Becoming a Registered Nurse

If you are interested in caring for people and are a high school graduate, you can eventually become a Registered Nurse (RN). There are a number of steps you need to take before you can turn your dream into a career, but they are  straightforward and you’ll find there is plenty of support along the way. If you are interested in becoming a Nurse Practitioner, the steps follow below.

Step #1. You will need a post-secondary education. 

Why? All provincial and territorial nurses’ associations have adopted the goal of having a baccalaureate requirement for entry into nursing. Evidence supports the fact that baccalaureate-prepared nurses are most able to provide safe, ethical, cost-effective and high quality nursing care for Canadians.

The trend toward a university education for Registered Nurses (RNs) is here: with the exception of students in Quebec, students must choose to obtain a baccalaureate degree in nursing in order to prepare for a RN career.

          Check out a complete list of nursing schools and continuing education options.

• Check out where to apply for nursing financial assistance here.

Step #2. You need to apply to the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) directly for assessment.

All nursing graduates who plan to practise in Ontario must be registered with the CNO.

Once you are deemed eligible (after applying), you’ll take the registration exam. Why? This exam is designed to measure the competencies of nurses at the start of your practice.

In addition to the registration exam, you must successfully complete a separate jurisprudence exam by the College designed to evaluate your knowledge and understanding of the laws, regulations, and College by-laws, practice standards and guidelines that govern the nursing profession in Ontario. The RN Jurisprudence Exam is completed online.

Step #3. If you pass, you must meet four other requirements in order to be “registered” by a provincial or territorial nursing regulatory body in Canada.

After completing an eligible education program, showing the College evidence of recent safe nursing practice (usually completing the program) as well as successful completion of the national nursing registration examination; you must then show:

• Evidence of fluency in written and spoken
  English or French.
• Registration or eligibility for registration in the jurisdiction where a nursing program was completed.
• Proof of Canadian Citizenship, Permanent Residency, or authorization under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) to engage in the practice of nursing. *Good character and suitability to practise, as indicated by a Declaration of Registration Requirements and a Canadian Criminal Record Synopsis.

A valid certificate of registration from the College is required of all nurses who wish to practise nursing in Ontario and perform the procedures in theControlled Acts that are authorized to nursing.  Only member of the College are allowed to refer themselves as nurses in Ontario.

• What if I’m an internationally educated nurse?

Step #4. Evolve your competencies.

Because nursing is a self-regulating profession, establishing and maintaining high standards of practice is critical — not only for the safety of patients but also the long-term advancement of the nursing profession. Researching and expanding nursing competencies through best practice development is another important contribution RNs can make after they begin to practice.

Nursing in Canada

Canadian health care employers are facing an ever-growing shortage of health professionals. Driven by a number of factors, principal of which is the aging of the workforce, shortages of nurses are now commonplace in Canadian hospitals and clinics. In an attempt to compensate for enduring staff shortages, employers have had to use the existing health care workforce more intensively by relying on overtime and agency staffing. More recently Canadian health care employers are incorporating a foreign recruitment strategy into their overall staffing plans.

There are more than 300,000 nurses currently practicing in Canada. While no exact number has been established for the actual number of nurses currently required in Canada, there is a consensus that the current shortage is 15,000 - 20,000 nurses. An array of studies analyzing the issues and trends affecting supply and demand for nurses in Canada indicate that the shortage is very likely to increase. 

As a Registered Nurse in the Philippines with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and current nursing experience in a hospital setting, you have the background and skills, which are currently in great demand by Canadian health care employers.