I found this question, someone had typed as a search term:

Can I work as an LPN in Canada if I am an RN in BC?

I decided to answer this question to the best of my abilities.

There are three different professionally licenced roles in Canada, each one increasing in difficulty, education and income:

• LPN
• RN
• PRN

What that means is that the requirements to become an Licensed Practical Nurse are lower than those for a Registered Nurse, and much lower than a Nurse Practitioner.  Each has it’s own licensing process and it’s own registration body. Colleges for LPNs, RNs, and PRN are by province. So people must register with the college in their province.

When it comes to moving from one province to another, for the most part, there are inter-provincial agreements. That means that a person that is licensed as a nurse in one province can easily move to another province. Requirements would be registration, and if educated and working in another language (like French in Quebec and some of the Maritime provinces) and English score.

There are exceptions for Internationally Educated Nurses. Internationally Educated Nurses who become an RN in a province like Saskatchewan (which does not require the SEC) seeking employment in Alberta or BC (which requires the SEC) would be required to take the SEC and complete required courses.

So, if you are a registered nurse in BC, you can easily transfer, becoming a nurse in another province. (If you are moving to a French speaking province you may be required to pass a French proficiency exam.) It is more difficult for an IEN, who has not taken the SEC, registered as an RN in Saskatchewan to move elsewhere.

However, transferring from an RN to LPN, or LPN to RN, is not the same process. The Colleges of RNs and the Colleges of LPNs are separate identities. Each has a different process. Each has different expectations. There are no agreements between these organizations.

Kim