First Year RN BC Salary

[StrawberryJam]

Hi,

Roughly how much can I expect to make first year as an RN in BC working full-time and picking up OT? I would love to hear from recent graduates. Just looking to do some financial planning.

Thanks.

[Jose9, BSN]

Here is a link to BC nurse wage grid.

https://www.bcnu.org/Contracts-Bargaining/Documents/NBA_Wage_Grid.pdf

Usually new graduates work casual and after 1 year are able to find a PT or FT position.

[StrawberryJam]

2 hours ago, Jose9 said:

Here is a link to BC nurse wage grid.

https://www.bcnu.org/Contracts-Bargaining/Documents/NBA_Wage_Grid.pdf

Usually new graduates work casual and after 1 year are able to find a PT or FT position.

Thanks. Do casuals get roughly as many hours as FT employees? It doesn't sound like it. Are there ways to transition directly into full-time work?

[Jose9, BSN]

On the units I've worked, casuals usually get 5-8 shifts prebooked per month & they usually do short notice pickup from sick calls to get full time hours per month.

[dayandnight]

20 hours ago, StrawberryJam said:

Thanks. Do casuals get roughly as many hours as FT employees? It doesn't sound like it. Are there ways to transition directly into full-time work?

Depends on where you work but in medical units if you pick up in more than 1 unit, you can pick up and prebook FT equivalent hours and overtime quite regularly.. medical units in general are always short of nurses

Getting a Ft position right away as a new grad is rare unless you take specialty courses during school and get sponsored by the specialty unit upon graduation.

Depends on where you go but in all the medical units I have worked in, casuals easily get a temporary FT or PT line and then find a permanent position in about half a year after starting out as a casual.. and before that if lucky (someone goes on mat leave etc)

[StrawberryJam]

On 4/27/2019 at 2:44 PM, dayandnight said:

Depends on where you work but in medical units if you pick up in more than 1 unit, you can pick up and prebook FT equivalent hours and overtime quite regularly.. medical units in general are always short of nurses

Getting a Ft position right away as a new grad is rare unless you take specialty courses during school and get sponsored by the specialty unit upon graduation.

Depends on where you go but in all the medical units I have worked in, casuals easily get a temporary FT or PT line and then find a permanent position in about half a year after starting out as a casual.. and before that if lucky (someone goes on mat leave etc)

Thanks for the reply. From what I can see from online job ads even many casual positions ask for 1-2 years of relevant experience or certain post-basic certifications. How would I get hired in the first place as a casual without these?

[dayandnight]

16 hours ago, StrawberryJam said:

Thanks for the reply. From what I can see from online job ads even many casual positions ask for 1-2 years of relevant experience or certain post-basic certifications. How would I get hired in the first place as a casual without these?

If you haven't gone to school yet, the job prospect really depends on going to school here and getting the preceptorship-clinical in an acute care unit. Medical units are very easy to get into for new grads.. We take new grads from Alberta and Ontario a lot nowadays because casual nurses are always in demand.

[Jose9, BSN]

So usually in Vancouver, the units hire their employed student nurse (ESN) and preceptors first. That's because ESN have worked 400-800 hours on the unit while the preceptors have worked practically 3-4 months full time. So the staff knows them very well and will vouch for them if they are good.

But I notice medical units are constantly looking for casuals because they are so short staff. So even if the medical unit isn't where you want to be, I suggest you apply there casually to get your foot in the door. That way, you can find internal postings and hopefully transfer to the unit you want to be in.