Help with economic anxieties for an Alberta LPN student?

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Mar 5, 2015

It's really hard to provide any firm and final information about job prospects into the future. No one will ever state categorically what a "hiring freeze" actually means. There have been other "hiring freezes" in the past that only applied to the front line. Physician- hospitalists, managers and executives were still being brought on board while nursing, ancillary staff and support staff vacancies went unfilled. At this moment in time there are 30 LPN postings in the Edmonton area with Alberta Health Services. Most of them indicate they're open to new grads. Covenant has 9 positions posted; only the temporary and casual spots are open to external applicants. There are likely a few positions open in private, for-profit long term care like Citadel.

It's been my experience that many nursing faculty members are out-of-touch with nursing in the real world. They seem not to realize that the average staff nurse will have 2 or 3 times as many patients assigned to them than a student will ever be responsible for. They seem not to realize that most people have to start out as casuals or in temporary positions and hope to extend or convert them into permanent positions somewhere down the road. They mostly don't involve themselves with the political angles that always have a negative impact on the nursing workforce. It is possible that you may make enough of an impression on the manager of wherever you complete your practicum that you could be considered for a position, just be prepared for it to be a temp. But that's your foot in the door. I can't quite call myself an optimist but I always hope for the best while preparing for the worst.

Just as an aside... I graduated from a school in Manitoba in one of the bust cycles two decades ago. The dean of our school told us in so many words that although we were all above-average nurses and would have good careers ahead of us, there were no jobs for us to apply for in Manitoba and we'd probably have to look farther afield. A lot of my classmates went to the States or to other provinces. I didn't have that option, having 3 teenagers and a spouse with a career of his own. So I didn't work until quite a few months after I graduated. I didn't have any student loans to pay off, but there were still bills to pay. So I can relate.

Fiona59 · Mar 5, 2015

When I was a student at Norquest, we were told we'd have jobs before we graduated and be offered a job by our final placement. Uhm, wrong.

It took me two months to land a casual job. At one point I was casual at four different employers in order to be able to pay back my student loan.

My orientation period was five, yes five, shifts and even when I found a job in acute care, I received only five shifts on my new unit.

If you are aiming at one specific facility you are severely limiting your chances of employment.

We've heard that the hiring freeze will only affect "non-essential" staff but nobody knows what that is. What we are seeing is the budget being examined with a microscope. Sick staff not being covered and more casuals being cancelled when before they would at least keep the nurse for four hours and then send them home.

Like NotReady said, it's a cycle. The government over reacts and then the gates open and hiring opens up.

Just network and you will have to think about St. Albert, Stony, Sherwood Park, not just central Edmonton

Dangaard · Mar 11, 2015

Thank you both for the info. I guess for now there's really nothing I can do other than keep doing my best in school and hope that performing well in school might help make a difference in getting a job. I still have a ways to go anyway and I'll just have to deal with the job market when I'm actually in a position to worry about it. Definitely not a good feel though

Fiona59 · Mar 11, 2015

If you are serious about it, push your instructors to give you a heavy workload. During my time at Norquest, I had to be able to handle a full assignment by the end of my med/surg rotation. During the final placement, I had to be able to do my preceptor's full assignment with her basically there as a resource person at the end of the six weeks.

It's the biggest and to be honest worst change in the programme that working staff see. The inability of new grads to work to the full job requirement. Focus on your time management skills. Don't quibble with the floor nurses who are buddied with you. They aren't there to teach you your skills, that's Norquest's job. Our job is to show you how to use your skills effectively in the workplace. And remember the nurse on the unit isn't paid to have you along side and you really don't reduce his/her workload, we have to make sure everything is done correctly and that the patient is safe and comfortable. Only your final preceptor is paid a very, very small fee to do the paperwork and evaluate you.

CLPNA is doing a survey with preceptors to get their opinion on how the training is going.

And amongst the people I know and work with, it's this. New grads expecting a huge period of orientation in LTC and in the hospital.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2015

Covenant Health is not actively hiring LPNS but you may be hired as a casual which would allow you to apply for internal positions when they are posted.

Review the postings for both AHS and Covenant Health. Many are part time, temp or casual but it's a start.

