RN Job Market in Ontario Sucks.

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Hi everyone,

I am a new grad, a brand new Registered Nurse, looking to get some experience in any RN job. I live in Ontario, and I've applied to soo many jobs but hearing nothing back. I'm thinking of just writing the NCLEX so I can apply to the USA! It's not fair, we work so hard for 4 years, even harder to write that licensing exam, all for what!? To not get a job.

Has anyone else had this same experience? What should I do?

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

It sucks just as badly in the US for new grads...........

Specializes in geriatrics.

The job market has sucked in ON for 7 years. Every Province is facing cutbacks, and as the previous poster mentioned, the US is no better.

Try applying to small towns. If you're willing to relocate you will eventually find work.

Specializes in NICU.

I was going to suggest relocating to a larger city actually. I work in Toronto and a lot of my colleagues have relocated from smaller towns in Ontario to work in Toronto. There's a larger number of hospitals here (and bigger hospitals who thereby need more staff), nursing homes, clinics, etc. in a bigger city.

Also, have you tried talking to your previous classmates? Somebody might have found a job and could refer you?

When I graduated, it took me six months to find my job. So don't give up! :)

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

This article in the Belleville Intelligencer supports the title of this thread.

Quinte Health Care has cut nine non-union jobs and is considering cutting “less than 30” unionized ones in an attempt to cope with reduced provincial funding.

QHC cuts staff | The Belleville Intelligencer

Many of the unionized jobs in hospitals are nursing jobs. A personal connection of mine has told me this is the third round of job deletions since she started at Quinte less than 4 years ago. If a proportional analysis were made across the province I'm sure we'd see large numbers of positions disappearing in the urban hospitals.

Specializes in General Internal Medicine.

It's hard getting a job in Ontario, but it's not impossible... It just takes a lot of work. Many of the people I know only applied online without much luck. Although you can apply to +++ job postings, so can everyone else. A lot of people also overlook resources and connections they have - so think hard and make good use of connections.

If you have the time, I suggest you volunteer at a hospital (or the institution you would like to work at). It gets you exposed to the environment, as well as staff. I volunteered at a downtown TO hospital a year or so before I graduated and I got to know and work with nurses, unit clerks, nurse educators, etc. I applied internally a few months after graduating and I got two interviews AND job offers.

Remember that these days it's not how many jobs you apply to. It's about education, where your consolidation is, and the people you know. If you didn't have any luck with your consolidation placement, try increasing your education and getting to know more people in health care.

Good luck with job hunting!

Specializes in Mental Health, Medicine.

I can totally relate to how you are feeling. I graduated from a BScN program in Vancouver back in September 2014. It took me 3 months to find a job. I suggest you find out who the managers are from every clinical you've ever done. Applying online may take FOREVER to get a response. Don't lose hope, keep at it.

Specializes in geriatrics.

Three months is still better than average. Many of my classmates took 8 months to a year, and that was almost 5 years back.

Trust me, I came from WA state and it's MUCH better in Canada. It's hard to get FT job anywhere as a new grad nowadays.... try going somewhere rural, get connections and experience, and then find better positions elsewhere.

Have you applied to this?

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