Grauduating Nurses Unable to Find Employment

suzanne4, RN · May 10, 2007

And if it is a foreign nurse, and there are several applying, usually the job will go to the one that trained in that country and is used to that system. Their orientation will usually be shorter, and when the nurse can actually be placed on the schedule is the number one item.

Does not matter if they have landed immigrant status, or even the green card in the US, but how soon that they will be adjusted to how things are being done where they will be working.

When anyone goes back to train in their home country, that training does not guarantee them a spot where they really want to work at. They will still be considered as a foreign grad, same thing that we see happening in the US. There are actually areas where there are not that many openingd for new grads, such as the Bay Area due to the amount that wish to work in that area.

Just something to think about.

suzanne4, RN · May 10, 2007

So much for the BSN only rule "helping" nurses?

And how many facilities have we actually seen this happen in?

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · May 10, 2007

How good were the pay/jobs in N. Dakota when there was the BSN requirement?

So good that no one wanted to work there, and they had to change the rule.

Actually, few places that I would go to and that I like are BSN only. One of the only places that had severe "young eating" behavior (in Philadelphia) was converted to BSN only.

The point is many Canadian nurses hailed the BSN only, as being something that elevated nursing, garnered nurses respect, and would improve their lot. Much like US nurses that seek BSN only. It gets beaten to death as a topic here regularly.

But if you cannot get a job afterwards, it hasn't helped you much.

Kabel · May 17, 2007

If 1200 new Canadian grads are not going to find full time employment in Canada this year, why are hospitals going outside the country to places like the UK, France, Australia and the Philippines to recruit staff? The costs associated with these international recruits have to be astronomical. Job fair attendance in other countries, relocation allowances, credentialling costs, orientation and all the rest have to cost a ton of cash. And most facilities can't pay these imports less money than a home-grown nurse due to union contracts, so what's the deal? Where's the sense in that? Hire the grads from local schools, save a bunch of money and provide jobs for Canadians first, people!

In order for an internationally trained nurse to get a Canadian job (if they are going on a work permit, not with pemanent residence) they have to get a positive Labour Market Opinion from HRSDC.

Part of this is to do with the employer showing that they couldn't get a Canadian to fill the post.

So perhaps they aren't getting the Canadians applying or they wouldn't have to look elsewhere.

A very recent recruitment drive from a joining of 4 of the 6 health authorities in BC had their advert saying there was about 200 jobs they were trying to recruit for.

Who knows what the real figures for shortages are.

In the UK the government and the nursing unions has been going on about nursing shortages for years. They have increased our salaries in a bid to recruit more student nurses and to help retain staff.

Now though because of financial losses in the NHS they are sacking nurses, and in a lot of trusts not advertising ANY nursing jobs (even though there are a lot of vacancies). So the shortages are now even worse, but the government insist there will be no impact on patient care...who are they trying to kid.

Only about 10% of the recently qualified mental health nurses have got jobs in my area. I really feel for them.

It's crap no matter where you are in the world if you can't get a job on graduating in an area that there is supposed to be a shortage, but please don't go blaming the foreign nurses coming in for taking canadian posts.

Kabel

chiln247 · Jun 17, 2007

I graduated from the University of Alberta in '03. In my last class/course there were 22 of us. Upon graduation 3 never took a nursing job (2 went straight back to university, one did something else).

4 years later 4 others are no longer in nursing by chioce.

Also in regards to this whole "nursing shortage" thing, there are certain reasons some units are short (or always short)...there are some units you couldn't pay me triple time to work on (ie: due to poor management, constant lack of eqiupment, quality of coworkers[not team players, poor nursing skills, having to pick up their slack]).

Sure you hear about a shortage, but WHY are some units/areas short? The media has to dig a littler deeper as most of the news stories I hear talk about "a shortage", but don't answer the why question.

leosrain, BSN, RN · Jun 18, 2007

If there's anyone out there in this situation, PM ME!!! My unit needs nurses! I love my unit and would love the chance to promote it to people. And there's lots of full time jobs to be had! :)

Sean

Fiona59 · Jun 18, 2007

Ah, but Leosrain, not everyone wants 12 hour shifts. The mature nurses on my unit are looking for 8 hour shifts because their backs and feet are killing them. There are fewer and fewer 8's being posted. I've been asked to do 12s and know that I'm too old to do them. I'm ready to leave at the end of my 8 and the odd time I've stayed for 12 on OT, I'm bushed. My legs and feet hurt so badly, I almost need the next day off to recover. I'm hearing that the most anyone wants to do is two 12s back to back.

Maybe the answer is allowing the nurse to pick the shift length.

leosrain, BSN, RN · Jun 18, 2007

Our unit is moving away from 12 hour shifts. We have three full time 8 hour positions open right now (and nobody applying).

Sean

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Jun 21, 2007

Perhaps part of the problem is that many new grads want the "exciting" areas like ER and ICU. Our hospital is so short on our Long Term Care Unit that they are looking at hiring Nsg Students for the summer to help out. People hear Long Term, they thing boring. Our unit has Trachs, G-Feeds, Stage 4 Ulcer care plus palliative care. But it is very heavy, hard work. And I think that scares away people.

(any nsg students in the Markham,Ontario area interested in a summer job, contact me!)

RNGrad2006 · Jun 29, 2007

"One in seven new nurses graduating in Canada this year will not be able to find work, according to a new study."
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070509/nurse_shortage_070509/20070509?hub=TopStories

Is the problem that they don't want to hire new grads? I happen to know of one on my unit that came from Ontario as a new grad because she said she couldn't find work in Ontario. They seem very open to hire new grads where I work in Phoenix. We moved here from Washington State from a smaller town and the nursing shortage was not as much of a problem and new grads have a harder time getting hired there especially if you don't do any clinicals in the facility where you apply to work at.

lalaxton · Jun 29, 2007

Hey!

We are so short staffed here we have just hired some new grads into the ICU and several other units. Ontario does have a new grad initiative that is giving extra money to hospitals to support new grads through an extended orientation. We have at least 6 new grads who recently took advantage of this.

No shortage of jobs in this area!

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jun 30, 2007

Our hospital hires dozens of new grads every year. Our PICU hires mostly new grads. Our administration loves them because they're cheaper and more amenable than the rest of us old birds. But that doesn't mean we're fully staffed... far from it in fact. The safety of our patients often depends on the probability of getting our ward-ready patients out the door.