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Tips for Foreign Medical, Nursing, Healthcare and Biotechnology Professionals
Looking for Work in the United States and Canada
This section provides
information intended as general help.
PulseHR Inc. does not guarantee the accuracy of all of the details and disclaims any
responsibility for the opinions or suggestions
presented in this section and links associated with it.
Each individual is responsible for their own
research and actions taken as a result of it.
Please note that
each link opens a new browser window
Medical Doctors: Going to Canada
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PulseHR E-mail Reply to an Employment Inquiry from a Medical Doctor in India
A person who received our reply responded to us
with many words of gratification, calling it an "eye-opening" and "golden"
advice. We hope it would be useful to others as well, but would like to repeat
that this information should not influence your decisions or actions. It should
only be part of your research and should be evaluated in the context of many
other factors, the two sub-sections below being some of them:
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Ontario pursues foreign-trained doctors (PDF file)
Globe and Mail (newspaper) - November 22, 2002
Ontario has decided to think globally in its effort to tackle the shortage of
physicians in the province. A new eight-point plan unveiled Thursday by Premier
Ernie Eves and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Tony Clement will see the
assessments of hundreds of foreign-trained physicians fast-tracked to
qualification.
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Ontario plans to ease rules governing foreign MDs (PDF file)
CBC News - November 21, 2002
The reluctance of governments and medical licensing bodies to expand the number
of foreign-trained doctors is dissipating as the national doctor shortage
becomes more acute and competition for their skills intensifies. In Ontario,
where the government's own statistics suggest 588 additional family doctors are
needed, Health Minister Tony Clement is days away from releasing a plan to
increase the number of new foreign-trained doctors from the present 90 a year.
Ontario is going to make it
easier for foreign-trained doctors to become licensed in the province. The
provincial government is adding up to 150 new positions for foreign-trained
doctors next year to help reduce the doctor shortage in the province.
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Medical Accreditation in Canada
This is a
link to the Medical Council of Canada website.
This
organization is the national regulatory body for
comparative evaluation of the level of medical knowledge
of candidates from international medical schools.
The license to
practice medicine in Canada is granted by each
provincial and territorial medical licensing authority,
under respective Medical Acts and upon meeting specific
regulated conditions. However, in order to facilitate
portability and reciprocity between the different
provinces the Medical Council of Canada was constituted
in 1912 by the Canada Medical Act.
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Medical Licensure in
Canada
Canadian government information for graduates of foreign
medical schools who want to obtain a medical license to practice
or to train in Canada.
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Canadian Information
Centre for International Credentials
Among other things,
this organization advises individuals on what they need
to do to have their credentials assessed and recognized
in Canada.
The organization itself does not grant equivalencies or
assess credentials.
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Temporary
Licensing and Regulations for Foreigners
This webpage provides an
overview of what's required from foreign workers to
practice medicine in Canada.
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Canadian Residency Matching Service
The Canadian Resident
Matching Service (CaRMS) is a not-for-profit,
fee-for-service corporation that works in close
cooperation with medical schools and students to provide
a computer match for entry into accredited postgraduate
medical training. CaRMS is governed by a Board of
Directors with representation from all stakeholders in
Canadian medical education.
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Physiotherapists: Going to Canada
Licensing International Medical Graduates
Good overview of the whole thing.
Information on Requirements to Practice Physiotherapy
This is a link to a
Physiotherapy section of the Canadian Information Centre for International
Credentials.
Colleges of Physiotherapy by Province
The Colleges are the regulatory bodies.
Brochure: Educational Equivalence for Physiotherapists Educated Outside of Canada
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Nurses: Going to Canada
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What is a Registered Nurse
Here you will find a description of the duties normally performed by a
Registered Nurse (RN) in Canada.
The
following 12 nursing specialties are in particular demand in Canada:
1. Critical Care
2. Intensive Care
3. Cardiac Care
4. Emergency
5. Burn Unit and Care
6. Neonatal Care
7. Dialysis/Hemodialysis
8. Neurosciences
9. High Risk Labour and
Delivery/Maternal Care
10. Trauma and Neurotrauma
11. Operating Room
12. Oncology
If you are an
Internationally trained nurse specializing in one of these fields, you have an
excellent
chance of finding a job in Canada.
