The psychiatric nurse's job is to interact with patients, not just as a byproduct of taking care of them, but in order to take care of them. The nurse at HCPC is an integral part of a treatment team and has as much input as the psychiatrist, social worker, or psychologist in the planning and implementing of the patient's treatment. And of course psychiatric nursing isn't about following one patient. It's about managing the entire milieu of a patient unit, knowing enough about each patient to make sure that the environment in the unit is therapeutic and supportive and restoring that environment if it becomes disrupted. Canadian citizen registered nurses are eligible for U.S. entry under the immigration provisions of the Free Trade Agreement.
Entry is granted on a one-year basis and is renewable on a year to year basis.
If you are married, your spouse can also obtain residency status so he or she can obtain work here. This is usually a letter from the State Board. When obtaining your U.S. license by endorsement, you will need to complete out part of the application. It then needs to be completed by your school of nursing and requires your transcript and evidence of clinical hours. Photo identification is also required.