Hi All,

I am an RN in Alberta and want to relocate back to Victoria by Feb 08. I am looking for the status on working conditions/jobs. Job board seems to be ok, is there alot of casual work? What about safety, anyone know of safety issues, i.e. nurse to patient ratios, acuity. I work in mental health, would like to stay in this area. I have a wide range of experience, from geriatrics, to youth. Any info would be great. Also interested in wages, I am going to step 3 here, I understand that step increments are transferable from Alberta to BC and visa versa, meaning I wont' have to start out at the bottom of pay grid. Anyone have info on overtime? alot of OT here in Alberta, wondering if same in BC.

Thanks in advance, please email me privately if you want :)

My connections through UNA suggest that working conditions in BC are actually worse than here. High nurse-patient ratios, lots of OT, overcapacity protocols that make everyone less safe, government reneging on contract deals, and so on. You might find some of your answers on the BCNU website http://www.bcnu.org/. I do know that services for the mentally ill in BC are abysmal. A family member drives from Kamloops to Salmon Arm, sometimes more than once in a week, to see a psychiatrist. Let me rephrase that... a family member and her father drive to Salmon Arm sometimes more than once a week... because she has periods where she is unable to do anything more taxing than dress herself. So your services would indeed be welcome!

http://www.viha.ca/work_with_viha/job_postings/

I am sure there are others you can speak to on this board or other Victoria boards that can give you first hand answers. Good luck. I love living here.

Cheers