To qualify for employment in Canada, you need to do
the following:
- select a province where you want to work and contact the provincial
Nursing licensing body (it is usually called a College or Association).
- individuals from outside the province (or
country) must have completed a nursing program comparable to one in the chosen province;
- provide evidence of recent practice;
- achieve a passing score on the professional examination
(this can be done after you receive your temporary registration/license and arrive in Canada);
- demonstrate reasonable fluency in
written and spoken English or French;
- and show proof of Canadian Citizenship,
landed immigrant status, or authority under the Immigration Act (Canada)
to practise nursing (if you do not have this proof, include a letter of request
to wave this requirement for the purposes of temporary registration).
For more info, see the section on Ontario below
(note that a similar process is in place in other provinces).
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Nurses: Going to Ontario
In short, the process
is as follows (but please take care to verify the
latest news and most recent changes on the CNO website under
What's New):
1) You can first apply to register temporarily while outside Canada,
then come to Canada, and sit the
qualifying RN Examination for permanent licensing/registration with
the College of Nurses of Ontario.
2) The temporary
registration approval requirements are very strict. But before you can even apply for
temporary registration, you need to be *assessed* by the College of Nurses of
Ontario (CNO). The CNO will conduct assessment of your profile to verify that you will be, indeed,
*eligible for temporary registration* once you find a job
and get a job offer.
3)
To be *eligible*, you must provide evidence that your education satisfies
the nursing education requirements in Ontario. In Ontario, the nursing profession
has two categories: Registered Nurse (RN), and Registered Practical
Nurse (RPN).
The following educational requirements
are in place:
►RPN
– 3 semesters in a College of Applied Arts & technology (CAAT) or 2 years in
a high school Practical Nursing program for a certificate in Practical Nursing.
►RN
– 6 semesters in a CAAT for a diploma in nursing or a 4-year university program
for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) or Bachelor of Nursing (BN) degree.
In 2005, these requirements will change to the following:
►RPN
– 4 semester (2 years) program in CAAT leading to a diploma in Practical
Nursing.
►RPN
– 4-year university or university/CAAT collaborative program leading to a BScN
or BN degree.
Apart from the education
requirements, you must also provide evidence of your recent practice as a nurse
in the area of your specialization. There is no exam involved in the
assessment process.
3) You can complete the assessment process, which is
the first step in the overall process of getting
temporary registration, before coming to Canada and having a job offer.
Completion of the assessment process will make you *eligible for temporary
registration* and it will also make you *eligible to sit
the qualifying exam* for permanent registration, once you
arrive in Canada and start your employment. It will be much easier for you to
obtain a job offer, once you have been assessed by the CNO. Please note that
without a *job offer* from your future employer you
cannot receive temporary registration, even if you have already been assessed by
the CNO as *eligible for temporary registration*.
4)
Passing the Test of English as a
Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Test of Spoken English (TSE) is also required for
those who need to prove their proficiency in English.
Two other English language tests are also acceptable. These tests are the
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the Michigan English
Language Assessment Battery (MELAB). You can provide your
language tests scores after you have completed the assessment process. The
language test scores will be
required, however, before your temporary registration can be granted.
The English language tests scores
are as follows:
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TOEFL:
The computer-based TOEFL with minimum
scores of 203 overall, 19 in listening, 20 in structure/writing, and 20 in
reading is required. The paper-based TOEFL with minimum scores of 537 overall, 53 in
listening, 53 in structure/writing, 53 in reading is required.
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TSE: The minimum score is 5.0.
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IELTS: The minimum score is 6.5,
with the minimum score on any of the subcategories being 6, and the minimum
speaking category score being 7.
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MELAB: The minimum score for the
written section is 75, and the minimum score for the spoken section is 3.
