still looking for a global partner for my class

S.T.A.C.E.Y, LPN · Feb 1, 2007

Well if it needs to be a nurse, I can't help you there. But, I'm a fourth year nursing student, and if that counts, than i'd be up for being an email pal. Send me a PM if that works for you.

montrealRN · Feb 7, 2007

Hi there

I am a nurse in Canada-Quebec actually...i could answer some questions for you if you like

Teachchildren123 · Feb 10, 2007

sgts would you let us know about your findings? And montrealRN would you open up and tell us about your experience in Québec, your views of nursing, salaries... I am very interested in learning more about nursing in Québec, thinking of returning and work there.

Friendly yours,

connyrn

montrealRN · Feb 11, 2007

hi there

nursing in Quebec is quite different from the US.,,I have worked at an upstate NY hospital and i found the experience to be...in a word,,memorable. I found that the nurses that i encountered were quite cold and not very open to a new nurse coming in-- they would not take the time to explain things--it was as if i was taking a job from a US nurse. I was only working per diem - thus no position i could be stealing from a US nurse. The staff were older and very pleased that i asked questions...I was a nurse with over 10 years of Med/Surg experience at that time....I survived very briefly there...needless to say...the entire month i was there I never ate lunch with anybody, I would sit alone in the coffee shop...at least the girl there was friendly. I think that if a nurse from another country came to our ward at the hospital..they would be greeted properly-- and someone would take them under her wing. I know for a fact we would be interested in how things were done in the other country. But enough about my terrible experience.

In Quebec we are very short staffed in hospitals...most nurses are leaving the public sector and are finding jobs in the private sector--one draw back may be salary --here is a quote

"Positive steps have been taken to draw more people to nursing. The Fédération des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec [Quebec federation of nurses] has negotiated the following pay scale increases, which took effect in January 2002: $17.54 to $26.13 an hour for college graduates and $18.20 to $33.54 for

university graduates."

If connyrn wants to return to Que ....think long and hard...if you have family here i would understand the need to come back...if not...stay away! If you were educated in the US ,,,need to write exam and pass french test..i hear now it is quite difficult. I have never been one to tell people what to do but things are not always greener on the other side of the fence.. I think that your specialty is ICU...well I don;t think the ICU's in Quebec are as equiped as the ones in the US...in canada the goverment pays for the patients thus budgets are really tight...on my old floor we had to fight to get another O2 sat machine...and the automated BP cuffs..we had one for the entire floor..about 45 patients..the ratio for pt to nurse was 1:5..one evenings 1:8 and even more..( i do believe that in the ICU the quota is 1:2

Think long and hard.....if any other questions arise feel free

HN

Teachchildren123 · Apr 14, 2007

I appreciate your advice MontrealRN, really!

It is true that the salary seems better in the USA, also considering the exchange but it seems that the OIIQ is working on making nursing a better paid profession. I hope that they will catch up soon, because the lack of nursing staff is getting worse and money may attract and retain new nurses and experienced ones.

Yes, it may be greener... but realize that I worked in a telemetry unit where I had 13 patients, same on the med-surg with most of the time 1 or 2 nurse's aide. I often have 3 patients in the ICU, of course not all 3 are very critical, but every night one or 2 nurses has to "triple up"!

It is very frustrating to have pulse ox, BP cuff, suction set-up missing. A daily currency also, here in the US!

I will be able to really judge my good dead or mistake, once in the juice, in few years.

Fortunately for me, I am now perfectly bilingual, still, you might have noticed in my structure of sentences, more francophone. I am not worrying about the French exam. And the good news is that I could pass the nursing exam in english, easier to articulate and use of abbreviations that I am familiar with.

Thank my friend!

Marie:deadhorse :smackingf :smiley_aa :smiley_ab