After the 12- Steps to achieve your American Dream as a Kenyan Nurse, let us now look at how you can register in Canada. There are nurses in Kenya who have always dreamt of working in Canada, many years have passed and they are still at the same stance despite having other options. This inspires me! It is with this reason that I thought of going through various websites, searching for information that might benefit such friends as they yearn to achieve their long term dream and improve their life. I dedicate this article to them.If Canada is your 2019 dream destination, let's go through the basic steps to achieve that dream.
1. Make a decision
2. Meet Education and clinical experience requirement
3. Take and pass an English language proficiency test (IELTS)
4. Choose the Province you intend to work in Canada
5. Submit your documents to National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS)
6. Apply to the regulatory body of your chosen province
7. RN Jurisprudence Examination
8. Declare your Criminal Records
9. Address the gaps in your Nursing education and Clinical experience
10. Take and pass NCLEX-RN
11. Seek Authorization to practise Nursing in Canada (Work permit or Student Permit)
12. Get Registered
Decision making
Canada is known to be a welfare country that provides top class facilities to its citizens while keeping its doors open to people from all over the globe. The question isn't about why should you choose this maple leaf country. It is all about what makes it the best choice for you as a Kenyan Nurse. With its massive size, like the US, it means you have a range of choice regarding where you want to place your roots, be it the outdoorsy yet urban Vancouver, or the culturally rich Montreal and Ontario. Apart from being the land of beautiful sceneries, it is also the land of opportunities for a Kenyan Nurse. It has a government-funded, national healthcare system, which requires more nurses. It is estimated that Canada will need at least 66,000 nurses by the year 2020. An aging population is also the reason for the growing demand for nurses.
Migrating to Canada for a Kenyan Nurse is also based on personal and other factors, but before considering that, you should do enough research on the processes. Fortunately, KenyanNurse has done that for you! At the end of this article you will be in a good position to choose whether to consider Canada as your 2019 dream destination or not.
Education and clinical requirement
For you to work in Canada you must have trained as a nurse in Kenya from a recognized institution offering accredited Nursing program, licensed by the Nursing Council of Kenya and finally gained an experience of 2 years within the last 5 years.
Take and pass an English language proficiency test (IELTS)
Next you must prove that you can Listen, Speak, Read and Write in English, and the acceptable minimum scores are Speaking 7, Listening 7.5, Reading 6.5, Writing 7, with an overall of 7 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic. If you are interested in IELTS please contact British Council Nairobi, Upper Hill Road for more information about the exams. The secret behind passing IELTS is to prepare adequately before registering for the exams. You can contact us through our email kenyannurse17@gmail.com for guidance on IELTS preparations.
Choose the Province you intend to work in Canada
The healthcare system in Canada, just like in the US, is regulated at a provincial level. Each province has its own regulatory body (Nursing Association, Nursing Colleges or Territories) and assessment process. This implies that you must understand the requirements, your eligibility and the processes of a nursing regulatory body of the Canadian provinces you intend to work. For the purpose of your general comprehension, this article is going to outline a process as a guideline to most of the bodies.
Apply to National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS)
All Kenyan Nurses may be eligible for registration to practise in Canada as either Registered Nurses (RNs) or Registered Practical Nurses (RPN) and they must first apply to the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS). Similarly to Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) in the US, NNAS receives documents and assess internationally educated nurses applying for Canadian nursing registration.
You will open an online account with NNAS after which you will be informed of the documents needed to verify your personal information, nursing education, nursing registration and past nursing experience.
The documents include:
Identity (e.g., passport)
Nursing education (e.g., verification forms, transcripts, course descriptions from your training institution)
Nursing registration (e.g., verifications forms from Nursing Council of Kenya)
Employment (e.g., verification forms from institutions where you have worked/volunteered for 2 years within the past 5 years)
English Language proficiency (e.g., IELTS test results)
After submitting all the required documents, NNAS will then:
Receives, reviews and stores all documents that were submitted
Ensures your file contains documents for the nursing regulatory body
Determines if you meet the registration requirements
Ensures that your documents are valid and not falsified
Evaluates your education documents against Canadian standards
Prepares an Advisory Report about your nursing education, registration history and practice
Sends the completed file to the nursing regulatory body you intend to register with.
