Working As A Nurse
 

Hi. Good Day! im a british citizen of filipino descent working as a nurse in a big NHS hospital here in London. im currently waiting for an application from an online recruiter of nurses from British Columbia. the advice i want to seek from anyone is:

1. do i need to apply for a nurse registration now or do i wait for my job application?

2. what type of exam do i need to take before i actually work there? or will i be given a "provisional" license to practice?

3. do you need a diferrent license if you are going to practice in a diferrent province or territory?

4. what's the best state to work in?

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Welcome to the forum.

You might try going back to the forum index and scroll down and you will see a section on Working Abroad by Profession (Nursing). There are nurses that post here but that might catch some more, if you post there too.

Good luck! :):thumbup:

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Depends on which province you really want to work in. Each province will have their own requirements especially for foreign trained nurses and when moving province you will still have to apply to new province before being allowed to work. The exam you need to take is CRNE and is only available 3 times a year in Canada.

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Hi,
I applied for CRNBC check like our NMC before I had my telephone interview they then sent me a lettor of confirmation with salary holidays etc I sent that back they then apply for a labour market opinion which for a nurse always seems to be positive then you send off for your work permit.
If you are applying for TWP and permanent residency I suggest you look at the canadian immigration website it gives you all the details you need police checks whic take 6 weeks ,photos ( had mine done today with family) I have also had to do 2 courses and buy books for them hope this all helps

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Hi,welcome to the forum.
Here is the healthmatch bc link .
http://www.healthmatchbc.org/HMBC_nurses.asp?pageid=658
You can also join another nursing forum called www.allnurses.com
Hope that helps.
Yoong

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Hi Gino,

I am also a nurse and just started the process.

You will need to apply for a registeration once you have secured employment with a Candian employer. This takes about six weeks, but whilst doing this you must have your qualifications varified and also your current registeration details sent to the province which you are apply to.

You do need to sit an exam, but in Canada they only have these a few times a year, therefore you can get a licence as a graduate nurse until you have passed your exam, this enables you to practice mean time.

Hope this helps a bit.:)

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

i'd like to work either in British Columbia (though i heard it's expensive there) and maybe perhaps Alberta.

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

ok. thanks very much for the link. ive started inquring and will send my CV soon. i told them that i can start as soon as possible. i just have some more questions off the back of my mind like does every state need a "separate" license,etc. and can i start working in Canada on a "provisional" license to work.

i dunno if my circumstances warrants a "temp work permit" as i'm a british citizen. then again, im not sure of the laws in canada. someone care to shed a light on my queries?

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

so basically if i find an employer (and i'm able to satisfy it's requirements, etc.) i can fly in to Canada the next day on a sort of "provisional license" so i can essentially work as a regular nurse but i still need to take the nurse exam in order : 1. to be "officialy recognised" as a nurse and 2. get paid more? and/or 3. get more incentives/benefits as a regular nurse. am i correct?

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

One of sobriety. We have Provinces.

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

No, I dont think so,

I think you need to wait on the registeration in order to obtain TWP.

Can anybody else correct me if I am giving wrong info.

Cheers

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Sorry Gino,

Threads have overlapped,

yes you need exam to get all those things, but need to give yourself time to go through the proper procedures to even get there.

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

You need to contact the licensing body of the province you are interested in, as each province tends to have its own rules and regs.

Take with you a letter, or written confirmation (from your pay office or last employer) of the number of hours you have worked in the UK in the last (7?) years. The pay will be according to that, and you should be able to get the full rate you are entitled to, even whilst working on a restricted license (until you get your exam).

You should be on whatever benefits go with the job too, though often when you start they like to make you "casual" in which case you don't get paid leave and other benefits! Get a permanent contract if you can!! :thumbup:

I'm a physio btw, but I expect nursing is similar!

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Spend sometime reading the collective agreements , the wages are listed
in the green book,hopefully that will answer your questions about benefits.

http://www.bcnu.org/contracts_servic...A2006-2010.pdf
Yoong

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

You should just read the WIKI on nursing http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Nursing-Canada as this answers all your questions and gives you the appropriate links to the regulatory bodies.

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Hi
I started work as a general nurse in Kamloops BC last week. Got the job via telephone interview and then contacted CRNBC for my temporary registration until I write the exam in June. My pay is unaffected by my temporary registration and in fact only means that I can't be left on the department without anther RN. Professionally I can do everything (and more) that I could in the UK. I applied for PR under the PNP. Hope this helps

Stretty:thumbsup:

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

would it be possible to know which company/employer/website did you aplied to? i'm trying to apply at Vancouver B.C. and Toronto but after the forums ive sent i came to the conlcusion to 1. wait for a job interview & confirmation before regsitering to the nurse authority on that province and 2. i dunno what's the time scale of waiting and 3. is the CNE nurse exam that "hard"?

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

you need to go through an agency called Healthmatch BC (sorry I can't find the e mail address). I telephoned the hospital direct and spoke to a couple of managers before I was interviewed over the phone. Once I'd got the job I applied for my temporary registration and Healthmatch BC processed my application as a PNP for my permanent residency.
Stretty:cool:

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

sorry forgot to answer points 2 and 3. Haven't sat the exam yet so I don't know if it's hard or not. Re time scale I found my registration with CRNBC took a long time as we were back and to-ing with certificates, transcripts, NMC etc. Because of the differences in our training I had to proove that I could do paeds and obstetrics otherwise I would have had to do further training in the UK prior to being accepted for temporary registration. I would advise you to apply for registration asap - you never know what the CRNBC might ask you for in order to be accepted. There is a time limit with their temporary registration but you always have the option of extending that if needed. Good luck.
Stretty

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Don't mind him. He meant to say "Florida". :thumbup::cool:

R.