Dangaard · Mar 14, 2015

If you are serious about it, push your instructors to give you a heavy workload. During my time at Norquest, I had to be able to handle a full assignment by the end of my med/surg rotation. During the final placement, I had to be able to do my preceptor's full assignment with her basically there as a resource person at the end of the six weeks.
It's the biggest and to be honest worst change in the programme that working staff see. The inability of new grads to work to the full job requirement. Focus on your time management skills. Don't quibble with the floor nurses who are buddied with you. They aren't there to teach you your skills, that's Norquest's job. Our job is to show you how to use your skills effectively in the workplace. And remember the nurse on the unit isn't paid to have you along side and you really don't reduce his/her workload, we have to make sure everything is done correctly and that the patient is safe and comfortable. Only your final preceptor is paid a very, very small fee to do the paperwork and evaluate you.
CLPNA is doing a survey with preceptors to get their opinion on how the training is going.
And amongst the people I know and work with, it's this. New grads expecting a huge period of orientation in LTC and in the hospital.

tbh that's one of the scariest things for me as a student right now. I can study and prepare to the best of my abilities and perform well in classes, but time management isn't something they can really teach, and it's really not something I feel like I'm getting enough exposure to.

At the end of my med/surg rotation, we had 2 patients while the typical patient load was 4-5, even on the surgical unit I was on where there was regular and frequent complex wound care. Even with two patients, out of each 4 week rotation, we only got two(!!) days in each rotation where we were giving meds to both patients along with doing assessments, daily care, and documentation (our group of 6 was split into two groups on different units and the instructor had to split med admin days between the two groups since we are not allowed to do third checks/drawing up with staff). Even then, since so much of our scope is (mostly legitimately) off limits as students, we still left a lot of things to the primary nurses. Central line meds and care, PCA checks, and certain "higher stakes" assessments to name a few. And yet with less than half the workload of the floor nurses, we struggled. Albeit, a lot of time was spent waiting for an instructor for various things, but in theory if we were perfect, we should have been doing nothing almost half the time if we only ever did the basics. Instead we did less than half the workload and still rushed to do things and try to take breaks.

I was confused because I thought that was a big problem but at this point it seems like that's where the college wants us to be? And yet there's only 1 community oriented rotation left before final practicums and I wonder where the hell I'm going to develop better time management skills to essentially double my speed/efficiency. We're told that by the end of final practicums we're expected to handle 90% of our preceptor's work load and I feel vastly unprepared for that, let alone the full workload that an employer actually would expect of me.

I wish I had been pushed more to handle a higher work load but I don't feel like I've been given any tools or training to be able to do it. We don't get watched while we do anything for any kind of feedback other than regarding safety. Obviously safety comes first, but we don't get feedback regarding time management other than if we have trouble with it, we're told "work on your time management," with no further guidance on how or what we can do about it. Org plans sure, but it's one thing to make a detailed org plan, and another to know how to do everything in the org plan within that time frame. Hell, our instructor never even asked for our org plans to look at so I never got any feedback on if I scheduled something for too long, or guidance on time frame goals I should work towards. As long as you did everything it's like there was no concern, even at half work load.

Ugh, anyways, totally different concern from original topic. Trust me I do not feel like I'm entitled to instruction from floor nurses. I feel bad for them sometimes for having to deal with us, even if mentorship is a scope expectation. I do however expect instruction from my instructors. Sometimes I feel as if the college is setting us up for failure by providing such low standards.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Mar 14, 2015

That's where many schools are failing to adequately prepare their students, by not exposing them to a typical patient load.

When I was a student, we were expected to manage 4 patients on a busy medicine unit. If we could not demonstrate the ability to reasonably carry the full assignment, we would not graduate.

I worked alongside U of T students and their program was not the same. The U of T students had 1-2 patients to our 4. Many of the nurses said they preferred our students to the U of T grads because they could not manage their time.

Now that I'm managing a unit, I understand why employers are reluctant to hire new grads. Basic knowledge and the ability to carry a patient load is lacking for many new grads. While you aren't expected to know everything, your instructors should ensure that you have enough skills to function.

Learn as much as you can and take the time to review your meds and your patho. Understanding those basics will help you organize your plan of care and build on that.

lpn37 · May 1, 2015

Id say still try to land a casual position after 1of your final practicums..I currently work at the Children's in Calgary it is very tough it seems to get into Ahs..If you do great on your final p racticums you should at least get casual. .alot of the new staff i work with thats how they got in..If you go to Ltc..you will loose alot of your skills and will make it more difficult to get in a hospital setting..Thats just my advice. .Good luck with whatever you decide

Fiona59 · May 1, 2015

Casual is all there really is for new applicants. We've got several retiring on my floor in the coming months. All of the positions both RN and LPN are only being posted as one year temp positions. From what I've heard we've got 87 internal applicants for a part time line on one of our positions (that includes regular staff looking for a move and casuals wanting a permanent line).

Corrections is always looking