Staff and students of the nursing program at Camosun College are perturbed that Canadian nurse regulators chose a US corporation to develop an entry-to-practice exam without consultation from registered nurses and nursing educators on the College of Registered Nurses of BC (CRNBC) board of directors.
“The Nursing Education Council of BC approached the CRNBC about stopping their process and having a period of consultation with nurses and nurse educators nationally,” says Camosun nursing chair Stephen Bishop, “to determine whether there’s an alternative to this that would provide the same quality that the regulators are looking for, but in Canadian context that would support Canadian nurses and Canadian nursing education.”
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, IL, will provide computerized tests for Canadian nursing students to start practicing as registered nurses. The US organization was chosen from a pool of bidding contractors, many of which were Canadian.
Second-year nursing student Nicolle Rushton is one of many Camosun nursing students who are uneasy with the switching of test development to the US.
“I’m concerned for the first-year nursing students because it sounds like the goal is to have a North American exam,” says Rushton. “However, on an international scale Canadian nurses are well respected, so how is this going to affect our reputation on a global scale?”
In Canada it’s a four-year degree program to become a registered nurse, but in America it’s only a two-year associate degree. The other big concern is how much Canadian content will be included in the exam.
“The concerns are that the exams will be primarily focused on American situations,” says Bishop. “And there are huge differences between nursing in Canada and nursing in the States.”
Cynthia Johansen, CRNBC director of registration, inquiry, and discipline, says bidding companies needed to clearly demonstrate that Canadian nursing expertise information, knowledge, and competencies would be part of the exam.
“So that will be worked out in detail now that the Canadian regulators are in a place where they can negotiate a contract,” says Johansen.
Currently the exam is handwritten, available to write three days a year, and has a six-to-eight week wait for results. The new computer test will be more accessible, with flexible dates, and just a two-day wait for results.
While nursing faculty and students are concerned with how US tests could affect curriculum, especially for those students who just started the program in September, Johansen claims it shouldn’t affect what nursing students are taught in class.
“The most important thing is that the exam measures Canadian competency,” she says. “That’s our first and foremost focus.”