St. Augustine Practical Nursing Graduate Living, Working & Enjoying in Canada

Raul Megabon works as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) at the Pine Grove Centre in British Columbia, Canada. Pine Grove is a residential complex and a long-term care facility which can house 75 residents at any given time. Since he joined Pine Grove in late 2007, Raul works the night shift, which he deliberately chose, and is in full charge of its 75 residents during his shift. He has two Care Aids that assist him in taking care of these patient-residents. Raul works four 8-hour shifts with two days off per cycle. He receives the equivalent of around P1,300 an hour with dental benefits and a prescription drug plan. Even if the cost of living is much higher in Canada than in the Philippines, Raul has more than enough so he is seeing two of his godchildren through school in Bulacan, where he and his family are from.

Raul is a 2006 Practical Nursing (PN) graduate of St. Augustine School of Nursing. He took the American NCLEX-PN exams in Saipan in 2007 and passed with flying colors on his first try. Today, he has a Landed Immigrant status and a Canadian visa, thanks to a Canadian sponsor who saw him through school here in the Philippines and helped him with all the documentation and fees that brought him to Canada, armed with a Canadian visa, eight months after he filed his application.

Raul credits the hands-on training and the preparation students get from St. Augustine for local and international nursing board exams as invaluable in helping him find a job quite easily and fast in Canada in spite of the fact that he did not have any Canadian professional references, considered a ‘must’ in landing a job there. Passing the NCLEX-PN exams qualified him immediately for an Alberta Practical Nurses License exempting him from having to enroll for some additional courses in Canada and having to take the provincial licensing and English Proficiency exams which are usually considered prerequisites prior to applying for a PN license.

Today, Raul’s typical day (in his case typical night) includes administering oral, subcutaneous and intramuscular medications; monitoring residents and making sure each resident’s individualized Care Plan is administered and relevant; providing maintenance of all procedures done; implementing admissions, discharges and transfers of residents. Raul says he never has time to get bored. And a smile or a thank you from one of the residents removes any form of fatigue or loneliness he sometimes feels.

Raul gives some very practical tips to PN students and graduates, especially to his fellow St. Augustine schoolmates. Preparing and passing the NCLEX exams is crucial. It won’t hurt to supplement whatever is taught in school with some online courses before taking the exams. In applying for a PN license, it is also very important to have a breakdown of all courses taken and the number of man-hours for each course when the transcript is submitted. This is a must for foreigners because the PN course taken was not in Canada, and there is a need to assess the knowledge, qualifications and competencies of the foreign applicant. According to Raul, his St. Augustine education substantiated by the complete documentation, allowed him to qualify for the Alberta Practical Nurses License. Raul also advises that for a first job, it is best to choose to work in smaller cities where it’s easier and faster to get a job. This then also allows one to build professional references for when LPN decides to look for a new job anywhere else.

St. Augustine School of Nursing is Asia’s pioneer and largest in Professional Caregiving, Nursing Aide and Practical Nursing and is a member of the AMA Education System (AMAES), Asia’s pioneer and largest network of universities and colleges with over 200 campuses worldwide. All St. Augustine branches offer 2-year Practical Nursing, 1-year Nursing Aide, 6-month Professional Caregiving and Medical Transcription.

Today, AMAES is offering the 4-year CHED-approved BS Nursing curriculum in St. Augustine College of Nursing. In St. Augustine College of Nursing and St. Augustine School of Nursing, all courses are ladderized so students have the option to pursue a BS Nursing degree now, or opt to simply get a PN degree and pursue BS Nursing at some future time at St. Augustine College of Nursing.