Graduating soon, need help please :)

[tommynurse]

Hello everyone!

My first post, and i gotta say, great community! I have been studying at york university and will be graduating BscN in a year or so.

I have some questions regarding nursing carrer and salary (when i become registered)

I read alot that graduating in toronto is not looking too good as landing a position is very difficult since competition is high. I planned to move out (from toronto) as asoon as i graduate, to start my carrer without any delay. My question is, will my starting salary (if i land a job) enough for me to live alone? if you dont mind sharing how much did you start off when you began your carrer as a nurse? If i were to move, where is the best place to go (alberta is an option)? Thanks in advance :) (ignore the grammar and spelling mistakes please! im on my slow school computer which is a century old)

[Fiona59]

Nursing is cyclical. Nobody knows what will be happening next year never mind two.

If you land at least a .7FTE you should be able to support yourself. I know people who do it on smaller .FTEs.

Moving is always an option. Just bear in mind that local new grads are hired first. The Alberta government pledged to hire 70% of all Alberta new grads, RN and PN.

[loriangel14, RN]

Things are tough all over.Moving will not likely make the job hunt easier plus moving costs money.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Make sure you have a job somewhere and an offer in writing before you move. New grad jobs are not easy to get anywhere in Canada. If you don't mind working in a rural area, you may have a greater chance of getting a job.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Take a closer look at the Toronto job market and figure out where the new grads are being hired, either volunteer in the area most likely to hire, or if you have a particular patient population you are interested in, volunteer in that area. Also, join RNAO as a student and volunteer to help at conferences.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Volunteering isn't realistic for many new grads Dishes. It depends on your financial situation, and many people have huge loans to pay.

[Fiona59]

What is RNAO? The Ontario nursing "mafia", kiss our ring and you'll get a job???!!!

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Volunteering isn't realistic for many new grads Dishes. It depends on your financial situation, and many people have huge loans to pay.

The OP doesn't graduate for at least another year, volunteering does not take up much time, and is doable as a student.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Maybe, maybe not. Many of us were second career nurses, and we worked close to full time hours in addition to attending school. I would have loved to volunteer, but there was no time. The same applied to my group of friends. We had to eat and pay bills. If you're living at home, then yes.

[tommynurse]

thank you everyone for your answers! i will defiantly consider all the opinions when i graduate! especially looking for volunteer, i will try to squeeze the extra hours between my job and school!

[Daisy_08, BSN, RN]

Volunteer! Hahahahahaha! It's like you think I sleep or something. I'm bridging to rn right now. What I suggest doing is your last placement where there is a need. A CCC hosp is a good place, that's where I see rn's getting ft after graduating and rpns ft within a year. But that's just where I live.