Worried about the hours...

Question really needs to be answered by a Canadian RN, but I'll just mention that I have seen a number of posts about lots of nurses working part-time hours there.

Just thinking out loud, but perhaps if there's plenty of nurses hospitals would rather pay part-time wages (which means part-time benefits, part-time paid time off) than full-time?

Come on, Canada....let us know!

Good idea. This will get read and responded to here, of course, but since it doesn't say "Canada" in the thread title, it might take awhile.

Actually, I opened this thread thinking you were worried about doing night shift vs day shift, or something like that!

I can merge this one with the one in the Canadian forum.

A problem finding an RN job in Canada? I don't think so...there is a major shortage now, and it is only going to get worse.

This is copied from the CNA (Canadian Nurses Association) website. They do have an area dedicated to the nursing shortage (www.cna-aiic.ca):

According to a 2002 study by the Canadian Nurses Association, if we continue with past workforce utilization patterns of registered nurses (RNs), Canada will experience a shortage of 78,000 RNs by 2011 and 113,000 RNs by 2016.

I can tell you that there are open until filled job postings in my hospital, and most job websites will have lots of nursing jobs. Most places are crying for nurses!

If you do choose to enter nursing school, welcome and best of luck!

In Ontario, all new grads get 7.5 months of full time employment which is paid for by the provincial government through Health Force Ontario. After this, you will decide where you want to apply and if there is a full time job available that nobody else with more seniority wants, you will be able to apply for it it. In most hospitals, you will start out casual, then you apply for part time and then full time depending on your seniority. Many nurses are classified as casual but get called in all the time, some even to the point of getting full time hours. I would really research the area you want to work in. The other posters are right, there is a shortage of RN's so you will find a part time job without much trouble, and by the time you finish school, the shortage will be even worse so you may walk right into a full time job. I would go for it, somehow it will all work out. Good Luck.

Even if you do start out as a part timer, as long as you hold a 0.41FTE you have the same benefits as a full time staff member. Your paid vacation and sick leave are accumlated on how many hours you work.

So get first offer of empty shifts before the casuals. Many pick up shifts that way. All picked up shifts contribute towards the number of sick and vacation hours you collect and they go towards your pensionable time.

I've seen many new nurses prefer to go the part time route because of the flexiblity it offer them schedule wise, just as I've seen new staff work casual to ensure that they get the time off to fit their needs and those of their families.