5) Your first step is to contact the
College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) and request an application form for an
assessment of your eligibility. To do so, send an email to the CNO with the
subject line "Need Assessment Application Package" and provide the following
information in the body of your email:
1. Your first and last name
2. Your date of birth
3. Your sex (male or female)
4. Year of graduation from your nursing
program
5. Country of your nursing program
6. Name and length of your nursing program (e.g. B.Sc.N., 4 years)
7. Indicate the nursing classification you
are applying for: Registered Nurse (RN) or Registered Practical Nurse (RPN).
8. Your mailing address (to receive
application forms)
It will take about 2 weeks for your
request to be processed and another few weeks for the application package to
arrive to you, depending on where you are (allow 4-5 weeks).
6) The actual assessment [of your
eligibility for a temporary registration] process takes approximately 8-10
weeks, and it is the most important part of the whole process. Please note
that there is no exam involved at this stage. It is highly advisable to forward
your English tests results to the CNO when you apply for assessment, this can save you 2-3
months. After you have been assessed by
the CNO, you
can start looking for an employer. Finding an employer is the second most
important step.
7) Once you've gotten a
job offer, you can apply for temporary registration with the College of
Nurses (at this stage you MUST provide your language tests scores, if you have
not provided them earlier). Your temporary registration, if approved, will be valid for
1 (one) year.
Please note that after your temporary registration with the College of Nurses has been
completed, your employer will be required to obtain clearance for you from the
Canadian government, i.e. Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), and send it to the Canadian Embassy in your country.
8) Once you have a job offer from
your employer on hand, temporary registration with the College of Nurses, and a
clearance from HRDC obtained for you by your future employer, you will then be able to apply for
a Canadian work visa and a Social Insurance Number (S.I.N.) at the Canadian
Embassy in your country.
9) After your
arrival and start of employment in Canada, you will be required to prepare and pass the qualifying
Canadian RN exam in order to receive *permanent*
registration/licensing in the province. Remember that your temporary
registration is valid for one year only and it cannot be renewed. Upon successful completion of this exam,
your registration will be classified as a *general class* permanent registration.
All nurses
MUST pass this exam in order to be permanently licensed and work in the
province.
10) Here is a
quick summary of the whole process:
-
opening of a file with the College
of Nurses
-
assessment of your eligibility for
temporary registration/licensing
-
job offer from your future employer
-
temporary registration with the
College of Nurses (language scores required)
-
clearance from the Canadian
government (HRDC)
-
work visa and Social Insurance
Number at the Canadian embassy
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and finally, arrival to Canada and
taking the RN qualifying exam
Note that
all steps are chronological, in that each new step cannot be completed without finishing the previous one.
Expect that the whole process will take at least 4 - 6 months (provided you have
the language tests results on hand beforehand).
The
assessment fees are CDN $175.00.
The Canadian RN Examination fees are CDN $215.00.
Exams are usually offered four times a year:
January, June, August, and October. Upon successfully completing the Canadian RN exam, you may also need to pay an additional fee of CDN $175.00,
which will be charged to process your
*general class* registration.
For the most up-to-date information, contact the CNO directly.
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Notice: If you are
an Internationally trained Registered
Nurse, currently practicing Nursing preferably in one of the 12 required specialties mentioned earlier, and you would like
PulseHR to assist you, free of charge, in finding employment in Canada, the
United States or the United Kingdom, please
fill out a form here. |
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Nurses: Going to the United States
Foreign nurses who would like to practice
as a Registered Nurse in the U.S. must first earn the
Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS)
VisaScreen Certificate. Later, foreign
nurses will also need to satisfy licensing requirements of nursing boards in
individual states.
Note: Canadian nurses
are exempt from the VisaScreen requirement (unless they want to immigrate to the United
States permanently). Canadian nurses would be required to write the NCLEX-RN
exam for most U.S. states, however there are 18 states that waive the
examination and endorse Canadian nursing licenses.
More info on this topic
The CGFNS VisaScreen certification includes three parts:
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A review of the applicant's
credentials. Applicants must be a first-level, general nurse and must have
graduated from an approved nursing program,
which included at least two years general nursing training. Applicants must
also be registered as a first-level 'Registered Nurse' or 'Professional Nurse' in their country. Nurses who specialised in one area without being educated and registered/licensed
as a general nurse (e.g. midwife, paediatric
nurse, psychiatric nurse) are not eligible.
