Dear Kim,

Thank you for your generous response. I came here as a landed immigrant sponsored by my mother under the Live-In Caregiver program. Before I came here in Canada I already searched on how to become an RN here in Canada and one of the requirements was to pass the IELTS exam but unfortunately I failed, I agree with your statement in your page that overconfidence had detrimentals when taking examinations specially if a person is very complacent with his/her self the tendency is that he/she will be over relaxed and conceited. Well that serves as a lesson to me and I believe God has a purpose for that.

Since I already had my IELTS exam done in the Philippines I used this for me to enrol at Bow Valley as a LPN for IEN but due to its demand I got a  slot for summer 2013. I just consider Bow as my second option and I am still hoping I could pass another english exam with a much dignified score. Thinking of the amount of time I will be waiting I thought of practicing myself in reading, listening, writing and speaking most especially in English. My mom even laughs because we are used to speaking our dialect, but she is forced to speak even at home. Then, I heard about the CELBAN exam but when I visited the site celban.org it didn’t supply me ample information. With regards to canadian culture I have a minimal knowledge in that area since I only stayed here for a few months. Although, there are engine sites that are helpful in understanding there culture but I could not fully grasp since I have nobody to ask with regards to their experience specially those people working in the hospital setting.

Hoping you could help me understand deeper the Canadian culture and its implications to the CELBAN exam because I really wanted to pass this exam and most specially I don’t want to disappoint my mother because I want her to be proud of me.

Looking forward for your response. Mary

Dear Mary ,
Thank you for writing with more details. I always appreciate learning more about the people I “meet” through CELBANPrep. I also appreciate your comments about over confidence. It is a hard lesson to learn, but the sooner it is learned, for people who are over-confident, the sooner the individual can reach his or her goals. At the same time, it is quite common for people to fail any English exam, including the IELTS and the CELBAN. Preparation is key.

As you have identified, understanding the Canadian culture is an important part of preparing for the CELBAN.

• In writing it is important to understand Medical Documentation Standards.
• In speaking it is important to understand how the Canadian culture influences communication in a nursing context.
• In both reading and listening it is important to understand expressions and collocations.

Understanding the implications of the Canadian culture in the CELBAN, also includes understanding the format of the CELBAN and how skills are evaluated in Canada.

None of these things are taught in an English class, but an exam preparation course.

You are very wise, as is your mother. she is right, practicing every day is important. Getting the CELBANPrep Reading and Listening Study Guides will help you to in those areas, while she can role play a patient while you practice speaking with CELBANPrep Speaking. Practicing every day is what makes the difference between whether a person passes the exam or not. Using your time wisely, as you described, is an important way of using your time productively.

Mind you, it may be good to keep both the RN and the LPN routes open to you. Even when you pass the English exam, it will take time to take the SEC, and complete any required upgrading courses. Then  you need to work for over 200 hours, and pass the national exam. This takes time. If you are an LPN during the process, you are better prepared for writing the CRNE, having learned from witnessing and experiencing the implications of Canadian culture on nursing. Besides, you would get paid better than working in the service industry.

Kim