After you have taken all your courses in nursing and obtained a degree or certificate from an accredited college or university, you can start on the path to becoming a licensed registered nurse. The last required step to becoming a registered nurse in Canada and being allowed to practice on your own is to take the Canadian Registered Nursing Exam. However, you can start working earlier than that if you obtain an interim permit for nursing.
An interim permit for nursing is a permit that allows you to practice nursing under the watchful eye of an employer who will hire you on as a registered nurse upon completion of your exam. Interim permits allow nursing students to start working in a real life situation while they are waiting to become licensed registered nurses. Interim permits are good for two testing periods, however, after the third failure of the Canadian Registered Nursing Exam the permit will be revoked.
The steps to gaining an interim permit is fairly simple. Here is a look at what is needed.
Completed Education. You must have completed your college or university degree in nursing. It does not matter where the college or university was located but you must have the educational background for a nursing degree license.
Sign up for the Canadian Registered Nursing Exam. You must already be signed up to sit and take the Canadian Registered Nursing Exam. Since the exam is only held twice a year there might be a waiting period between tests, so the interim permit allows you to work in between the time you sign up for the exam and when you take it.
Employer Waiting. To gain the interim permit you must have an employer that has agreed to hire you after you have sat the exam. If you do not have an employer who is waiting on the exam results you will not gain an interim permit.