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I was a nurse for 10 years in Scotland. Why can't I get certified in Canada?
"Nursing is the only career I've ever wanted but I just don’t have any fight left in me" By Laurie McCoy
When I was growing up in Edinburgh, Scotland, my parents bought me a toy nursing kit with a plastic stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff. I would press the stethoscope to my friends’ chests and listening to their heartbeats. At just five years old, I was obsessed with becoming a nurse.
After high school, I enrolled in a three-year nursing program at Edinburgh Napier University. I already knew I wanted to work with kids and did a placement in a pediatric surgical ward, where I changed diapers and recorded heart rates. I enjoyed the work, but it was challenging: some shifts we had to work 12 hours straight.
When I graduated in October 2007, I got my first job in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a general hospital. I looked after three babies each shift and was responsible for administering medications, monitoring vitals and communicating with parents and doctors. It was daunting to work with such small and fragile babies, but as I gained more experience, I became better at my job...
...There are few general hospitals in Scotland that have NICUs offering the kind of complex care I wanted to provide...
...Through my research, I’d discovered that nurses in Canada are better paid than they are in Scotland. There are many hospitals with NICUs across the country, and the idea of practising in different provinces, in a vast and diverse country, appealed to me. I realized I would have to complete some retraining, but I thought, given my experience, it would be relatively easy to get certified. I had no idea how hard it would be until I got here.
Join us January 24-26th for the inaugural Maclean’s Ideas Summit. Click on the image below for more info:
On newsstands now:
The Dark World of Canadian Gymnastics
Dave and Elizabeth Brubaker became top Canadian gymnastics coaches by pushing young girls to their limit. Their former athletes say the tough training was a cover for abuse.
Also in this issue:
- Escape from Iran: A Doctor’s Journey
- Physician and author Vincent Lam on the opioid crisis
- Why Gen Z Can't Get Enough Shania
- How Canada’s International School System Scams Students
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