Canadian nursing boards and association

I have had several nurses in Singapore asking me how to get a nursing license in Canada. See below for sections on British Columbia (BC), Ontario, Alberta, and  Canada-wide information.

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(I) British Columbia

This section is for the nurses who want to come over to British Columbia, Canada.

In Singapore we have Singapore Nurses Board. In British Columbia, there are 3 4 nursing boards depending on the type of nurse that you are.

College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (CRNBC)
www.crnbc.ca
[Note added on 25-Mar-2013: For more information about obtaining registration with CRNBC, please attend their free "General InformationSessions" (every 3rd Friday of the month) held at CRNBC office.]

College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of BC (CRPNBC)
www.crpnbc.ca

College of Midwives of British Columbia (CMBC)
www.cmbc.bc.ca

College of Licensed Practical Nurses BC (CLPNBC) - The equivalent of Enrolled Nurses in Singapore
www.clpnbc.org

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(II) Ontario

Toronto, Ontario is also a popular migration destination. Here's the nursing board in Ontario.

College of Nurses of Ontario
http://www.cno.org/en/

See also: Ontario Immigration - Working as a Nurse in Ontario
http://www.ontarioimmigration.ca/en/working/OI_HOW_WORK_NURSE.html

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(III) Alberta

Alberta is a booming province, thanks to oil. Lots of job opportunities, no provincial tax and better minimum wages.

College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta
http://www.nurses.ab.ca/Carna/index.aspx

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(IV) Canada

The equivalent of Singapore Nurses Association in Canada is similarly named.

Canadian Nurses Association (CNA)
http://www.cna-aiic.ca/en

[Addendum 27-March-2011]
The following url from CNA gives an overview to international applicants on becoming a Registered Nurse or Midwife in Canada.
http://www.cna-aiic.ca/en/becoming-an-rn/work-in-canada

[Addendum 27-March-2011]
For the other Canadian provinces and territories, please refer to the following link from CNA for the relevant Registered Nurses regulatory bodies.
http://www.cna-aiic.ca/en/becoming-an-rn/regulation-of-rns/regulatory-bodies

Landed in Canada

Day 1 (4-Oct): Received "Information for Newcomers" and "Welcome to Canada" guides from the C.A.N.N. (Canadian Airport Newcomers Network) at the airport. The C.A.N.N. lady was very helpful and informative. She went through step-by-step what I needed to get done for the next few days and where/how to get help. PR card application completed by Immigration Officers at airport. Taxi to home. Unpacked luggage.

Day 2 (5-Oct): Bought groceries. Settled my SIN (Social Insurance Number) at a Service Canada Centre. The Service Canada officer gave me a "British Columbia Newcomers' Guide to Resources and Services". It has good information and a checklist of things to be done by newcomers. Obtained the Richmond Library card and a Canadian mobile phone.

Day 3 (6-Oct): Opened bank accounts and applied for credit card. Tagged the Vancouver Library registration to the Richmond Library card. Hung out with new friend HC, went to Oakridge and Metrotown.

Day 4 (7-Oct): Laundry and drying done. Bought Monthly FareCard for travel on all public transport. Sent out MSP (Medical Services Plan) application. Dinner and movie at Vancouver with another new friend SL and her Toronto friend. I suspect SL invited me because she wanted me to play gooseberry.

Day 5 (8-Oct): Jet lag finally hit... I am totally sleepy today. Thankfully no headache. Now that all the critical paperwork are completed, I allowed myself to rest for the day.

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Think I'm settling down ok. Distances that looked long on Google Map are actually nearer in reality. E.g. A 20 min walk estimated by my landlord is actually only 10-15 min. Or maybe I walk very fast for a Canadian pace?

Still acclimatising to the cold. Nevertheless, I'm improving. Needed 5 layers on top (thermal top, long-sleeve T, cashmere sweater, thin padded coat, mid-thigh length down-padded coat) initially for a 14 degree Centigrade weather, but I'm ok with 3 to 4 layers now. Still 3 layers at bottom (thermal bottom, leggings, jeans/pants). Socks and long boots for footwear. Well, I have a good excuse. I have just arrived from Singapore, where the coldest temperature is around 24 degree Centigrade.

Richmond is very Asian. Chinese and Cantonese are commonly heard. Many shops have both large Chinese and smaller English labels. I think my non-English speaking parents will be so at home here, ha ha!

While I like the friendly and relaxed suburban feel of Richmond, I prefer the more cosmopolitan mix of Vancouver. However, people in Vancouver are more hurried and less friendly than Richmond (although still better than Singapore). Perhaps it's due to Vancouver being a city/downtown area. Maybe I will check out Burnaby in future.

細水長流

Amidst packing to migrate, I took a break to attend 戲劇合 “噓．．．与社區有約” [Drama Box's "Shh... a date with the community"], a public theatre performance last weekend. Click here for information about the censorship on the original production planned.

I enjoyed the performance. The Forum Theatre segment got the audience involved in thinking of and presenting alternative solutions. IMHO, it is an excellent stimulus for thinking deeper about issues. Perhaps with more such community stimuli, Singapore may someday develop into a truly cosmopolitan city -- not one with only a cosmopolitan facade that hides its parochial attitudes.

At the sing-along session, the oldies reminded me of songs that I learnt during schooldays. One particular song “細水長流”* made me all misty-eyed.


* Note: “細水長流” literally means "small streams of water flows continuously" and refers figuratively to "friendship runs deeply". The English equivalent of the above song would be "Those were the days". Ahh, another memory filled song for me.

The Little Prince

Re-read The Little Prince [Le Petit Prince] by Antoine de Saint-Exupery before giving it away. I love the story for its observations about human behaviour. There are several parallels in my life too. E.g. The narrator who gave up drawing at a young age. E.g. The little prince's feelings as he was about to leave his planet.

He believed that he would never want to return. But on this last morning all these familiar tasks* seemed very precious to him.

*Note: The "familiar tasks" refer to cleaning his home planet and putting it in order.

Packing memories

I spent the day packing, but only managed to clear 1 drawer (49.5cm L x 35cm W x 35.5cm H) of stuff. The problem with packing is the memories. Of who I was, my old interests/hobbies, my old habits, etc. Of people whom I encountered in life... there must be thousands of them by now. And some who walked-in and stayed.

It's hard to describe the feeling. Perhaps this song by 张艾嘉 - “飞向异乡的747” [Sylvia Chang - “747 to an alien land”] comes close.