario. If you’re committed to BC and this particular employer, they will have a much easier time employing you if you are already eligible to work because you have your PR visa.

We are taking our very elderly dog to YT in December, we’ve done a lot of research and we’re actually pretty confident with him flying. If you’re committed to going by boat, I would probably book now for next year particularly if there is an option to change the dates with a reasonable fee if you’re job is a defining factor on when you can make the move.

Be prepared to have very adjustable timescales though, I thought that with efficiency on my part I could be in Canada in 9-12 months, in reality it will have been 18 months. You’re relying on organisations like NNAS to work efficiently and that isn’t always the case. If organisations don’t meet their published timescales, be on their back pretty quickly, call them and get a person to “complain to”. This was the only reason my NNAS application got sorted so quickly and my CRNNS application was not touched in the timescales they advertised but within 2 days of me pestering, it was done and I was eligible for registration. Obviously I was always nice and professional in my contact but it does seem to make a difference if you are relentlessly engaged with these organisations.

aja424

I am an RMN and my NNAS report resulted in 'not comparable'. I applied to CRPNBC. I am required to complete a bridging program designed specifically for internationally trained nurses. There are 3 modules that I need to complete, although I noticed that the full bridging course is 8 modules so I imagine I'm lucky. The course is similar to studying with the Open University so this suits me ad I completed my nurse training via the OU.

aja424

Hi Mikey.
You say that 'Once you have a full license in one province, getting it endorsed to any other is relatively straight forward and quick'.
I have chosen BC. When I first started looking at properties under $400 000 there was about 60 properties to choose from in areas close to potential employers. Now there are 5 and they're not looking too nice. I have been thinking recently about whether or not moving to Canada is a good idea. Willing to downsize but next year they will be no chance of buying a property.
If what you are saying is correct about getting a license from one province to another is relatively easy, then transferring to Alberta could be an option after a year or so.

Shakyuk

My girlfriend is a RMN and is currently being assessed by NNAS. She may end up having to do a bridging program like yourself. How much are the individual units? Then we have an idea of how much this is going to cost.

aja424

The unit/module which I've started has cost £300. The next two are around £400 each so just over £1000 in total. You only do one at a time so the cost is spread.

Shakyuk

How long do you think it'll take? Not cheap then! Good luck

Brooks52

The one year bridging program will cost in excess of $10000 CAD. It is potentially eligible for students loans though depending on the students circumstances.
It seems a lot but is a fairly standard cost of a years post-secondary education in Canada.

Shakyuk

Now that really isn't cheap. It makes me wonder how so many nurses come from developing countries and practice in Canada. How do they afford everything involved to get registered.

Yorkiechef

. YES, TO DE-SKILL!

I know someone that has recently (June) completed the entire programme at Mount Royal university. fees were about $6k and $1500 in books/uniforms and medical equipment. Most of this was tax deductible when you submit your tax return. Then there is registration fees and licence fees, nlex exam all again tax deductible. So yeah, about $10k all up.

shaper

I'm new to the whole peocess and just looking at how difficult it would be to move and nurse in Canada.
I have a few queries?
Why is the NNAS based in Philidelphia?
Why is the fee payable in American Dollars ($)?
Does a British General Nurse often need a bridging qualification?
Would a Child Branch qualified Nurse with the MSc in Advanced Practice need a bridging qualification?

I know you'd be guessing some of the answers, but any insight would be helpful.

Silverdragon102

When the colleges got together and they put the tender out for an agency to evaluate transcripts it was the agency in Philadelphia that won the contract and because they are based in the US that results in payments in US$.

Each province is different but it does appear most UK nurses have to bridge.

Only the college can decide whether a bridge course is required