There are thousands of internationally education nurses who are still hoping to pursue their career in Nursing. Although Canada is in need of such role, the long process of becoming a Nurse makes it harder to keep us going. Most immigrants are on waiting list to take the bridging program, they also have to go through the process of IENCAP/NCAS which cost most of friends a fortune. Hence, if you are still outside Canada, and considering to take the student pathway, then good for you because I am sharing today on how to skip the long queue of bridging programs in Canada. This will be 2 in 1 (PR and RN License in Canada).
STEP 1. Apply to Canadian School, secure your Letter of Acceptance, and student permit
You can apply to the schools directly, with SLE, or some can connect with INSCOL to secure the seat. Advisable to apply in advance (1 year before the intake). Planning ahead is the key to secure your slot. As for the tuition fee, it ranges from (16,000 CAD to 18,000 CAD per year) depending which school you want to apply to. Carefully check the admission requirement per program. Ideally, you need to take 2 year graduate certificate/program in these schools:
List of Schools:
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Sault College
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Niagara College
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Seneca
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Langara
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Conestoga
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etc.
Some Ontario graduate certificate programs that are possible for RN equivalency are:
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Gerontology - Sault College (Year 1)
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Health Administration Sault College (Year 2)
STEP 2: Process your National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS)
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Proof of your Identification (Passport)
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Nursing Education (from home country and Canadian institution)
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Registration from your home country (PRC license - ensure to its valid)
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Nursing Practice (No need since your safe practice will be met by completing certain clinical hours in your program)
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English Language (No need, it can be waived in Ontario by completing the program)
Once the result is comparable to RN/LPN, then move on to the next step.
STEP 3: Applying to Regulatory Body (ei. College of Nurses of Ontario)
the registration process in the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) is valid for two years, but the processing time depends on how fast you complete your requirements. It only takes for others to get this done within 6 to 8 months. The registration fee is 339 CAD per nursing group (ei. RN or/and LPN). Once you created your profile, NNAS will automatically link your documents to CNO, here are the registration requirements:
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Education (met thru NNAS assessment)
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Evidence of Safe Practice (met thru NNAS assessment)
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English requirement (met thru NNAS assessment)
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Jurisprudence (40$ with 150 questions - open book online exam)
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Police Clearance (35$ valid for 6 months)
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Status in Canada (ei. student permit or PGWP)
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Registration Examination (NCLEX for RN or CPNRE for LPN)
Once you passed your examination and completed all the requirements, you're now officially a registered nurse/practical nurse in Canada! You can easily get a job and apply for Permanent Residency in Canada!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)!
Yes - because you need to submit this to National Nursing Assessment Service.
Yes - because once you completed the two-yr postgraduate certificates/programs, you will be able to renew your "Evidence of Safe Practice".
Do I really need to take two year - post-graduate certificate/program?
Yes - because NNAS and Regulatory Body (CNO) are both quite a long journey. So if you only take one year program and have one year post-graduation work permit, this put you at risk because of your legal status to stay in Canada.
It depends on the volume of the applications they received, but usually, if you completed all your requirements, they are pretty fast as well.
Canadian Programs for 2 years - 32,000 CAD
NNAS fee - 1000 CAD (main fee) + 300 CAD (additional group)
CNO/Regulatory Body - 339 CAD (each nursing group)
Jurisprudence - 40 CAD
Police Clearance - 35 to 50 CAD
Registration Exam - 369 CAD (NCLEX) + 230 CAD (CPNRE)
Yes - because of reciprocity, but I suggest to practice in Ontario or in the province where you initially got your license for a year before moving to another province as you need to have 1560 hours before you can transfer it in some provinces.
How much is my salary?
Depends where you are but it ranges from 35 CAD to 80 CAD per hour for RN and 25 CAD to 33 CAD for LPN, search it in indeed.com!
What if I took a different program, can I still be a nurse in Canada?
Yes - you can process your NNAS using your credential in the Philippines alone, process will be the same, hence our diploma back home only equivalents to LPN (License Practical Nurse). If you want to be an RN, then you have to wait and take a different path which is the bridging program where all landed immigrants are. In the bridging program, they usually prioritize PR or Canadian Citizens. If you wish to pursue nursing, then why not take the straight path and take the programs mentioned above?
***Please let me know if you have more questions, comment it here and I will respond! :)
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED TO APPLY AT NIAGARA COLLEGE AND SAULT COLLEGE:
Please send me an email here to send you the program details, requirements and more details:
Sault has 2,000-3,000cad scholarship for Filipinos (NO IELTS required except Gerontology)
Niagara College has 2,000cad scholarship for Filipinos (no IELTS in selected schools)
Get your Student Visa Starter Guide to know more about the “DIY” application process!