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Stretty, how did you convince CRNBC about the paeds and obstetrics? Was it on the basis of incidental experience, or have you spent time practicing in these fields? We spent a couple of years in BC, and my wife ran into the same obstacle when she tried to get her UK quals (gained in 1990) recognised. Extra training in BC was suggested, but it was in Surrey and we were in Victoria.
Andy

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Hi Andy
I think I was lucky. Having worked in orthopaedics for most of my career I had always nursed children and neonates so swung it that way. I also had a part time job with an out of hours service where we saw loads of kids as patients. For the obtetrics part I just explained and enhanced my obs experience in my general training.I also explained the changes in nurse education and that as I was a Registered General Nurse, I was permitted to nurse children. I also explained that as an adult nurse in the UK it was extremely difficult to access paeds courses.
Hope this helps
Carole

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

i can see what you mean. currently the "recruitment" people are not saying they are holding a job for me. i havn't heard from Vancouver yet, the Toronto guys from CNO said they are sending an assessment pack to me and Alberta is on the process of "them waiting for me to send my CV and assessed again" i suppose.

i know on the logistics side (travel, accomodation,etc.) they might provide that but as for me it's a case of "wait and see" who's provinve or authority i will a get a job and apply to.

i've graduated in the Philippines on a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing and have worked for 3 years (in total) before settling in the UK last 2002. i have been a trained nurse for 6 years now and have worked in several areas since like an Elderly Care ward, Dermatology ward, a Medical Admissions (where people from A&E come in) ward and currently now working on a Plastic Surgery ward and have been there for 3 years running now. i have various trainings and study days i've took since coming to the UK (including the once-a-year mandatory trainings)

further advice please....

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

I have recently submitted my application with CRNBC - I had major problems with getting transcripts as according to the university they dont keep them over 10 years ( not required by the NMC) so when the CRNBC wanted all the info on how many hours etc i had completed on each area i couldnt give it to them. i sent in everything I had - old transcripts etc and my degree info which was more recent ( 2003) i qualified in 1996. I have been given the go ahead to apply for temp registration now and just need to find employment.

I looked into jobs before being allowed temp registration but evey job i saw or enquired about required that I be eligble for temp registration 'at least' via CRNBC - It took approx 6-8 weeks from submitting my initial applicatiion to CRNBC to being given the Ok to apply for temp registration and sit the exam

dunno if that helps any

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Hi have a job in Abbotsford due to send off for my TWP this week.Have had sleepless nights about the PNP .
BC PNP say healthmatch do it ,they say fraser health do it any ideas and which forms do I need from CIC still in uk at present any help would be great,
Cathy

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Hiya

Did you phone healthmatch?? I think its kind of a collaberated thing, I have heard that all nurses PNP go through healthmatch for approval. I spoke to them very briefly the other day about another issue but in the convo they mentioned PNP and said i would need to get the forms signed by my HR - i presumed they meant the CIC forms for PNP off the CIC website. I presume you send them off to the normal address for the CIC who may reroute them via healthmatch if that makes sense. Either way I would go through normal channels, forms from CIC website for general PNP - sorry cant be more help im one step behind you lol

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Hi ,
Yes phoned last night my employedr is now sending me all the forms I require think things are clearer now!!!!!
Thank you

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

healthmatch weren't particularly helpful - but I did hound my employer and healthmatch and CRNBC until I was satisfied. I think out of everyone my employer and CRNBC (a named person is important) were of the most help.

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

my OH got a job offer before we knew he had to sit exams and such!, well its took us over a year now to get through it all, registering for the exam, the association checking his degree from the university and getting over there to sit the exam and pass, usually an employer wants to know you are registered and what your state of residency is?, needless to say the job offer fell by the wayside and he has now secured another now he has go all the paperwork done! good luck with everything.

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

i'm currently tied with Geneva Health UK and they have employers from Edmonton in Alberta so i guess Vancouver is out of the question. i've seen the CARNA website and it says it will take 6 months before an application can be processed. why does it take too long? and does it matter if you put all the hours or not? coz all the hours from my past work experience (Philippines and starting here in the UK in 2002) i simply can't remember all of them... :cry_smile:

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

i just got my letter saying that i'm eligible to work in Canada. there are also some forms along with it.

my questions is what is my next logical step to do?

also when i received my eligbility letter from CARNA i was "given" two options before i can start work there. and the "best" option i saw was to take this SEC exam on mental health. what is this all about? is that exam hard? did CARNA decided on those options basing on their assessment of my documents?

nb. i've started my police clearance thing. would the LMO be the agency's job to follow-up?

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Hey Gino

Why are you posting this thread here? I have already told you what to do in the www.allnurses.com site.

Its cocoy2go here.

bye

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

oops sorry. hehe. ill go back to allnurses.com i will submit all me reply there.

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Are you serious??

No-one can tell you where to post or not post. You can post your questions on as many forums as you like as often as you like. In fact, it's often a good idea to do so as you may get a range of different answers.

Generally, people on forums are helpful, but are not experts, so a range of responses often gives a better picture.

Re: Working As A Nurse
 

Hi destination

I was talking to Gino on allnurses.com and waiting for his reply there but he posted his answer here. Thats why I told him to go back there to get his answers to his questions.

I wont never ask anyone not to post whatever they want but then if you ask a question to a specific individual on a forum on allnurses.com then you would expect the reply to be on the same website. Thats the reason i told him to go back to the original place he posted his question.

Hope that clears everything here.

Bye

ibby