A 10 Year Journey Of Obtaining My RN License in Ontario as an Internationally Educated Nurse

Being an internationally educated nurse in Canada can rather be frustrating and even at times seems impossible. However, for every end they say, there is a process.

Would share in this story, some of the jobs and processes that I had to go through for the past 10 years of my life here.

Process:

• 2010-2013 Live-in-caregiver
• 2013 Server at a Restaurant
• 2014-2018 Classroom Instructor at a Private College, teaching IVT, Medication Administration, Physical Assessment, CPNRE, NCLEX-RN. Started as an assistant instructor and became a full-time instructor when I got my RPN license in 2015.
• 2017 Community Visiting Nurse at VHA Home Health Care (RPN &RN)
• 2018 Hemodialysis Nurse at Michael Garron Hospital (WOHS)
• 2019 became full time PD nurse under the Home Dialysis Program. Support Educator at the General Medicine Floor for staff learning how to do Peritoneal Dialysis for in-patient.
• 2020 The Dialysis Program (Home) decided to reactivate the Home Hemodialysis and was selected to be among the staff to work on it. I finished my Nephrology Certificate (RN) at Seneca College, which was started way back in 2016.
  Yes, it took 4 years to complete a 1-year course. I had to work and simultaneously engage in/ doing something to reflect continuing education.

• 2021 Clinical Coordinator, MultiCare Kidney Clinic at Toronto General Hospital (University Health Network).

  Getting this position was unexpected as it is somewhat considered to be an Advance Practice Nurse role. I had a master’s degree from back home and might have been factored in. I felt awfully blessed to have been given the privilege to work in one of the best Hospital in the world.
  During the interview, the question was “how do you see yourself in 5 years?” was one question that made me feel like my response/answer was not professional

  Even though it is a popular question and personally felt I should have answered well since it’s a regular question asked during interviews. Instead, I immediately had a flashback of my struggles and failures in the past which included:
  1. Got rejected 3 times in 3 different university, even York university said might put me on waiting list that’s 5 years and they requested going back to High School
  2. Rejected 3 appeals from CNO for my RN
  3. Lining up 4 hours for job fair and had no result /offer
  Why didn’t I answer the above question well? I got so emotional and started crying in front of the 5–panel interviewers including the manger and executive director.

  One way or the other, still tried to answer the question to the best of my knowledge at that time. It really felt like passing a licensure exam when the offer letter came through  from the manager via email few hours after the interview.

• Moral of the story: Never give up!

• It is my believe that my journey will not only inspire someone out there but also make you initiate a step toward your goal regardless how minute it is. As a popular quote says:
  

  “If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan but never the Goal” -Anonymous