moving to BC. pleasse orient me

adrienurse, LPN · Oct 7, 2002

Where in BC? Compaired to some areas of Canada, Vanvouver and the areas around it are fairly expensive places to live. I love BC, though and I wish I lived there.

fergus51 · Oct 7, 2002

Love BC too, but will be leaving it shortly. The only complaint I have is a lack of full time jobs in my area (which you won't have a problem with) and the current budget cuts by our fabulous government. I think the wage is very good if you live in a smaller city, not that great for Vancouver, but it's still certainly livable.

Patient ratios depend on the area. ICU at our hospital is 2 patients per nurse. L&D 2-3, medsurg 8-12, step down 3-5, etc. What area will you be working in?

apols_uk · Oct 8, 2002

thanks for your response. well i took the job offer in rural BC which is near the rockies (i think?) its in the northwest because

i want to taste rural area specially canada has its own striking

beauty. well i never knew BC but i went to toronto it seems to

me its nice but there are no job offers there and BC is full of fulltime opportunities. they offered 6 months of rent free fully furnished apartment plus they bought me a new TV how kind.

i am greatful that your pampered this way by hospitals in canada.

i just learned that rural nursing doesnt really attract many canadians.

thanks

apols

apols_uk · Oct 8, 2002

i will be working a general duty nurse

globalRN · Oct 8, 2002

Hello, I used to live in BC and did a masters practicum in rural BC

just this year. BC is more expensive than the other provinces but in the rural area...you probably won't be tempted to spend as much.

I found everyone to be really friendly...patients and staff alike..and everyone was so helpful+++ and kind!!

A lot of people have never lived away from their community, so they will be very interested in you and your stories. Before I got there, the whole town was talking about my arrival. But there you go, that's a small town.

If you like the outdoors, rural BC is perfect....BC is really beautiful. If I could have found something that was in my area there, I would have liked to have stayed.

apols_uk · Oct 8, 2002

thanks my brothers and sisters in canada. im really nervous

how do i approach them i know it sounds stupid but

i would like the people to like me and treat me as one of their fellow mates or friends. its a town called bellacoola. ive seen over the internet that its very picturusque. wish me luck hope they will like me as i would like to enjoy working there

adrienurse, LPN · Oct 8, 2002

Bella Coola is north of Vancouver, pretty close to the pacific coast. It looks to me like it's pretty rural, and maybe a little isolated. I have no doubt that it is beautiful. Good luck!

fergus51 · Oct 8, 2002

Bellacoola is DEFINITELY rural! A beautiful area, but they have a hard time attracting nurses because it is so isolated, which is why they offer all the goodies. Great for outdoor sports and the winters aren't that bad. The thing I liked about rural nursing is that you get to do it all!!! The thing I didn't like was having to ship patients to larger centers so often because we didn't have the resources to treat them.

My only advice is try to learn about the local culture, especially about the different Native bands in the area. You'll find that Bella Coola is VERY different from Vancouver or Toronto when it comes to the people. You won't be able to not make friends while you're there because everyone will know who you are in a few weeks. At least that was my experience in a similar sized rural BC town

fergus51 · Oct 8, 2002

Also, I would definitely look into what extra specialty classes the health region will pay for you to take. The rural hospitals will often pay for distance courses in emergency or critical care which can be very expensive if you pay for them on your own. http://www.bcit.ca has a list of nursing distance courses, some of which are required to get jobs in other hospitals specialty areas.

donmurray · Oct 8, 2002

fergus, how bad is "not bad" weather?

fergus51 · Oct 9, 2002

Well don, you have to remember I am a Canadian:), so I mean that the real winter is less than 6 months long (Late October to March), and it seldom dips below -15C for long spells and there isn't so much snow that you can't walk places. I used to live in Williams Lake and we'd go to Bella Coola as tourists, even in the winter. The cities are about the same latitude, but Bella Coola is near the coast, so the weather is less harsh. They have good weather for outdoor winter sports, but most Brits and Scotts we've had come visit seemed to think the second ice age had come and needed to wear their long johns every second of the day.

This is a site with pictures of the area and cultural info. You should note that the pictures all seem to be taken in the summer:)

http://www.bcrock.com/index.html