Apply to the regulatory body of your chosen province
Once NNAS has authenticated and verified the required documents, and conducted its assessment of your nursing education, you will receive instructions for applying to the regulatory body of your chosen province.
The regulatory body will not start your application process until they receive the following:
A request from you to begin the process of applying to register
The fee required to begin the registration process
An Advisory Report from NNAS about your nursing education, registration history and work experience
With the NNAS Advisory Report, the regulatory body will then determine if you meet the specific registration requirement based on the documents you submitted to NNAS.
The regulatory body will assess your nursing education to determine whether it’s equivalent to that of an approved program. "Equivalent" means you received an education that provided you with the nursing knowledge, skill and judgment at least equivalent to that of a current graduate from an approved nursing program in Canada.
The council will also complete your Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) based on the documents you supplied to NNAS to identify any gaps in your competencies.
When the regulatory body considers your application, it looks at all your nursing education, from your original nursing program to any additional nursing courses or programs you may have completed. This is to determine if all your education included the competencies required to meet the nursing education requirement in Canada.
There are various outcomes after the evaluation by the regulatory body:
OUTCOME A:
If an assessment of your education indicate that you demonstrate the required nursing knowledge, skill and judgment, then you are eligible to write the registration exam known as NCLEX-RN for and after passing your application will be automatically be reviewed the Registration Committee of that specific regulatory body.
OUTCOME B:
If an assessment identifies that your nursing education is not equivalent to the education provided in an approved program, competency gaps will be identified in your nursing education and you may be required to either go through additional assessment or to complete additional education so that you address those gaps. It is of importance to note that our Nursing education and standards of nursing competence in Kenya might differ from Canadian one, so most Kenyan Nurses fall under this category and might be given either of two options below:-
OUTCOME B1: If competency gaps in your education are identified and you have evidence of practice as nurse……then they will perform a paper-based review of your information about your nursing practice, meaning many years of experience is a plus.
OUTCOME B2: If competency gaps in your education and practice are identified or you do not have evidence of practice as a nurse... ...then you will be offered the chance to write an exam. This exam has different names in different provinces, for example in Ontario it is called complete an outside evaluation, also known as Internationally Educated Nurses Competency Assessment Program (IENCAP) and Alberta registered nurse assessment program (ARNAP) for Alberta . These exams are standardized evaluation of the knowledge, skill and judgment for internationally educated nurses (IENs) seeking to become to be registered in Canadian provinces and they consist of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), interviews and a short multiple-choice exam. The results of those evaluations, together with the other information you provide, will help the specific regulatory body to determine whether you are eligible to write the registration exam, NCLEX-RN.
OUTCOME B3: If competency gaps are identified in both your nursing education and nursing practice you may have…..then you will be asked to undergo IEN Bridging/Re-entry Program or complete further education.
RN Jurisprudence Examination
For you to be registered in any Canadian province, you must successfully complete the RN Jurisprudence Examination in one of the nursing regulatory body, college or association where you intend to work. This exams test your knowledge and understanding of the laws, regulations, Regulatory body by-laws, and practice standards and guidelines that govern the nursing profession in the specific province you are registering. The jurisprudence exam is an open-book online exam. You can take the exam as many times as you need.
Criminal Records
All Nursing regulatory bodies demand that you also declare your past offences and findings and health and conduct issues during your application. You can do the two steps at any time during your application once you are confirmed as an applicant by the regulatory body.
