Alberta Health Services

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · May 26, 2009

have you looked at the job board? all those vacancies we had a couple of weeks ago just went poof! couple that with the ot ban and it looks like we'll all be working for two. i wanna know what happened to that $27 billion surplus we had six short months ago. eddie scissorhands, rotten ronnie and "duck-it" duckett are really doing a number on us.

Fiona59 · May 26, 2009

You noticed that as well!! Not even a housekeeping vacancy???

Staffing just tried to talk me into working full time over the summer on mainly NIGHTS.

Guest233447 · May 26, 2009

I saw this thread, so just out of curiosity, I went to our health region's job posting board. Over the last year or so I have checked in there periodically to see what positions were available for LPNs. Generally for the region there were about 15-20 positions open with varying hours from full to part time.

Last night when I checked, there were two. Two positions. Both of them in tiny little towns about 1.5 hours from the major center here, Grande Prairie.

What happened here? I start the full-time LPN program in September, and I hope by the time I'm finished those positions return!!

It's scary to me to see how quickly things changed.

Fiona59 · May 26, 2009

From what we can figure out, all vacant lines are being looked at closely. If they have two part time slots on the same unit, they are being combined into one full time job. (doesn't really matter if some staff are happy working part time) Cuts the cost of benefits for the employer. Mat leaves aren't being filled.

The jobs are there but just not right now.

Mister_Nurse · May 27, 2009

yeah I wonder where all these positions went. Lotta my grad class are jobless. Its funny to see UNE's having positions compared to GN's. Not liking this new cuts and new board of AHS

Fiona59 · May 27, 2009

Don't start regular staff on UNE's. The load that have been hired at my hospital are only working day/A shifts. Now the staffing office and managers are expecting regular part-timers to pick up the evening and night slots left open.

If UNE's want to experience working as staff, let them work the shifts that staff work.

Guest233447 · May 27, 2009

Sorry, I've been trying to figure it out, but what is a "UNE"?

Fiona59 · May 27, 2009

It's second and third year BScN students who work over the summer "gaining practical nursing experience and increasing their confidence in their nursing skills"

Mister_Nurse · May 27, 2009

friends i know had interview 2 weeks ago and now are on hold. Poor guys Not good at all, with all them looking at things closely is BS. Guess they don't want to spend extra on benefits. Really don't like this new AHS

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · May 27, 2009

Sorry, I've been trying to figure it out, but what is a "UNE"?

Undergraduate Nurse Employee; as Fiona59 says, they're 2nd and 3rd year nursing students who typically work full time during the summer break and casual during the school year. They're supposed to function in the role of a nursing assistant but with permission to perform those skills they've been "checked off" for at school. Sounds like her hospital is using them to replace their LPNs and RNs.

Fiona59 · May 28, 2009

The UNEs our floor takes on have finished third year. They function basically as an LPN (but here's where it gets really insulting) are permitted to access central lines and after being "supervised" are permitted to hang their own TPN. They can't have more than four patients (most complain about having four) and if their patients become unstable, their assignment changes.

Some have worked out well, others let's just leave it as they are still in school...