Contracts: If you are seeking a permanent position as a nurse, your contract will be with the specific hospital that has offered you a position. Typically, these contracts are for one year, and can be extended indefinitely. SMC will help negotiate your contract, but we need to know what your expectations are for positions, wages, benefits and schedules are before you talk with the hospital. We will let you know if your expectations are in line with that hospital’s current guidelines.
If you are seeking a traveling nurse position, your contract will be with the travel company. Wages and benefits vary based on location and type of contract. Typical assignments last 13 or 26 weeks.
If you are seeking a traveling nurse position, your contract will be with the travel company. Wages and benefits vary based on location and type of contract. Typical assignments last 13 or 26 weeks.
Relocation Bonus: Some hospitals offer relocation bonuses and some do not. Bonuses are paid once you arrive in the US, typically with your first paycheque. Most bonuses are paid based upon the receipts the hospital receives, and can cover everything from flights & hotels to moving companies to mileage. Each hospital has a different program, which will be explained to you by your career advisor when reviewing your offer of employment.
Sign on Bonus: Some hospitals offer sign on bonuses and some do not. Typically the bonus is paid over a period of time, usually 1 or 2 years. Many hospitals are using their sign on bonus as a retention bonus or bonus to their nurses willing to work the night shifts, or for nurses with specialty backgrounds. Each hospital’s program will be different, depending on their particular needs, and your recruiter will be able to give you the details when they are presenting the job opportunity to you.
Salary: Salaries in the USA are based on the cost of living of a particular city and suburb within that city. The lower the cost of living, the lower the wage is likely to be. If you are offered a high wage, the cost of living is probably equally as high. For example, a starting salary for a new grad nurse in San Francisco can be $35 US per hour. At the same time, a one-bedroom apartment will cost you approximately $2000 USD per month. The same position in a rural community could offer $17 US per hour with rental accommodation costing approximately $500 per month. Taxes are much lower in the USA than Canada, so you will see more of your take home wage. Most Canadians experience a 20 – 30% gain in their take home pay, due to the lower US taxes. In addition to your base hourly wage, you will be paid extra differentials for evening, night and weekend shifts. You can also receive extra differentials for having a BSN and other certification.
Benefits: Most hospitals have excellent health benefit packages. These include health insurance for you and your family, dental insurance, disability and liability insurance’s. Generally, their benefits work like the Canadian extended benefits package: you pay a deductible, and then the employer pays 80% of everything after that. We ask that you enquire about the benefits package during your interviews, as each hospital offers a different package. Many offer a “cafeteria†type plan, which allows you to pick and choose benefits, which are most appropriate to your particular healthcare and financial needs.
Sign on Bonus: Some hospitals offer sign on bonuses and some do not. Typically the bonus is paid over a period of time, usually 1 or 2 years. Many hospitals are using their sign on bonus as a retention bonus or bonus to their nurses willing to work the night shifts, or for nurses with specialty backgrounds. Each hospital’s program will be different, depending on their particular needs, and your recruiter will be able to give you the details when they are presenting the job opportunity to you.
Salary: Salaries in the USA are based on the cost of living of a particular city and suburb within that city. The lower the cost of living, the lower the wage is likely to be. If you are offered a high wage, the cost of living is probably equally as high. For example, a starting salary for a new grad nurse in San Francisco can be $35 US per hour. At the same time, a one-bedroom apartment will cost you approximately $2000 USD per month. The same position in a rural community could offer $17 US per hour with rental accommodation costing approximately $500 per month. Taxes are much lower in the USA than Canada, so you will see more of your take home wage. Most Canadians experience a 20 – 30% gain in their take home pay, due to the lower US taxes. In addition to your base hourly wage, you will be paid extra differentials for evening, night and weekend shifts. You can also receive extra differentials for having a BSN and other certification.
Benefits: Most hospitals have excellent health benefit packages. These include health insurance for you and your family, dental insurance, disability and liability insurance’s. Generally, their benefits work like the Canadian extended benefits package: you pay a deductible, and then the employer pays 80% of everything after that. We ask that you enquire about the benefits package during your interviews, as each hospital offers a different package. Many offer a “cafeteria†type plan, which allows you to pick and choose benefits, which are most appropriate to your particular healthcare and financial needs.
Personal Belongings: Taking your personal belongings to the USA is relatively easy. All items need to be itemized and the boxes labeled. You present the itemized list at the border, or provide it to the moving company who will transport your goods. US Customs wants to ensure you will not be selling any goods while in the US, but importing your personal belongings is not a problem.
Cars: You will need a car, no matter where you go in the US – especially if you are a travelling nurse. Most US cities do not have an extensive transit system. If you are planning on taking your car from Canada, ask your recruiter to provide information regarding emission and safety standard compliance letters. If you have a leased car you may have difficulties taking it out of the country. Ask your leasing company and inquire about switching to financing.
Housing: Rental housing prices vary across the USA. One can rent a 1-bedroom apartment in a rural community for as low as $350.00 a month. In major cities, that same apartment can rent for upwards of $2000.00 a month. Your recruiter will assist you in finding the appropriate type of housing, based on your specific requirements.