Addressing gaps in education
If your application fall under CATEGORY B3, gaps exists in your Nursing education and Practice, you will receive a letter outlining the specific competency gaps that need to be addressed. You will need to complete additional education to address those gaps and meet the nursing education requirement by undergoing a Bridging Program, IEN Bridging/Re-entry Program or complete further education from an approved or accredited Canadian School and in Kenya, we recommend Omni College. If interested, please contact Mr. Kevin Mack on (+254) 790-536-387 and you can also email him to kevinm@omnicollege.com. You can also take a walk into their Office located at Elgon Court Private Block, Suite 1 Ralph Bunche Road, Upper Hill Nairobi. INSCOL also offers the Bridging program. Some Kenyan Nurses opt to start with this step since most of those schools might also guide you through the registration process. If interested please contact us through our email kenyannurse17@gmail.com for guidance in selecting such institutions.
After you secure the approved or accredited Canadian School like Omni College you will:-
· Get specific information about its admission requirements.
· Share with them the documents you received from the nursing regulatory body, college or association you applied to, including the Competency Assessment Form and Criteria for Additional Education and Training.
· Complete the additional education you need to address gaps and meet the nursing requirement.
· Ask the school to send an official transcript (in a sealed envelope, with the school’s official seal or stamp) to the nursing regulatory body, college or association you applied to.
When nursing regulatory body receives the transcript, it will review to confirm that the education you completed addresses the identified competency gaps and provided you with equivalent nursing knowledge, skill and judgment.
If an assessment of your education now finds that you demonstrate the required nursing knowledge, skill and judgment, then you are eligible to write the registration exam known as NCLEX-RN and after passing your application will be automatically be reviewed the Registration Committee of that specific regulatory body.
The NCLEX-RN Examination
All Kenyan Nurses registering to work in the Canada must pass National Council Licensure Examinations for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
Being a computerized adaptive test (CAT) exam, the computer selects questions based on your ability and competence as demonstrated on your answer to the previous question. Most of the questions on the NCLEX-RN are written at the application and analysis level. Test questions integrate the nursing process and the four client needs. Questions will be presented in a variety of formats such as multiple choice, multiple response or Select All That Apply (SATA), fill-in-the-blank, calculation, drag and drop, and/or hot spot. Questions may include multimedia such as charts, tables, graphics, sound and video. NCLEX-RN presently administered by Pearson VUE in their network of Pearson Professional Centers (PPC). Most Kenyan Nurses are taking their NCLEX-RN in India but with Canada, especially if you are to undergo the Bridging program, it is advisable to do it while already there. The regulatory body will not demand you to do another NCLEX-RN if you already did and pass.
Citizenship, Permanent Residency or Authorization to Practise Nursing
You must provide proof of your citizenship, residency status, or authorization to practise nursing in Canada before you can register as a nurse with any of the nursing regulatory body, and you do this by including a copy (not originals) of either your work permit or study permit authorizing you to practise nursing in Canada with your application. For more information about the Canadian Immigration requirements and processes please contact Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Get Registered Nurse Licensure
The nursing regulatory body will only issue you with Registered Nurse Licensure and allow you to practice after you have achieved a clean bill of the following :-
Meet Education experience requirement
Meet Clinical experience requirement
Take and pass an English language proficiency test (IELTS)
RN Jurisprudence Examination
Declare your Criminal Records
Address the gaps in your education
Seek Authorization to Practise Nursing in Canada (Work permit or Student Permit)
Once issued with the Registered Nurse Licensure, you will now seek for the employer, fortunately, there are enough opportunities. It been a long journey but it is WORTH!!! Congratulations!!!!
These are the provinces with their respective regulatory bodies:
British Columbia College Of Registered Nurses Of British Columbia
Alberta College And Association Of Registered Nurses Of Alberta
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Registered Nurses' Association
Ontario College Of Nurses Of Ontario
New Brunswick Nurses Association Of New Brunswick
Nova Scotia College Of Registered Nurses Of Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island Association Of Registered Nurses Of Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland And Labrador Association Of Registered Nurses Of Newfoundland And Labrador
Northwest Territories Registered Nurses Association Of The Northwest Territories And Nunavut
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Disclaimer
The above provided information has been sourced from various sources but for more specific information please you are advised to contact the specific institution mentioned.
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