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A one-day CGFNS qualifying exam.
Nurses whose credentials meet the CGFNS requirements can register to take the
CGFNS Qualifying Exam.
You can also take NCLEX-RN exam instead, but it will not be offered outside of
the United States until 2004.
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English language tests.
The English language exams are
waived for countries in which English is the primary language and used in all
nursing classes, textbooks, etc. This includes Canada (except Quebec),
Australia, Ireland, United Kingdom, New Zealand, and most recently Tobago and
Trinidad (at this stage Tobago and Trinidad are included conditionally, for a one-year period).
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Canadian Nurses: Going to
the United States
Canadian nurses can work in the United States under
the TN status, provided they have obtained proper nursing licenses in the state
of their prospective employment. Many states endorse Canadian licenses, while
others require the NCLEX-RN exam. Many states share licensing requirements.
Please read on to learn full details.
If a Canadian nurse wants to immigrate into the
United States permanently, (as opposed to a temporary TN employment visa), the
nurse will need to obtain the
CGFNS VisaScreen certificate, just like all other foreign nurses.
Licensure by endorsement
Licensure by endorsement occurs when a state board of nursing grants a license
to practice to nurses who meet certain qualifications in their home country and
exempts them from the standard licensure process of that state. Several states
have special
regulations with regards to Canadian nurses and licensure by endorsement.
Note: The states of New York,
California, Florida, Hawaii, Alaska and Indiana do not require the
CGFNS exam. The states of New York and
Hawaii do require the NCLEX exam while not requiring the CGFNS exam. The states of California, Florida,
Alaska, and Indiana do not require either the CGFNS or NCLEX exam from
Canadian nurses and endorse Canadian licenses.
The North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA)
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) permits the following:
Nurses who are citizens of Canada and Mexico may work in the U.S. under the NAFTA ("TN")
status. Canadian nurses must demonstrate the following:
1. They have a written offer of employment from a U.S. employer for a period of
not exceeding one year;
2. They are licensed in Canada and in the state of intended employment. Eighteen
U.S. states endorse Canadian licenses without the exam.
Check what states will allow you to get licensed by endorsement.
Note: There are also a number of compact states that share licensure
Nursing Licensure Compact States (15 participating and 6 pending, as of
April 2003).
3. They have proof of Canadian citizenship; and
4. They pay a US $56.00 fee to enter the United States (payable at the
U.S. border).
TN visa may be renewed on a yearly basis either by having the nurse re-enter
the U.S. with the documents listed above, or by requesting an extension of TN
status from an BCIS Service Center.
A TN nurse is not supposed to have any intention of remaining permanently in the
U.S.
In other words, Canadian nurses can obtain
TN visas (TN-1) at the U.S. border, for US $56, if they have a letter from a U.S.
employer (including a travel company) offering them a job. The nurse will also
need a transcript, degree, U.S. license, and passport.
Registered
Nurses who are citizens of Mexico also qualify for TN status (TN-2 visa).
However, for Mexican RNs the procedure is considerably more complex than
for Canadian RNs. Mexican RNs
must apply for a TN visa at a U.S. Consulate in Mexico, having received proper
support documentation from their prospective U.S. employers.
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Other Healthcare Professionals:
Going to Canada
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Regulatory Bodies (Colleges) in Ontario for Healthcare Professionals
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Biotechnology and Immigration to Canada
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Biotechnology and Immigration to Canada
This is a link to the Canadian Biotechnology Human
Resource Council website. Here you will find a
booklet, prepared by the Council in 1999, for
Canadian companies in the biotechnology sector who
are considering hiring foreign workers. Foreign
biotechnology job seekers can use this booklet to
gain insight into proceedings and requirements
faced by the Canadian employers hiring foreign
staff.
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Look for Work Where It is Needed.
Find Salary Info.
