Nursing mobility within Canada: An update

Aboriginal Nurse, The,  May 2001  

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Registered nurses, in general practice, should find it easier to obtain registration and subsequently to practice nursing anywhere in Canada thanks to a recent agreement that streamlines procedures for nurses wanting to move from one province or territory to another for work.

This "Mutual Recognition Agreement", reached in February and being signed by nursing regulatory bodies across Canada, formalizes their ongoing efforts to reduce interprovincial barriers and delays in registration, across boundaries.

Since registration in Canada is a provincial/ territorial matter, a nurse's registration/license is only valid in one jurisdiction. So if she wants to move to another province or territory, she can't transfer her licence. She has to apply for registration in that jurisdiction.

Claire Kermacks, Director, Regulatory Services, Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia states: "The Agreement will make it easier for nurses to move from one province or territory to another for work, by ensuring their credentials are recognized from one jurisdiction to another. It eliminates a lot of paper chasing'." Previously, Canada had only one national Nurse Registration/Licensure examination. As of January 1, 2000 however, there are two examinations. The Canadian Registered Nurse Examination is a new exam, based on a new set of competencies for nurses entering practice as of the Year 2000. Quebec has also developed its own exam: the Professional Examination of the Ordre des infimiries et infirmiers du Qu6bec. Regulatory bodies are committed to assessing the equivalency of the national and Quebec exams - a process that may take up to two years.

Before a Canadian-trained nurse can move to another province or territory to work, she must first "establish jurisdiction" (i.e., register) in the province/territory where she received her nursing education.

If a nurse from Ontario wants to practice in B.C. she first has to write the Canadian exam and establish registration in Ontario, where she was educated.

When she moves to B.C. and applies for registration there, she won't have to prove her educational qualifications. The provinces and territories will recognize each other's educational programs and beginning competencies, with fewer delays. However, until the assessment of the two exams is completed, if she chooses to move to Quebec she will have to write the Quebec exam. Likewise, if a registered nurse from Quebec wants to practice elsewhere in Canada, she will have to write the exam in Quebec, where she was educated, and register there, before moving to another province to become registered. If this nurse seeks registration in another Canadian jurisdiction, she will be required to write the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination.

Mutual recognition should help speed up this process, says Heather Hawkins, of the Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador. With this Agreement, registrars recognize and accept each other's evaluation of credentials and can be flexible in issuing temporary registration/ licensure - sometimes within a matter of days of applying for registration while at the same time ensuring that the protection of the public is paramount.

Nursing graduates planning a career in the U.S. should also make sure "all their i's are dotted and t's are crossed," before leaving Canada. This means, writing the Canadian or Quebec exam and registering in the province where they were educated.

Not only will this make it easier for them to provide proof of registration to the State they're moving to; but if they ever decide to come back to Canada, their proof of registration will be recognized anywhere in the country.

Streamlining mutual recognition is an ongoing effort, Claire Kerinacks emphasizes. "We need to remain vigilant, to ensure our requirements are equivalent, and to reduce barriers. We will have to work continuously to maintain this process."

Reprinted for the benefit of our Members by the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada

Copyright Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada May 2001
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