I am from a big family of 10 children, with ages ranging from 33yrs to 15yrs - six of us are currently nurses (in Australia, we are known as Endorsed Enrolled Nurses or EN's). We have varied nursing experiences as follows:
33 yr old sister - has been nursing for 4 years (72 hr/fortnight), rotates between Aged Care and Acute nursing (which covers general, medical, postoperative, orthopedics, cardiac, respiratory, palliative, etc)
Myself (David) - 30yr - have been nursing for nearly 5 years (72yr/fortnight), I used to rotate between Aged care and Acute, but I now work 72yr/fortnight in Acute nursing and Urgent Care/Emergency (which covers general, medical, postoperative, orthopedics, cardiac, respiratory, palliative, etc)
23 yr old sister - has been nursing for nearly 5 years (72yr/fortnight), used to rotate between Aged care and Acute, but now works 72yr/fortnight in Aged Care, with Team Leadership role on a number of shifts per fortnight (which includes the overseeing of 10+ personal care workers on a shift.)
21 yr old sister - has been nursing for just under a year (72yr/fortnight), works in Aged Care.
20 yr old brother - has been nursing for just under a year (72yr/fortnight), works in Aged Care.
19 yr old brother - has been nursing for just under a year (72yr/fortnight), works in Aged Care, with Team Leadership role on a number of shifts per fortnight (which includes the overseeing of 10+ personal care workers on a shift.)
We all have what is known as a Diploma in Nursing, which is 18 months full time study (not including practical placements). We would look at migrating as a family.
We have looked at migrating from Australia to Canada quite some time ago, but at the time, too many of the children were quite young, making the immigration process quite complex. However, moving on, we have been considering it as a possibility for the future.
My questions are:
What are the work opportunities for us in Canada?We would be particularly interested what opportunities exist in the "warmer parts" of Canada - :), such as southern BC or southern Alberta. In particular, Vancouver and surrounding cities, Kelowna/Kamloops and surrounding cities, or Calgary and surrounding cities. (The reason I say Kamloops, is because my father has an Aunty and cousins who live in Kamloops).
Is there a demand for LPN's at all?
Are there hospitals that would offer sponsorships? Particularly, are there hospitals that would offer sponsorships that accomodate for six overseas nurses from the one family!
How difficult is it to make the conversion from an Australian EEN to a Canadian LPN?The duties of an EEN here include, general nursing care, documentation and assessments, catheter insertion/care, general and complex wound care, surgical wound care (R/O sutures/staples, drain tube care), NGT insertion/care, Tracheostomy care, medication administration (including SC and IM), intravenous administrations, including IV meds and blood/iron transfusions, IV cannulation where appropriate training has been undertaken, syringe pump administration and care (Niki T34). This is just to name some of the duties within our scope of practice here in Australia.
I would be glad to hear from anyone who has relevant knowledge or experience regarding my enquiry.
