♥ I keep procastinating if i will go back to be a nurse again

Dear Kim,

I been here in Canada since November 2005.I’ve been working as a caregiver when i came here.I keep procastinating if i will go back to be a nurse again since i did’nt practice when i left my native country Philippines. I worked iin Tiawan as assistant nurse for 5 years at Psychiatric hospital and Nursing home.But i practiced my Rn degree way back home for almost 3 years.I wish to came back to my profession but i don’t know how. I try to take IELTS But it doesn’t worked for me i got a low score for every subject. Its my foult anyway because i didn’t practiced before i take it.But know i realy want and eager to be on my profession.Wishing this will be the way to be a nurse in Canada. Thank you for your program and hope it will work for me. Have a nice day…..

Respectfully yours;

Dear J,

I read your e-mail last week, but did not reply. I wanted to take some time to think about what to say, and how to answer. Beyond preparing people for the CELBAN I have decided that my job is also to uplift people, to give them encouragement, and to send them on the way. If you go to Dear Kim you will read many posts of encouragement and inspiration.

In reading your message I am not sure if the root of the procrastination is lack of motivation, fear, or disillusionment knowing that the process to become a nurse can take a long time.

If you are simply worried that it will be a long time between when you practiced and becoming a nurse here in Canada, I am here to tell you not to worry. There are many people like you who come as LICG and work towards being a nurse. Every one of them has gone through the same thing. Further, if it takes 2-5 years to become a nurse, then the process itself creates this situation for nurses that have been practicing at home, and have recently come to Canada.

If it is lack of motivation, fear, or disillusionment then I can encourage you, but you have to make the ultimate decision: do you want to be a nurse in Canada?

Many people, especially from the Phillipines, come to Canada to be a nurse. They have been taught since they were little that this would be important to help the family. But some times I wonder what it would be like if these people were given the choice of occupation. Would they still become nurses? Maybe they would be teachers, accountants, physiotherapists, plumbers, mechanics or architects. Is your procrastination because although you have done the training to be a nurse you are better suited for another occupation? If so, they maybe it is good for you to follow your heart and choose a different path. There are many career councilors that can help you with dreaming in a new reality.

Becoming a nurse will take 2-5 years after you finish your contract. It will cost up to $5000. You can easily take that 2-5 years and $5000 and do something else with your life that will still allow you to take care of your family duties and responsibilities back home.

But maybe that is not it. Maybe in your setting you are isolated. Maybe you are not surrounded by other ambitious Internationally Educated Nurses. And maybe as a live in care giver you don’t see much hope. Well that is easy too! You simply need to find a way to connect with others like you. Making connections is one of the things I have been doing with CELBANPrep Speaking. Through the speaking conference calls people meet other people from around the world, living across Canada, with the same goal: becoming a nurse in Canada. There are many other organizations available to give similar support, after you get your Permanent Residence. Yes, for now there are many limits imposed on you as a TFW. And this can be disheartening and isolating. But it is only for a brief moment in time. And there is so much you can do in the mean time.

How are you doing with grammar? Have you used any advance grammar books? This can improve your score in reading, speaking and writing, when it comes to the CELBAN. If you use your time wisely, and perfect your grammar you will be ensuring that you pass the exam the first time. Also you can get the following resources:

You can also get versions to read on your phone.

Using these resources will give you direction. Hopefully as you engage in reading and listening about nursing and medicine in a Canadian and North American context you will find a greater desire to continue on this path.

But at the same time, you are right. You already know why you have not found success. You did not practice. Practice is fundamental to achieving any goal. But if you are procrastinating and lacking motivation the question is why? Why if nursing is important to you are you not working towards this goal. You know that the only way you can obtain this goal is by working towards it. And by writing you did what many others do not do: reach out. This means that you do have a spark of ambition. To turn it into a blazing fire you need to figure out the root feelings behind the lack of motivation, to acknowledge them, and then to set some goals to change those feelings.

I assure you J, if you want to be a nurse in Canada you have to have the desire to do so. There will be so many things on your path to stumble over. You have to have determination. Without it, you simply will not make it. I have been working hard for 5 years to get rid of many of the boulders and fallen deadwood off of the trail before you. But it is up to each and every person to determine if they will continue or give in. Desire and determination, practice and ambition are the traits I have seen in the people who make it to the end. And when they get there, the joy is sublime.

So, J, what do you think? Is nursing for you, or is there something else your heart desires? If nursing is the path you choose, then what is stopping you and what are you willing to do to get there?

Sincerely,

Kim