From SEC to Workshops to CRNE... the wait goes on and on...

[nursingmom2010]

__UPDATES__

Ok, so about this time last year, I did my SEC assessment @Kwantlen in Surrey and was told to do some workshops which I took Spring of this year. I felt elated knowing I won't have to go through the whole refresher course which I know a lot of people has to take (thus the wait list in Kwantlen). By the way, to those IENs who are immigrants, there's this program called Skills Connect of BC which helps skilled professionals financially in case you need $$$ to pay for courses, books, materials, etc that you need in pursuing your nursing career. they cover 2/3 of everything up to a total of $2700(roughly around that area). I have not heard of the program until my workshops in Kwantlen so I pretty much paid 100% for most of my expenses with CRNBC and Kwantlen.

I then took CRNE on June and luckily I passed! I thought everything would go smoothly from there since I'm already a passer but its been almost 3 months already and I have never heard anything from fraserhealth, vch, interior health or northern health. I have been hearing a lot of rumors about these health authorities preferring to hire those IENs who have taken the refresher course over us who didnt.

Last week I went to meet up with my career consultant and she did confirm that the rumors are true. If only I have known this would happen, I would have voluntarily taken the refresher. I guess the health authorities are just doing this to justify the hiring freeze. There's just no jobs for all of us-- at least in Lower Mainland. She also said that the last time her client got hired was February of this year, since then, most of her clients are either JOBLESS or underemployed.

As of now, I am looking into volunteering just to get my 250 supervised hours. Who knows what happens next. I guess I should start applying for jobs up in Alberta or Yukon. Brrrrrr!

To those IENs/ New Grads who managed to secure jobs here, Congratulations ! And to those who are like me, Goodluck :redbeathe hunting for jobs and God bless!

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

I'm sorry that this has been your experience, but I believe this exact scenario has been described in a predictive manner a number of times on several threads. Perhaps now people might believe us when we say that the hardest part is getting a job at the end of it all. You know why nobody ever finds the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Because when you think you're at the end, you discover that it has moved. Same thing with this.

[nursingmom2010]

Thank you janfrn, that sooo true! Just when we thought we're near the end that's when we see the reality of the situation... I'm still optimistic about this whole thing. If I can't find my pot of gold here, I know it's out there somewhere... I just need to be more patient and persevere a little harder.