CRNE results?

NextSummer · Aug 21, 2006

Congrats to AnonymousCanadian and gentle02!! :balloons: :balloons: :balloons:

nurse_nightingale · Aug 21, 2006

Yeahhhhhhh Gentle....you Did It. Congrats!!! You Deserve It....now I Bet You Feel So Much Better And You Can Finally Sleep And Get On With Your Nursing Life. I Still Have Another 8 Weeks.

gentle02 · Aug 21, 2006

Thank you NextSummer and nurse nightingale!!

I can now relax a bit!!

vchild4ever · Aug 23, 2006

I got my news this past Monday. I passed. AMEN!!!!

gchelak · Aug 23, 2006

So what are you guys doing for work in the meantime while waiting for your results? Is anyone working as a GN?

I am a US RN moving to Canada (only 8 months experience in a newborn nursery in the US) and have applied for about 29 positions in Calgary as of a week ago- and I have heard NOTHING! Some of the positions were "will train" (about 12 - the first time I have seen this) but the rest are not and wanted more experience than I have in other areas that I am not trained in. How does a new nurse get experience if all of the jobs want a bunch of experience?

I am scheduled to take the Canadian RN exam in Oct, but am approved to practice with a temporary license in the meantime. I am also a Canadian citizen, but all of my education and experience is in the US. I am beginning to wonder if I am even being considered for any of the positions I am applying for because I don't have a RN license AND I am US educated. Are there that many people applying for RN positions in Calgary that I don't even get a call back? I am even working with a recruiter who is submitting my resume for the positions I tell her I am interested in...

RNinRubySlippers, BSN, RN · Aug 23, 2006

Hey all! I PASSED! HOLLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooo excited! YAY!

Hope you all get your results soon!

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Aug 23, 2006

I have applied for about 29 positions in Calgary as of a week ago- and I have heard NOTHING! Some of the positions were "will train" (about 12 - the first time I have seen this) but the rest are not and wanted more experience than I have in other areas that I am not trained in. How does a new nurse get experience if all of the jobs want a bunch of experience? I am beginning to wonder if I am even being considered for any of the positions I am applying for because I don't have a RN license AND I am US educated. Are there that many people applying for RN positions in Calgary that I don't even get a call back?

Gail, I promise you that there are not "that many people" applying. I just know that it takes FOREVER for the process to unfold, especially in Calgary. First they post the position. Then they set a closing date for applications. Then they collect up all the applications. Then someone reviews them all. Then they divide them up into internal and external applicants. Then they look at credentials and experience. Then they make a short list to interview. Then they set up the interviews. Then they actually do the interviews. Then they ponder the results for a while. Then they contact the successful candidate(s). A friend of mine applied for a position in the recovery room; this gal has more than 25 years of experience in a variety of critical care settings at the same hospital and she expected to be hired very quickly. That was in late May. She wasn't informed that she was not the successful candidate until the middle of August; the person they hired was a new grad who had done her practicum there. So yesterday she had a grievance resolution meeting; our contract states that "where all else is equal, seniority will be the deciding factor." Since all else is not equal she filed a grievance. I'm waiting to hear how it went.

I can tell you too that they will take someone with ZERO experience for positions they're having trouble filling. However, nursery spots aren't usually hard to fill. They are very popular with nurses nearing the end of their careers, because the pace is slower and the physical stressors are fewer. They are also where job-injured nurses are placed, for the same reason. Ask your recruiter about that. She may offer some options that will get you a job "for now" so that you can start campaigning from within to get the job you really want.

My first hospital job was in a Level II nursery. I went to the interview thinking that it would be a typical interview... why do you want to work here, what do you bring to the table, and so on. Well, imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the equivalent of an 18 page oral exam about pathophysiology of the sick neonate. :eek: I was told that they had so many applicants, both internal and external, for their openings that they had to weed out the best and dump the rest. I did better than I should have, and was offered a casual position on the spot. A few weeks into my orientation it was changed to a term. I ended up interviewing five more times in the two years I was there in order to keep my seniority, since all I could get were terms. Each interview was different, but equally difficult. I had no choice but to learn as much as I could so that I would keep my job. (I can list 26 causes of hyperbilirubinemia in the neonate from memory.) My interviews for PICU both in Winnipeg and here were much simpler. Please don't be discouraged, it will happen for you, but maybe not in the way you'd planned. Keep your oars in the water and you'll make it to the dock.

Fiona59 · Aug 23, 2006

The actual position of newborn nursery nurse is being phased out in my hospital. Whoever is available take it (RN or LPN). We've moved to rooming in and there have been shift where there are no babies in our nursery and its not staffed.

Nursery is just becoming part of the postpartum nurses duties.