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US Department of Labor, Bureau of
Labor Statistics
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Canadian Labour Market Information
This website is the most accurate and reliable resource for information
related to the Canadian labour market (i.e. employment).
This is where you can find out what skills are required in what region.
Find out where your skills are needed the most. Here you can also find out the
average salary range for your profession. This information was prepared by the Department of
Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC). First, locate the section on wages,
then select the required speciality, province and
city. You may need to make a few queries.
Here are the occupational codes for some of the professions:
3142 Physiotherapists
3143 Occupational Therapists
3152 Registered Nurses
3215 Medical Radiation Technologists
3232 Midwives and Practitioners of Natural Healing
3233 Licensed Practical Nurses
3234 Ambulance Attendants and Other Paramedical Occupations
3411 Dental Assistants
3413 Nurse Aides, Orderlies and Patient Service Associates
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Work Permit and Other Relevant
Info: Canada
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Everything You Need to Know to Come to Canada (Work, Study, etc.)
This info is prepared by the Canadian Immigration governing body, Citizenship
and Immigration Canada (CIC). It is intended for persons outside Canada who are
not Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada and who want to work
temporarily in Canada.
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Canada International
Here you will find a lot if
useful information developed by the Canadian government
for newcomers to Canada, such as how to migrate to
Canada, where to live, language training, types of
government assistance available for newcomers, where to
study and how to apply to a Canadian university, and
much more.
We recommend this site to all non-Canadians who want to
come to Canada without spending a lot of money on
lawyers and immigration consultants.
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Canadian Immigration Law (good synopsis)
Look under "Temporary residents".
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Citizenship and Immigration Manual, March, 2002
Type in the manual title in the search box.
Fees apply. Payment by credit card.
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How to Immigrate to
Ontario
This is a link to Settlement.Org, a website funded by the Canadian government
to help immigrants and refugees find the help and information they need to
start a new life in Ontario, Canada.
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Working
Temporarily in Canada (Overview)
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Canadian Visa Offices (by Country/City)
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National Occupational Classification
View all professions by titles and assigned codes.
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The
Employer's Role
Click here, if you would like to know what regulations Canadian employers must follow when
hiring foreign workers.
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Government of Canada Publications Online
Most of the publications are available free of charge. Do your 'subject' search
and read a few publications carefully to familiarize yourself with the situation
in your field. Pay attention to stylistics and presentation details. For
example, "may not be available" for all practical purposes means "not
available", "you need positive or in some cases neutral evaluation"
should be read as "get positive evaluation", likewise, "chances are that it
will not be approved" should be translated as "almost guaranteed that it will
not be approved".
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Statistics Canada
From publications to electronic data, census to
survey information, www.statcan.ca is THE official source for Canadian
social and economic statistics and products.
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Industry Canada: Business Information by Sector
This is an invaluable information portal on all aspects of the Canadian economy.
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Useful
Sites for Health Professionals and Medical Students
This is a link to a website developed in Ukraine. It
contains an enormous number of links (in English). We checked many of them, and they
all seem to be well researched and provide good quality information.
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Health Canada: Health Care Network
This site is designed to provide convenient access to a
range of online materials related to the planning,
delivery, cost and evaluation of health care in Canada.
The information is drawn from many areas within Health
Canada and other federal departments and agencies
(source: Industry Canada).
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Canada at a Glance (PDF format)
This report is prepared by Statistics Canada. It
presents statistics on demography, education, health,
justice, housing, income, the labour market, economics,
travel, finance and foreign trade, as well as
international comparisons.
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English as a Second Language (ESL) Resources
Send Us Your Question
If you have not found information or reference for the information you needed on
our website, you are welcome to contact us. Please clearly state your question
and describe your circumstances. Note that due to a large number of inquiries,
we cannot provide free consulting services. However, we will reply to your inquiry by
giving you a quick overview of what, in our opinion, will be your best plan of actions, with links
to relevant websites for further research. If you would like us to take care of
your immigration affairs, application to a graduate school, or similar matters,
not immediately related to employment, please submit a
contact form or call us at +1
(613) 231-6308. We will evaluate your request and send you a fee estimate.
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