Working as a nurse in Canada
One of the most important professions in Canada is Registered/Licensed Nurse. But despite the prestige, there is a shortage of specialists in this field in Canada. Therefore, foreigners with nursing education have a great opportunity to immigrate to Canada due to their profession.
If you have a nursing education obtained in Ukraine/Russia/Kazakhstan or other former USSR countries, experience in the profession, and above-average level of English, you can immigrate to Canada very quickly and earn up to $100,000 per year, and sometimes even more.
In this article, we will look at the topics:
- categories of nurses in Canada;
- wages;
- education requirements;
- opportunities for nurses with a foreign degree;
- how to pass the exam and get clearance to work;
- relocation assistance in the nursing profession;
- useful links.
Foreign nurses can move to Canada with their family. Children will attend a Canadian kindergarten, school or college. The spouse will get a work visa and can work legally in Canada. The foreign nurse can also legally work up to 20 hours per week while continuing her studies in Canada.
Read on to find out what you need to do to do this.
Categories of nurses in Canada
There are categories of professional nurses in Canada:
— Registered Practical Nurse (Registered Practical Nurse, RPN) in Ontario and Quebec. RPNs must have a two— or three-year college degree in nursing.
— Licensed Practical Nurses (Licensed Practical Nurses) or licensed vocational nurse (Licensed vocational nurse, LVN), in other Canadian provinces.
— Registered Nurses (Registered Nurses). RNs must have a bachelor's degree in nursing.
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— Registered Psychiatric Nurses (Registered Psychiatric Nurses — licensed to practice only in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the territories.
Foreign-educated nurses are more likely to start their career as a Licensed Practical Nurse and then upgrade to Registered Nurse.
In most provinces in Canada, Licensed Practical Nurse do the work of caring for the sick, injured, convalescent or disabled. While Registered Nurses work in a variety of professional settings and often specialize in the practice area. They may hold supervisory positions with other health care professionals, including nurses, licensed practical nurses (LPNs), unlicensed auxiliary workers, and less experienced RNs.
Salary
Salaries for nurses in Canada vary by province and territory, and by type of practice.
According to payscale.com, Registered Nurse earns an average of 60,150 CAD per year (5,000 CAD per month), and Licensed Practical Nurse earns 45,770 CAD per year (3,820 CAD per month).
According to another source, glassdoor.com, Licensed Practical Nurse earns 53,820 CAD per year, Registered Nurse earns 68,460 CAD per year. And in Toronto, the RN has an even higher salary of 110,608 CAD per year.
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions has compiled detailed information on nursing salaries by position.
Education
Nurses undergo rigorous training and practice. To start working as a Licensed Practical Nurse, a 2 or 3 year Canadian College Diploma (College Diploma/Advanced Diploma), or equivalent, is required.
A bachelor's degree (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) is usually required to start a Registered Nurse. The province of Quebec is an exception, where a Canadian college degree (College Diploma) is sufficient.
Especially for internationally educated nurses (IENs), the Georgian College in Ontario has developed an accelerated program Acute Complex Care for Internationally Educated Nurses to help them strengthen their theoretical and practical knowledge and pass the Canadian qualifying exam (see below).
The program only lasts for 8 months (2 semesters), after which the international nurse receives the Ontario College Graduate Certificate.
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