Passing Grades in the Special Nursing Retake Required in British Columbia, Canada

Passing scores in the voluntary special nursing exam retake, administered last year simultaneously with the June and December Nurse Licensure Examinations, is not just a U.S. CGFNS VisaScreen requirement afterall as Canada's British Columbia also requires the same from June 2006 nurse applicants seeking licensure and employment in British Columbia.

The Department of Labor (DoLE) and the Professional Regulation Commission have always maintained that failing or simply not taking the voluntary special nursing exam retake will not affect the status of the license of June 2006 nurses as the voluntary exam retake was simply meant to enhance their "employability" abroad.

The Labor department, on its website, added that those who failed will simply not qualify for U.S. VisaScreen Certificate issued by the US Commission on Graduates of a Foreign Nursing School (CGFNS).

The DoLE statement is correct but not entirely accurate as failing the special retake also meant disqualification from prospective licensure and subsequent employment in Canada's British Columbia.

This was learned by Pinoy R.N. after a nurse who applied for licensure in the Canadian province shared with this blogger a copy of the letter by the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (CRNBC) requiring the submission of passing scores in the special retake prior to being made eligible.

The nurse added that a few other Canadian provinces also have the same requirement.

Out of the 17,821 examinees who passed the compromised June 2006 Nurse Licensure Examination, only 9,927 nurses successfully passed the special retake of the nursing board exams administered by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) in June and December last year.

Some of the June 2006 Nurses opted not to retake the exams in the hopes of seeking employment elsewhere like Canada as the special exam retake was largely viewed back then as a U.S.-only requirement.

Guide in Applying for the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination (CRNE)

In a post last month, Pinoy R.N. reported the 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.

3. All authority to take the actual CRNE and become registered is given by the nursing regulatory bodies. Links to Canadian nursing regulatory bodies are found at http://www.cna-aiic.ca/CNA/about/members/provincial/default_e.aspx

Just like in the United States, application processes and requirements may differ from province to province. Completing online nursing programs and receiving a degree may not be applicable in certain areas. So, be sure to visit the individual nursing regulatory body's website when applying to sit for the CRNE.

Canadian Licensing Authorities:

Alberta - http://www.nurses.ab.ca/Carna/index.aspx

British Columbia - http://www.crnbc.ca/

Manitoba - http://www.crnm.mb.ca/

New Brunswick - http://www.nanb.nb.ca/

Newfoundland and Labrador - http://www.arnnl.nf.ca/

Northwest Territories and Nunavut - http://www.rnantnu.ca/

Nova Scotia - http://www.crnns.ca/

Ontario - http://www.cno.org/

Prince Edward Island - http://www.arnpei.ca/

Quebec - http://www.oiiq.org/

Saskatchewan - http://www.srna.org/

Yukon - http://www.yrna.ca/

Source: Canadian Nurses Association

(Thanks to Breech for article inputs and the list of links to individual licensing bodies.)

DoLE Sets up Canada Desk for OFW Deployment to Canada

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has set up a Canadian Desk tasked to handle queries and coordinate with concerned agencies on matters relating to the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Canada.

Labor and Employment Secretary Arturo D. Brion issued Administrative Order No. 53, series of 2008, providing for the setting up of the Canadian Desk at the Office of the DOLE Secretary in Intramuros, Manila. Director Salome Mendoza of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) was designated to head the desk.

Brion said the Canadian Desk would be the Secretary's arm in coordinating with the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Manitoba in activities relating to the deployment of OFWs to these provinces as provided for in the labor agreements entered into by the DOLE and the governments of the three Canadian provinces. The POEA, as mandated by law, will continue to handle the actual deployment activities.

He added that the Desk would also attend to queries from workers seeking employment in Canada.

Brion signed the agreements with the provincial governments of Saskatchewan and British Columbia in December 2007 and January this year, respectively. He also signed a similar agreement with Premier Gary Doer of Manitoba during the latter's recent visit in Manila.

The DoLE Chief is also expected to sign another labor agreement with the Canadian province of Alberta by March of this year. Other Canadian provinces have expressed interest in entering into a labor agreement with the Philippines.

He said the purpose of the agreements is to strengthen areas of cooperation in the fields of labor, employment, and human deployment and development between the Philippines and the respective Canadian provinces.

The agreements, he said, specifically provide for an ethical, orderly, and expeditious recruitment and deployment of OFWs to Canada, non-collection of placement fees, and for the provinces to encourage employers to support human resource development efforts for OFWs as well as the reintegration of returning OFWs to the Philippines.

He stressed that the OFWs' rights and welfare will also be protected in accordance with Philippine laws and regulations and those prevailing in the Canadian provinces.

"The forging of agreements with the Canadian provinces is a milestone in the national efforts to ensure decent working conditions and the continuous training and successful reintegration of OFWs," he said, adding "the government is managing migration in such a way that the interests of OFWs in Canada will be well protected."

Canada's interest for OFWs underscores its recognition of the Filipinos' capability to help address its skills shortages. Alberta, for instance, has a booming oil and gas industry and is projected to be requiring around 400,000 workers in the next two years.

British Columbia, on the other hand, will be in need of hospitality and construction workers as it gears itself to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. It wants to attract 30,000 contract and permanent migrant workers with specific skills per year.

Canada is also in need of workers in the healthcare and education sectors. For more details, the DoLE-POEA Desk can be reached through its hotline number (02) 523-3633 or e-mail address dolecanada@yahoo.com.

Source: Information and Publication Service, Department of Labor

Thanks to breech for the heads up.

Nursing Employment Prospects in Canada

Over the past days, newspapers and television newscasts have been reporting about prospective jobs in Canada for various kinds filipino workers in the fields of construction, information technology, and healthcare among others. On top on the list for professional workers in great demand are registered nurses.

In an advisory on its website, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said that several provinces in Canada have adopted a Provincial Nominee Program to facilitate the entry of immigrants to its labor force.

It added that the Canadian Human Resources and Social Development reported that 1.9 million new jobs will be created over the next decade (2006 – 2015) particularly in the Western provinces of Canada such as Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

This, indeed, is a welcome development for filipino nurses who are looking for alternative foreign employment opportunities in the face of the current visa backlog for nurses wanting to migrate and work legally in the United States. At the moment, the visa backlog is retrogressed up to 5 years back and the possibility of it being lifted in the near future is dim until after the U.S. presidential elections in November.

However, what the newpaper articles and T.V. newcasts failed to report is that a duly licensed registered nurse in the Philippines does not automatically qualify for a nursing job in Canada. Like the United States, Canada mandates anyone wishing to practise nursing in their jurisdiction to take and pass the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination (CRNE) and like any other exam, there are costs associated with it. This means that the prospect of finding employment and subsequent migration to Canada as a registered nurse is not as easy as it sounds.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Nurses Association is predicting a continued shortage of nurses in the near future thus necessitating the need to hire international/foreign nurses. This is a golden opportunity for the Philippines--being the world's biggest exporter of the best nurses. Since Canada is in dire need of nurses from the Philippines, perhaps now is the best time for the Philippine government to negotiate for some special agreement with Canada like mutual license recognition between the two countries (reciprocity) or licensure by endorsement, or a local CRNE testing center.

There's a popular idiomatic expression that goes, "Beggars can't be choosers" and in this case, I don't think the word 'beggar' refers to the Philippines.