Ontario RNs and RPNs

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Hi I wanted some advice from nurses in Ontario I have always wanted to pursue a career in nursing no matter how difficult. I have always felt a job like this is for me. I want a job that keeps me active and on my feet I also would like to care for people. I am still unsure about being an RN or RPN but have applied for both..

I want to know what are jobs like in Ontario for nurses? Your experiences? The pay? How hard is it to find a job for a nurse here once you graduate ?

Do you not contribute to a pension as a part timer?

Anyone can contribute to a pension. Full time or part time. I'm talking something like HOOP, not your usual CPP which we all pay into.

Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

I am part time and I contribute to HOOP.

Get your masters if you want. It really wont give you any advantage to working in Canada as an RN. If you want to then get your NP and work as such, that is different. You MUST have your masters to get your NP, and 3500 RN working hours. If you get your NP you cannot work as an RN unless you have exhausted all options working as an NP.

If you think getting your masters will help you get a floor RN job, your wrong. The time you took getting your masters was time you were out of the workforce, loosing your skills and knowledge. The only thing new grads got going is that they are fresh and current.

If I got my Masters, I would hope to continue to go the NP route, but I am still trying to figure out whether that is viable in Canada at this time. I can see a few positions being offered here and there (some in the specialty I did want to do which of course may change), but how these online positions actually pan out to the real world I don't know.

Would you say it is better to then do a part-time Masters and work straight out of a BScN for experience? I gather it will take the same amount of years (2-3 years out, 2 years Masters or 3 years Masters, 1-2 years out) to gain the required experience for the NP program but each route is different financially and technically the part-time work as an RN in school gives more years of experience.

Can you really not legally work as an RN if you become NP? The only reason I would do RN work after the NP would be international travel where NP licenses aren't recognized (such as France or Geneva). I'm not sure if you would know about those exact details though.

If I got my Masters, I would hope to continue to go the NP route, but I am still trying to figure out whether that is viable in Canada at this time. I can see a few positions being offered here and there (some in the specialty I did want to do which of course may change), but how these online positions actually pan out to the real world I don't know.

Would you say it is better to then do a part-time Masters and work straight out of a BScN for experience? I gather it will take the same amount of years (2-3 years out, 2 years Masters or 3 years Masters, 1-2 years out) to gain the required experience for the NP program but each route is different financially and technically the part-time work as an RN in school gives more years of experience.

Can you really not legally work as an RN if you become NP? The only reason I would do RN work after the NP would be international travel where NP licenses aren't recognized (such as France or Geneva). I'm not sure if you would know about those exact details though.

You can do the NP concurrently with your masters. Why make it harder than it is? That way you have your 3500 hours in and a better feel for the job market. Your workplace may help with your education cost or at least guarantee you a job when you are done.

No clue about internationally, I just know through a friend who did hers.

Honestly, and I mean this in the nicest way possible (tired of being called mean), but chill out. Finish your program, you may hate whatever area it is you think you will love, or fall in love with another area. If you're doing it for the money, you can make about the same as an RN (this is factoring in in-lieu of's, plus they were working while you were paying for school). Plenty of RNs make the Sunshine list each year, not all of the NPs do. And that's in the hospital; NPs make less in clinics and offices. Put your time in at the bedside, it will make you a better NP.

*Sunshine list - a list published each year with government employees who make over 100000.

PNs get assigned chest tube patients all the time in my hospital.

When AHS says full scope. I've never been permitted to say no to an assignment, even to patients pushed out of ICUS. Stable patients, I wish.

I worked on a pulmonary/thoracic unit as a PN and MOST of my patients had chest tubes. There is no reason why LPNs can't take these patients.

Specializes in geriatrics.
PNs get assigned chest tube patients all the time in my hospital.

When AHS says full scope. I've never been permitted to say no to an assignment, even to patients pushed out of ICUS. Stable patients, I wish.

Emerg and ICU typically sends the patient to the floors when they are barely stable. I remember this occuring regularly when I was on acute back home. Then, running around looking for BP cuffs and other equipment because there weren't enough supplies.

Funny how things flip flop all the time. They completely phased our LPNs in Arizona now...at least in hospitals. I am interested to see how things are changing in Canada so frequent here every now and then. I recently graduated with my NP here in the US and we can still work as an RN as well. I would think NPs here make the sunshine list as you call it a lot more than they do in Canada. But to make that list we would have to work a LOT of OT as an RN. Sorry to hear that things are so much tougher in Canada these days.

Funny how things flip flop all the time. They completely phased our LPNs in Arizona now...at least in hospitals. I am interested to see how things are changing in Canada so frequent here every now and then. I recently graduated with my NP here in the US and we can still work as an RN as well. I would think NPs here make the sunshine list as you call it a lot more than they do in Canada. But to make that list we would have to work a LOT of OT as an RN. Sorry to hear that things are so much tougher in Canada these days.

I know quite a few RNs that make over $100K/year. It's only Ontario that call it the sunshine list.

Heck, I work part time as an LPN and made $53K last year.

Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.
Funny how things flip flop all the time. They completely phased our LPNs in Arizona now...at least in hospitals. I am interested to see how things are changing in Canada so frequent here every now and then. I recently graduated with my NP here in the US and we can still work as an RN as well. I would think NPs here make the sunshine list as you call it a lot more than they do in Canada. But to make that list we would have to work a LOT of OT as an RN. Sorry to hear that things are so much tougher in Canada these days.

Where I work the hiring of RPNs is on the upswing and our scope is widening all the time. Last year I made $79 000 (before taxes lol).

Lori, taxes, don'tcha just love them?

I think considering I worked roughly a .65FTE, I didn't do too bad. Shift premiums help

Specializes in geriatrics.

Many RNs in Canada make over 100 000, not including NPs or APNs. It's not uncommon.

Lol taxes get you every time. My last pay had 1400 in deductions. So we essentially work 3.5 shifts for free.

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