Credit: In order to establish credit in the USA, you should bring a copy of your credit history in Canada. This is typically available through your local bank, or by application to Equifax - www.equifax.ca , a national credit information company. Equifax will issue a free copy of your credit report to you, upon receipt of your application and two pieces of identification. US credit agencies do not look outside of their own country. You will need to provide your credit history when applying for any type of loan or credit card, or even to rent an apartment.
Cars: You will need a car, no matter where you go in the US – especially if you are a travelling nurse. Most US cities do not have an extensive transit system. If you are planning on taking your car from Canada, ask your recruiter to provide information regarding emission and safety standard compliance letters. If you have a leased car you may have difficulties taking it out of the country. Ask your leasing company and inquire about switching to financing.
Housing: Rental housing prices vary across the USA. One can rent a 1-bedroom apartment in a rural community for as low as $350.00 a month. In major cities, that same apartment can rent for upwards of $2000.00 a month. Your recruiter will assist you in finding the appropriate type of housing, based on your specific requirements.
Credit: In order to establish credit in the USA, you should bring a copy of your credit history in Canada. This is typically available through your local bank, or by application to Equifax - www.equifax.ca , a national credit information company. Equifax will issue a free copy of your credit report to you, upon receipt of your application and two pieces of identification. US credit agencies do not look outside of their own country. You will need to provide your credit history when applying for any type of loan or credit card, or even to rent an apartment.
Licensing:
If you decide to move to the USA, you must write the US national exam called the NCLEX. While there are a few states which still accept the Canadian license via reciprocity, new work visa legislation requires a passing grade on either the NCLEX or CGFNS exam. There are several courses and programs available to help you prepare for the NCLEX or CGFNS exam. Please contact us for free information and a list of current resources. Our career advisors are happy to share up to date feedback and tips on preparing for these exams.
To work as a Registered Nurse in the United States, nurses must be licensed in the state in which they plan to practice. Initial licensure in a state is awarded by receiving a passing grade on the National Council License Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®). Once a nurse passes the NCLEX, and is licensed in a state, they may apply to other states through a process known as endorsement.
About the NCLEX:The NCLEX is designed to make sure that each nurse has the knowledge to practice safely at a minimum of an entry-level registered nurse. Many nursing schools in other countries have examinations that are knowledge-based, testing nurses on the facts they have learned. The NCLEX, however, is an application-based examination. The NCLEX examination, administered via Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT), uses standard multiple-choice questions. With CAT, each candidate's test is unique: It is assembled interactively as the individual is tested. As the candidate answers each question, the computer calculates a competence estimate based on all earlier answers. CAT provides greater measurement efficiency, because it administers only those questions which will offer the best measurement of the candidate's competence
New Immigration Regulations
The United States (U.S.) Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security issued a final ruling on July 25, 2003 entitled Certificates for Certain Healthcare Workers. Foreign healthcare workers, such a Canadian nurses seeking temporary admission to the U.S., will now be obliged to observe the new certification requirements. The requirements apply to the Treaty National (TN) visa, available to Canadian nationals under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Certification will now require foreign healthcare workers to submit a Visa Screen certificate. Visa Screen certificates can be acquired from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS), or an equivalent independent credentialing organization approved by the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Visa Screen certificate is comprised of four parts:
an educational review
a licensure review,
an English language proficiency assessment (graduates from an educational institution in Canada, except Quebec, are exempted) and,
a CGFNS certificate or a passing score in the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
If you decide to move to the USA, you must write the US national exam called the NCLEX. While there are a few states which still accept the Canadian license via reciprocity, new work visa legislation requires a passing grade on either the NCLEX or CGFNS exam. There are several courses and programs available to help you prepare for the NCLEX or CGFNS exam. Please contact us for free information and a list of current resources. Our career advisors are happy to share up to date feedback and tips on preparing for these exams.
To work as a Registered Nurse in the United States, nurses must be licensed in the state in which they plan to practice. Initial licensure in a state is awarded by receiving a passing grade on the National Council License Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®). Once a nurse passes the NCLEX, and is licensed in a state, they may apply to other states through a process known as endorsement.
About the NCLEX:The NCLEX is designed to make sure that each nurse has the knowledge to practice safely at a minimum of an entry-level registered nurse. Many nursing schools in other countries have examinations that are knowledge-based, testing nurses on the facts they have learned. The NCLEX, however, is an application-based examination. The NCLEX examination, administered via Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT), uses standard multiple-choice questions. With CAT, each candidate's test is unique: It is assembled interactively as the individual is tested. As the candidate answers each question, the computer calculates a competence estimate based on all earlier answers. CAT provides greater measurement efficiency, because it administers only those questions which will offer the best measurement of the candidate's competence
New Immigration Regulations
The United States (U.S.) Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security issued a final ruling on July 25, 2003 entitled Certificates for Certain Healthcare Workers. Foreign healthcare workers, such a Canadian nurses seeking temporary admission to the U.S., will now be obliged to observe the new certification requirements. The requirements apply to the Treaty National (TN) visa, available to Canadian nationals under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Certification will now require foreign healthcare workers to submit a Visa Screen certificate. Visa Screen certificates can be acquired from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS), or an equivalent independent credentialing organization approved by the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Visa Screen certificate is comprised of four parts:
an educational review
a licensure review,
an English language proficiency assessment (graduates from an educational institution in Canada, except Quebec, are exempted) and,
a CGFNS certificate or a passing score in the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
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