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Discussion

Finally received OK to test in Alberta...

After several months and a lot of frustration, I finally received a letter that indicated that I can take the CRNE.

I need some advice:

If I send my ~$500 by May 29, I can take it Aug 9. Now the fiscal year for the CARNA is Sept-Sept (I think) so I was told by someone that if I take the exam before the year changes, I will have to pay fees for the year I took the exam even though I won't get results back for 12 weeks (which is in the next fiscal year for them). Does anyone know about this?

I also received a letter that stated that I can apply for jobs because once they receive another fee (they are fee happy), I will be able to practice as a GN until I take my test and get results.They said not to send the fee until I have a job offer because the GN is only good for a certain amount of time and renewable only 2x. My question is this: does anyone have experience about when I should start applying for jobs in Calgary if I am moving back in August? I hear that it takes forever for them to get back to you (if ever).

Thanks

Gail

Featured Replies

  • Expert

Gail, I'm glad you finally got your go ahead... I know this is a day late and a dollar short... I'm on vacation and didn't see your post until now. You will only have to pay your registration fee before the new licensing year begins if you plan to start working before October 1. It has nothing to do with when you write the CRNE.

Looking for work in Alberta can be a little frustrating, because of the bureaucracy involved, much like with CARNA. If you're interested in hospital nursing, I'd suggest looking at the Calgary Health Region web site under career opportunities to see who is hiring and what the closing dates are. There's a lot of whoop-de-doo going on in the media right now over nursing shortages there, so I know there are vacancies, especially at Foothills and Peter Lougheed. Once you've applied they will need to put you through some more hurry-up-and-wait while they screen all the applicants then short-list them then run interviews. When I applied in Edmonton several years ago I got a telephone interview within a week of e-mailing my resume, then was offered the job on the spot. I didn't start my job there for 10 months though. Good luck. Again.

  • Author
Gail, I'm glad you finally got your go ahead... I know this is a day late and a dollar short... I'm on vacation and didn't see your post until now. You will only have to pay your registration fee before the new licensing year begins if you plan to start working before October 1. It has nothing to do with when you write the CRNE.

Looking for work in Alberta can be a little frustrating, because of the bureaucracy involved, much like with CARNA. If you're interested in hospital nursing, I'd suggest looking at the Calgary Health Region web site under career opportunities to see who is hiring and what the closing dates are. There's a lot of whoop-de-doo going on in the media right now over nursing shortages there, so I know there are vacancies, especially at Foothills and Peter Lougheed. Once you've applied they will need to put you through some more hurry-up-and-wait while they screen all the applicants then short-list them then run interviews. When I applied in Edmonton several years ago I got a telephone interview within a week of e-mailing my resume, then was offered the job on the spot. I didn't start my job there for 10 months though. Good luck. Again.

Thanks for your advice. I opted to take the test in Oct instead of Aug. I will be up in Calgary at the beginning of July and then would have had to make another trip for the Aug test then back here to pack and move by the end of Aug...too many back-an-forths. I decided to just wait until Oct to test and apply for jobs soon since it takes forever from what I hear to get a job in Calgary- shortage or not. I as soon as I have something, I can send in my temp license to practice and work on that while I take my test and wait for results. I figured that was my best option. I am sooooo worried that I will not be able to find anything that I am interested in and have to take a job I am not happy with and end up hating it. I guess I just have to wait and see. Do you know what happens if you take a job in an area you really don't want and then after a month or so see a posting for an area you DO want? Can you apply or are you stuck in your crappy job for a certain amount of time before you can apply for others? They do that here in TX if the jobs are with the same hospital.

Thanks,

Gail

  • Expert

Hi Gail... sorry I didn't get back to you. I was on vacation and somehow my mail got messed up.

I know of several people who have moved to Calgary recently and didn't wait long at all to get working. When I looked at the Calgary Health Region site, there were LOTS of postings. (My delay in starting work were of my own making. I had to get things organized for my son before we moved, due to his special needs. They would have had me starting the week after I was hired if they could've.)

As a ward rep for the United Nurses of Alberta, I can assure you that you aren't stuck in a job you don't like. Everyone has a 90 day probation period when they start, during which either party can decide the choice wasn't the right one, no harm no foul... The only snag will be if you get financial assistance for moving (up to $5000). Then you'd be required to continue employment with the same employer. But that isn't as bad as it sounds. The collective agreement has been jiggered with so much that now the employer is not the unit or facility, it's the region. So you would be free to go anywhere within the region without having to pay back any of your moving expenses.

If you'd like to have a look at the collective agreement it can be found at http://www.una.ab.ca/ ; there are a lot of other things there you might find interesting too. We're going into negotiations this fall and are currently deciding what our opening position should be. We are really well-paid, so I don't expect anything more than cost of living, but there are a lot of areas in the CA that could be improved.

If there's anything else I can help with don't hesitate!

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