Are there still jobs for nurses in Canada?

[trees]

Hey I'm new to this and not starting school until Sept '04 and hope to get a BSN. What I am wondering is if Canada is still in need of nurses because you sure don't hear about it anymore. Where you guys work, are they looking?

Also, it scares me to come to the Canadian discussion forums and see so many posts regarding leaving Canada for the US. I don't have a problem with that, in fact if I was younger and there was a better option there I would go in a flash, but at this point in my life I have no intention of giving up my house and moving anywhere really, except maybe BC one day. It just makes me wonder if the opportunities in Canada are very good and if they exist at all.

Thank you very much!

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

oops, i blundered. i had this very nice reply all ready to go and hit the wrong key. don't you hate that?

anyway, what i was trying to convey was this:

i just did a quick search of the capital health (edmonton area) postings and was rather surprised to find that there are well over a hundred vacancies. they keep telling us that we're pretty well caught up, but these numbers suggest otherwise.

lpn

ft = 8

0.7 = 2

0.6 = 3

0.5 = 2

0.4 = 1

cas = 5

total = 21

rn

ft = 49 (including 3 in my unit!)

0.8 = 5

0.7 = 6

0.6 = 13

0.5 = 9

0.4 = 8

cas = 8

total = 98

rpn (psych)

ft = 3

0.2 = 1

this only reflects vacancies in the capital health region and none of these positions are in ltc. there will be more opening up in the near future because of the initiative to open 850 new beds and to establish the alberta heart institute and the gastrointestinal diseases institute which are both attached to university hospital. our pay scale has 9 steps on it; a first year nurse makes $26.33 plus shift differential, and those at the top make $34.56 plus shift differential. we will be getting a raise on april 1 and those numbers will change to $27.12 and $35.60. we get $1.75 for evenings and weekends (cumulative) and $2.00 for nights. so a top nurse working a weekend night would be making $39.35 an hour after april 1.

there are six other regions in alberta, including the calgary health region, which has a population roughly equivalent to edmonton. they are currently building a new children's hospital which will have several new beds.

so there are jobs available in canada for nurses of all persuasion. the standard of living out here is pretty great, and if you don't mind cold weather for some of the year, it's not a bad place to live at all. some of the best skiing in the world is only a few hours away. some of the most dramatic scenery in the world is close by as well. and then there's the mall. need i say more?

[oneLoneNurse]

Here in small town Ontario, right now there are 6 job postings for RN's. 4 part-time and 2 full-time, and believe me the part-time RN's will get full time hours if they want them!

Question: is there one bargaining unit for nurses in Ontario ? Couldn't you live very, very well in London on $38.00 vs Toronto ?

[betsy1963]

Question: is there one bargaining unit for nurses in Ontario ? Couldn't you live very, very well in London on $38.00 vs Toronto ?

ONA is the main bargaining unit for nurses, but there are others. Those of us who live in rural areas live well on what we make compared to Toronto, but how would you draw the line otherwise? Wages are bargained centrally.

[fergus51]

That's why I left Toronto. You can't have the same standard of living in Toronto on the same wages as in Peterborough. It's a shame we don't have any cost of living adjustments like they do in the UK.

[oneLoneNurse]

wages in Peterborough wouldn't Peterborough have a hard time attracting nurses ?

That's why I left Toronto. You can't have the same standard of living in Toronto on the same wages as in Peterborough. It's a shame we don't have any cost of living adjustments like they do in the UK.

[fergus51]

I don't think they would have trouble getting staff because most nurses do consider cost of living and not just hourly wage. I also don't think they should lower the wages in Peterborough, just include a cost of living adjustment for those in expensive areas. My rent for a TINY appartment in a not so nice area of Toronto was the same as my friend's mortgage payment for a house in Peterborough. Pretty much every other job bases their payscale partly on the cost of living in the area and I know many northern positions include bonuses for that reason too. It makes no sense to pay people the same amount when the cost of living is completely different. You don't see that happening in the US do ya? If you come down here you make more money in San Francisco than you would in Redding.

[lalaxton]

Question: is there one bargaining unit for nurses in Ontario ? Couldn't you live very, very well in London on $38.00 vs Toronto ?

It is cheaper to live outside Toronto. ONA is the one bargaining unit in Ontario. Salaries are negotiated on a province wide level I believe.

[Never_too_late]

Hi, All:

[snip]

As to the prospect of getting a job after graduation, the posts are quite scary. It's not only through this discussion, did I learn about nurses having difficulty landing in a full time job in Ontario, but other sources too. A front page story in a news magazine also proved this point. What confuses me is, why do schools (of course for profit purposes) and the media SEEM TO CAPITALIZE on the so-called nursing shortage. If the real situation says otherwise, I feel only pity for people getting in to the program, including myself ,and later learn that there's no job for them. Going through the nursing program is costly -- not just in terms of money, but also time and effort.

So, could anybody tell me what's the real situation 3-5 years from now? I know that the market for RNs differs from RPNs. But, generally, what is the real score? Is there somebody here affiliated with any nurses' association? What is the job forecast? How SINCERE is the government with its efforts to strenghten the healthcare system?

The aging population is a fact, but the need for more nurses -- is it a MYTH or a FACT ?

Will appreciate your inputs.

Thanks,

:)

Its funny because our teachers tell us that we will barely have time to put down our pens when writing our last exam before hospitals grab us. That is what the situation is like..we are told.

I am in Montreal, Quebec and english and french hospitals work differently. In the french sector, you apply for A position and live with that until you have enough seniority but you will find work. So you might work the night shift for 10 years. In the english sector, you are on rotation all through your career (N-D-E), shifts are 12 hours so you get lots of days off. I think this is good for me. I am a part-time patient care attendant while I study and when I went to HR to sign my hiring papers they said: "..and when you are a nurse your pay will become x$ an hour and..."". For them, it is a given I will hang around and work there.

Finally, for years, positions required university degrees. Now, with the shortages, most jobs require a university degree OR a DEC with experience OR just a DEC. I think this is also indicative of the shortages and the 'compromises' hospitals are willing to make to get nurses.

Anyway, my 0.02.

N_T_L