The Decision Letter (Next Steps) from BCCNM Revealed! Did I Beat the System?!
DECISION MADE!
Hello Nurses,
A lot of you have had questions regarding the transitional education I had to complete in order to get my license here in Canada.
I'm going to be totally honest, I had almost given up on the Canadian nursing journey. Over and over, I kept thinking of the worst case scenario (my brain was in overdrive constantly which was so draining). I was in a space where I didn't want to commit to doing too much education when I could go back home and work as a nurse. To be truthful, I was ready to return back to the U.K. I applying for jobs back home as I was getting so frustrated with the waiting. Additionally, I was still a little crushed that I still had to jump through more hoops, even with a 'comparable' NNAS report.
BUT, someone was looking out for me!! I received my next steps about transitional education from BCCNM. I must say, I feel very very lucky as I seem to have gotten off very lightly.
How long did it take to find out?
BCCNM emailed me to say they received my NCAS report in the latter months of 2020. When the confirmed they received my results, they said it would be a 20-24 week wait for a decision. After I inquired further, I found out that wait could be longer because the committee were meeting less often due to the pandemic.
I was again, (im)patiently waiting.
It took 3 months to get my decision from them about the the transitional education for me to complete. I was pleasantly surprised.
The Decision
I started reading my decision letter. And, to start with it really impressed me. As they outlined all the information that they had about me that they used to inform their decision. They had clearly put a lot of thought into my decision, as they carefully reviewed everything I had submitted to them.
Midway through reading it, my heart dropped. They decided that I was not substantial to that of a graduate of a BCCNM recognized registered nursing education program.
At this point, so many thoughts were running through my head. What will I have to do to be an RN here?!
I paced through the letter and saw they they wanted me to complete 2 targeted education courses;
Labs Skills Practice
Mental Health Theory
At the end of the letter, they outlined why they had made the decision that they had, and linked it to my practice / NCAS performance.
A rush of emotions
I wasn't quite sure what to think after reading the letter. A wave of panic, happiness, confusion, excitement and fear hit me all at once - the wait was finally over!
It sounded almost too good to be true.
Frantic calls to my family, friends and fellow nurses, reassured me completely. They all told me that this was a great outcome.
With this in mind, I decided to do the transitional education!
The transitional education decision
Right after I felt more at ease, I looked into the courses that they had asked me to do.
For the labs skill practice, I decided to go with the Nurse Ready course at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). This is 9 day tutorial to get you ready for nursing in Canada. The course at KPU was being offered online, so I could complete it from the comfort of my own home.
I decided to go with completing the Mental Health Theory at Thompson Rivers University (TRU). The Mental Health Theory at KPU is an online self paced course.
I beat the system?!
I meet a lot of international nurses through the work that I do, and I have never come across anyone who has had to complete as little education as I had. This is excluding nurses from the USA.
I'm not quite sure how I pulled it off, but I want to help you all as much as I can to hopefully get an outcome like me, or even better.
How can I help?
I created this blog to share my journey with you all. The ups, the downs, and everything in between. And, although my journey to becoming a nurse in Canada is coming to an end, I will still have a lot to share with you about things such as the NCLEX and information of actually being a nurse in Canada. With the experience I've gained throughout this process, I want to be able to help as many of you international nurses as possible.
With this in mind, I wanted to ask you all - what you think would be the most beneficial for me to help you become nurses in Canada?
For a small rate, I was thinking of offering; coaching, online tutorials, educational videos on this process. I could also host one to one sessions to for you to ask questions so I can guide you as best I can. Do you think that would be helpful? If so, please comment below and let me know what you would like / content you would like to see.
Of course, I won't be able to provide any information on the content of the NCAS exam. Additionally, I can't guarantee you will have the same outcome as me. Also it's important to note that my experience to becoming a nurse here is limited to British Columbia. But, I can share what I think put me ahead, if you will.
I look forward to hearing from you!