Give it to me straight.

[studentchar]

I am in my second year of nursing school on the East Coast of Canada. Before I applied I heard 'Oh you'll have your pick of jobs' a lot. Now we are hearing from our instructors that we may not have our pick of jobs, but that there will still be jobs out there for us-I'm fine with that. I hear online that there is a shortage of jobs in the US and that it is spreading to Canada. However, I look at different health boards around Canada and see lots of jobs listed-so I'm confused.

Is there a job shortage in Canada for nurses? Or is it the case that there is a shortage of full-time positions with benefits available? Are the odds good that I will get full-time hours when I graduate (not necessarily a full-time position) as long as I'm flexible about what dept I work in? Or am I probably going to struggle to make 40hrs a week?

I know that no-one can tell the future, and that whatever replies I get here would be educated guesses, but some input would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[Fiona59]

Depends on you. Are you willing to relocate? At my hospital, full time lines aren't that available. Part time with benefits, yes. Casual, depends on hospital needs. I know many casuals and part timers that work full time hours most pay periods.

Be willing to work any shift and weekends and you'll find work.

When I graduated back at the turn of the century, I worked three casual jobs and some weeks I couldn't get a shift.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

You might get lucky. I would suggest making some friends with your clinical instructors. That's how a few people got jobs. I had 3 offers, but I decided to relocate for a change of scenery and better pay. However, you need to be very flexible and be willing to take what you get. Full time is almost non existent. I am part time, but getting full time hours where I am.

That said, many people who I graduated with last year (about 40 percent) are still unemployed, and this is the norm everywhere right now. This doesn't mean you won't find work. Maybe it will improve by the time you graduate. However, you will need to be realistic, and creative. There are many nurses looking for work across the country. So in order to gain at least 1 year of experience, take what you can get. Or, the alternative is to be unemployed for longer while you wait.