gchelak · Aug 24, 2006

gail, i promise you that there are not "that many people" applying. i just know that it takes forever for the process to unfold, especially in calgary. first they post the position. then they set a closing date for applications. then they collect up all the applications. then someone reviews them all. then they divide them up into internal and external applicants. then they look at credentials and experience. then they make a short list to interview. then they set up the interviews. then they actually do the interviews. then they ponder the results for a while. then they contact the successful candidate(s). a friend of mine applied for a position in the recovery room; this gal has more than 25 years of experience in a variety of critical care settings at the same hospital and she expected to be hired very quickly. that was in late may. she wasn't informed that she was not the successful candidate until the middle of august; the person they hired was a new grad who had done her practicum there. so yesterday she had a grievance resolution meeting; our contract states that "where all else is equal, seniority will be the deciding factor." since all else is not equal she filed a grievance. i'm waiting to hear how it went.
i can tell you too that they will take someone with zero experience for positions they're having trouble filling. however, nursery spots aren't usually hard to fill. they are very popular with nurses nearing the end of their careers, because the pace is slower and the physical stressors are fewer. they are also where job-injured nurses are placed, for the same reason. ask your recruiter about that. she may offer some options that will get you a job "for now" so that you can start campaigning from within to get the job you really want.
my first hospital job was in a level ii nursery. i went to the interview thinking that it would be a typical interview... why do you want to work here, what do you bring to the table, and so on. well, imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the equivalent of an 18 page oral exam about pathophysiology of the sick neonate. i was told that they had so many applicants, both internal and external, for their openings that they had to weed out the best and dump the rest. i did better than i should have, and was offered a casual position on the spot. a few weeks into my orientation it was changed to a term. i ended up interviewing five more times in the two years i was there in order to keep my seniority, since all i could get were terms. each interview was different, but equally difficult. i had no choice but to learn as much as i could so that i would keep my job. (i can list 26 causes of hyperbilirubinemia in the neonate from memory.) my interviews for picu both in winnipeg and here were much simpler. please don't be discouraged, it will happen for you, but maybe not in the way you'd planned. keep your oars in the water and you'll make it to the dock.

thanks for the words of wisdom. i have only 8 months with healthy/near healthy neonates. i was really excited to see the "will train" positions in or and post anaesthesia care because that is also an area i would like. the classes for those positions start 9/11 or 9/18 so they have to speed up those postings. i talked to the recruiter and she said there were a lot of applicants for those positions from what she could see.

the recruiter called the hiring manager for nicu/scn and i now have a message to call her back. i have no chance if they are looking for someone to just "step in" to the position. when i applied for nursery here (and friends who applied for nicu) we got the jobs on the spot, with a new hire exam taken at the hr office, remediation was available if needed.

i am keeping my fingers crossed. i just don't understand how chr can take so long to hire for positions and why there are so few available. calgary is expanding rapidly- surely they are in more need of nurses in all areas, especially with the new children's hospital opening in sept. i still have not seen any more positions opening for the new facility that i expect is bigger than the old hospital.

i will keep plugging along...it is just difficult to leave a job here for this bureaucracy i am finding up there.

gail

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Aug 24, 2006

I just had a look at the CRHA job board. There are quite a few postings for ACH. May of them are temporary spots, though. I didn't really look for anything at the Foothills, where the high-risk deliveries are done. Are you committed to Calgary? I know the Stollery is looking for lots of nurses!

gchelak · Aug 25, 2006

I just had a look at the CRHA job board. There are quite a few postings for ACH. May of them are temporary spots, though. I didn't really look for anything at the Foothills, where the high-risk deliveries are done. Are you committed to Calgary? I know the Stollery is looking for lots of nurses!

Unfortunatley I am committed to Calgary since we bought a place in Airdrie.

I spoke with the manager for NICU and SCN today at the Foothills. She said that she thinks the reason I am not getting calls back is because most of the positions I applied for are for RNs and can not have GNs (what I am considered a GN until I take the CRNE and pass) working in those areas. She also said that she can get me into the orientation for her department and get me casual positions in certain areas until my exam results come bac...but I have to be there on Sept 5...I am driving up to Alberta that week and it is not possible. The next orientation is in Nov. so I will study for the test, interview with her and keep puttin gin applications in the meantime. Looks like I won't really get anything until some time after the exam, and even then, it will probably be casual or temporary.

How does that work anyway? If you take a temp position, are you stuck there until the end of the term or can you move to another dept if something comes available there? Likewise, if you take a casual or part time position and a full time position becomes available in another area, are you free to move or do you have to be in the position you applied for for a certain amount of time? Most companies here - medical or otherwise make you stay committed in a position for at least 12-15 months.

Just wondering how it works there.

This manager also told me that if they were to hire someone and someone else was more qualified for the position, then they have to justify the hire...your friend has a good case for that. I guess this is part of the union thing, something else I am not familiar with.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Aug 25, 2006

I find it curious that the manager would say that they can't have GNs working in their NICU or SCN. We have LOTS of GNs working in our unit all the time. They get hired while they're still in school for heaven's sake! They do their 16 week orientation and write at some point during that time. There are things that a GN cannot do, such as give push meds and neuromuscular blockers, sample CSF from an EVD, take verbal orders and a few others. We've even had some people who finished their orientation without having gotten their registration (I precepted one such! She trained in Ontario, got hired out here to start immediately after graduation, had to register in Ontario then have her registration transferred here... cost her a fortune and she complained continually about having to do it.) who are given a resource nurse to do those tasks for them until they do. So it's very interesting that Calgary is so different.

As for the temporary position thing... If you're in a term and there is permanent position posted that you're interested in and qualify for you can apply for it without any restrictions. But if the position is another term, the start date for the new term has to be after the end date of the term you're in. That's the only restriction on when or where you can apply. You can surely go from a part time position in SCN to a full time position in NICU if that's what you want. Another thing I just thought of... there's a probationary period for all jobs of 503.75 hours worked. (How they come up with these numbers I have NO idea!) and if at any time during that period you decide for whatever reason you aren't happy in the job, you just leave. No questions asked, no penalties. However, by the same token, if the employer isn't happy with your performance then you go back to wherever you came from.

More for you to think about...