New Grad RN Advice Please

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I have been searching all over the place....Canada wide, recruiter magazines, websites, personal contacts, etc....You name it, I am trying it. Quite clearly, the market is poor right across Canada. No surprise. I'm wo9ndering if anyone has any advice? I am willing to relocate, and I'm considering all of my options.

It seems as though it's almost easier to get hired in the US these days, which is sad. Because the majority of the postings I am seeing is NP, Clinical Nurse Specialist, 2-5 years experience, etc.....Doesn't ANYONE care to invest in new grads? After December (I'm taking a course in Crisis Prevention), if I don't have a job here, I think I will either move to the US, or go overseas to teach English. Because the loans have to be paid.

Does anyone have any ideas or advice? Thanks! Much appreciated. (And volunteering is out....I thought about that too, but if I know that I may be relocating, I can't commit to 6 months to a year somewhere. I also need to get paid :))

Specializes in Geriatrics, Med-Surg..

I have a previous degree, just an arts degree. Anyways, I can't say it has helped me much on the floor at all. However I am not against the degree nursing program at all, but I do think that all nursing students need more clinical time and to be made aware just how hard nursing is. I sure got a big reality shock when I started.

Also, I had every intention of briding, but now I am not so sure. The older I get, the more I realize that I just can't handle that much stress in my life. I also doubt that I could handle the stress of being an RN in a cardiac or emergency unit. I guess we all have a place where we should be and as one gets older, I think you just get a lot more pragmatic about your life choices. jmo.

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I hear you, Linzz, loud and clear.

I was going to bridge, got accepted twice and walked away from it. I DON'T ever want to be Charge. I work in an area I always wanted to. Does the wage difference bother me, sure. $10/hour difference when I pick up an RNs patient load at shift change? yup. Does it bother me that a UNE can pierce a blood bag or travisol bag but I can't, yes and no. Yes, because she has far less nursing experience than me and no, she makes more than me, so go for it.

But then I factor in how long I plan to work, how big the student loan would be, the lost wages, pensionable hours, etc, and then starting out at the bottom of the RN seniority list. Then, I'd have to spend my last working years working full time to pay back the student loans. Just not worth it for roughly a decade of working life.

Nope, you couldn't pay me to be Charge.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Thanks for the information. I have actually been looking Canada-wide, Australia, and the US. I plan to devote full time hours to my search after the CRNE. I have an interview with Alberta next week, and I had an opportunity to be recruited to NJ, but this recruiter was extremely evasive, so I declined.

Ultimately, I am willing to accept pretty much any nursing job, just to learn. That being said, I do think it's important to do the research and make sure it's a good fit for everyone, since, for one thing, your license is at stake.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Med-Surg..

Best of luck to you Joanna, I hope that you find that things look up after you write the exam and get your paper saying, pass back. One of these days, the Canadian government will wake up and realize that they will need nurses, as many nurses will eventually retire or burn out.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Thank you, you're very kind. As you said, I, too hope that these governments soon realize that nurses should be regarded as an investment. There is no denying that a shortage exists, and forcing nurses to work harder to cover for staffing issues is hardly a feasible solution. It is ironic, actually, because the only reason that I did not pursue nursing out of high school was because of this very same scenario during the '90's. Here we are again, and they never learn. All I can do at this point is perservere, because something will happen eventually.

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Ultimately, I am willing to accept pretty much any nursing job, just to learn. That being said, I do think it's important to do the research and make sure it's a good fit for everyone, since, for one thing, your license is at stake.

The "your license is at stake" is beaten into student nurses. In a decade of nursing, I've never met a nurse who lost their license. Been asked to leave a unit, yes, but lost their right to practice? Never.

I've worked with both RNs and LPNs who should not be practising due to poor skills, age, or what appears to be the onset of memory loss. They are permited to work. They've usually got 30+ years behind them and contacts in their unions.

It's scary but it's a fact.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

I've known a couple of nurses who lost their licenses. Sure, it's not common but it does happen. And trust me when I tell you that you really do NOT want to be the focus of a College investigation into your professionalism, fitness to practice or any of the other potential reasons.

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I've known a couple of nurses who lost their licenses. Sure, it's not common but it does happen. And trust me when I tell you that you really do NOT want to be the focus of a College investigation into your professionalism, fitness to practice or any of the other potential reasons.

Yup, I know two have been investigated. Lives put on hold and stress levels through the roof. Strange thing is, their investigations didn't relate to on the job performance, one was investigated for a Facebook posting and the the other was for refusing a patient. Both were exonerated because in the case of the nurse refusing the patient, she had loads of documentation she'd saved on why this patient wasn't appropriate for her. The Facebook poster was basically told to tighten up her posting habits.

The ones that could use it, never seem to get reported.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Considering that I am new, I am cautious about working conditions, and my own skills in general, which is probably typical of most new nurses. While I know that people don't just arbitrarily lose their license, I also want to practice safely and ethically. I also know that certain hospitals in the US, especially those without Magnet status can be less than desirable for nurses.

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