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What is NCAS? | NCAS is the Nursing Community Assessment Service. We operate a competency-based assessment program that serves the health care registry in British Columbia, and nursing regulators in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. NCAS assesses internationally educated health practitioners seeking licensure in these respective provinces. The assessment has three components: - Computer-based Assessment (CBA)
- Simulation Lab Assessment (SLA)
- Oral Assessment (OA)
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What is the CBA?
Where can I take it? | The CBA is a three-hour, proctored, computer-based assessment that can be taken at one of more than a hundred testing centres in 60 countries in the world. The CBA seeks to assess your knowledge of the skills and competencies required to enter practice in the health practitioner role you are assessing for. It is made up of gradually unfolding cases that take you through the step-by-step process of clinical thinking and decision making. There is no pass or fail. Rather, the assessment is aimed at identifying strengths and gaps. Your results will not be sent to you until
you have completed the Simulation Lab Assessment.
Learn more by visiting: What to Expect - Computer-based Assessment. |
What is the SLA?
Where can I take it? |
The SLA is the Simulation Lab Assessment. For LPN, RN, or RPN the SLA includes the Oral Assessment and they are delivered at the same time. The SLA is a two to four-hour assessment, taken in-person at an NCAS Assessment Centre.
Candidates seeking licensure in British Columbia must take their SLA at the NCAS Assessment Centre in Vancouver, BC. Candidates seeking licensure in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or Price Edward Island must take their SLA at the NCAS Assessment Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The SLA is compromised of four or five different stations. Each station focuses on one simulated clinical scenario; some will have a mannequin and others will involve face-to-face interaction with a standardized patient (trained actor). Learn more by visiting What to Expect - Simulation Lab and Oral Assessment – British Columbia or What to Expect - Simulation Lab and Oral Assessment – Maritime Canada.
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Who is eligible to take an assessment? | The NCAS assessment is aimed at healthcare practitioners who obtained their healthcare education outside of Canada, and are looking to license in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. NCAS also assesses healthcare assistants trained in other jurisdictions, nursing professionals who are returning to practice after a period outside the profession, and those for whom employers may have requested a competency review. In all instances, NCAS is assessing the extent to which an applicant demonstrates entry-to-practice level competencies. To be eligible for an NCAS assessment, you must be referred to NCAS by a regulatory college or registry. |
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Why do I have to go through the NCAS process? | Regulators require different kinds of information to determine your eligibility for registration. NCAS provides an assessment of an applicant's skills and competencies. Other agencies assess the authenticity and equivalence of education, for instance, or an applicant's criminal record. NCAS also provides an opportunity for internationally educated and re-entry nurses to demonstrate their current competence to practice, competence that may not have been evidenced by a paper assessment. All this information together offers the regulator or registry the best picture of the applicant, and helps these organizations determine whether the applicant can practice safely, ethically, and competently in their chosen province. |
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How much does it cost? | Assessment fees vary by region. Please visit our Fees & Policies pages for details. |
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How much time do I have to complete the NCAS assessments? | You have one year to complete your NCAS referral, from the date that NCAS processes your referral to the date you complete your final assessment component. It is important to note that the CBA and SLA must be completed within six months of each other. If six months is exceeded, the CBA will need to be retaken at full cost. This is because the NCAS assessment evaluates competencies and knowledge at a specific point in time: the more time that lapses, the less valid the results. If you are unable to complete your assessment in one year, you will need to apply for an extension. Please visit the Fees & Policies page for your region for more information. |
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I need a testing accommodation - what do I do? | A testing accommodation refers to a modification that is made to the assessment environment to support applicants with medical, physical, psychological, or learning conditions, or to observe a spiritual or religious observance. You must apply for an assessment accommodation separately for the CBA and for the SLA. More information can be found on the Fees & Policies pages. |
How do I prepare for the CBA or SLA?
| There are many ways to prepare for the assessments. Familiarizing yourself with simulation labs is a good place to start. Sample questions, resources and videos are all available under How to Prepare.
Please Note: Independent, private organizations may offer NCAS preparation courses - NCAS has not reviewed, approved or endorsed any of these courses or programs, and cannot attest to whether they will help strengthen your performance on our competency assessments. |
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How were the competencies established? | Each nursing role has specific competencies that were established and validated by subject-matter experts in each of the professions. NCAS has identified behaviours and indicators that relate to each competency. And these competencies are mapped to a "blueprint" of each assessment. As you move through each assessment, your responses and behaviours will be assessed against those expected in each competency area. More information can be found on the How to Prepare page. |
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Can I be assessed for more than one profession at a time? |
At this time, NCAS offers dual-role assessments in British Columbia and Nova Scotia. A dual-role assessment allows you to be assessed for two different health care professions or roles at once. Applicants applying to be assessed for two roles at once will take two CBAs (one for each profession in which you are interested), but only one SLA. (The SLA produces two distinct sets of results, one for each of the two desired roles or professions). This is applicable to: - Registered Nurses that may not meet the competency requirements in their field, can choose to have an evaluation that also assesses the extent to which they meet the competency requirements to practice as a Licensed Practical Nurse.
More information on this option can be found on Getting Started – British Columbia or Getting Started – Maritime Canada.
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How and when do I get my NCAS results? | Within 60 days of your completion of all assessment components (CBA and SLA), NCAS will issue you a Performance Report. Further information can be found on the Results page .
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I have more questions! | NCAS is a small team, with limited capacity to respond to the numerous inquires we receive – though we certainly do our best to reply in a timely manner! Please review the information in this FAQ or on our Scheduling pages prior to contacting us. If you still have questions, we'd be happy to help. |
