Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) announcement on their website about Canada's move to adopt a Provincial Nominee Program to facilitate the entry of immigrants to its labor force.
Canada's move was seen largely as a welcome development for filipino nurses looking for alternative foreign employment opportunities in the face of the current visa backlog in the United States.
The question in everyone's mind now is, "So, how do I become a nurse in Canada?"
This blogger did some reading and here's what I learned:
Requirements for Internationally Educated Nurses
1. To become a nurse in Canada, one must have a nursing degree that included theoretical and clinical experience in the areas of medicine, surgery, obstetrics (maternity), pediatrics (children's nursing), psychiatry (mental health), as well as gerontology and community health. (Some territories may require additional schooling)
2. The nursing degree must have been earned after a secondary education (high school).
3. The applicant must be proficient in both written and spoken English to ensure safe nursing practice.
4. The applicant must have a nursing license in good standing in the country where the nursing degree was earned.
5. The applicant must have worked as a nurse for at least 1125 hours in the last 5 years. (Not required in some territories)
Application Process for the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination (CRNE)
1. To write the CRNE and become registered in one of the provinces or territories in Canada, applicant must apply to the nursing regulatory body in that province or territory.
2. The regulatory body will provide the applicant with the application forms needed and will be informed about the application process. It will also advise the applicant of eligibility to take the CRNE and inform the same of upcoming CRNE dates in the relevant jurisdiction.
Just like in the United States, application processes and requirements may differ from province to province. So, be sure to visit the individual nursing regulatory body's website when applying to sit for the CRNE.
