I'm considering doing a second degree in nursing...advice welcome! :)

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Hello,there! I'm currently completing my bachelor of science in anatomy at McGill university(graduating in april with a gpa of 3.5), and I'm considering pursuing nursing as a second degree after I graduate. (love the idea of making changes in a patient's life!) I have to admit that I kinda have very limited knowledge of this profession in terms of job prospect, difficulty of registration and so on... So happy I've found out about this site, and hopefully I will get some answers to my questions:

1. How easy is it to become a fully registered nurse here in Canada upon completion of a bachelor of nursing program? I'm applying for both mcgill and uwo(accelerated). I understand an exam needs to be taken... (As someone who has been struggling with med school application for the past couple of years, I want to be cautious about the degree of difficulty of becoming an RN.. is it competitive/selective compared to getting into med school/becoming a doctor?) What is the usual time-scale?

2. The job prospect: I've leafed through some of the posts here and saw quite a bit of complaints regarding getting a job as a new graduate. I personally don't mind relocating, and anywhere in Canada works fine with me for the upcomingt 5 years or so. I've always heard that there is a huge demand for nurses, but what i've seen here seems to be the reality? What are some of the opportunities for fresh graduates? Do entry-level positions pay well?

thanks for your input!!!

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Specializes in Home Care.

There are other medical fields you could go into with your degree with a higher likelihood of finding a good paying job.

Have you thought about going into orthotics and prosthetics? Or physical, occupational or speech therapy?

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Do some more research. Nursing can be soul destroying. If I knew then what I knew now, I'd be a health records technician/coder. No families, breaks on time, own workspace, nobody ever vomits on them...

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Hey, I have pretty much the same credentials. Im a Manitoba resident. Let me know what answers you come up with.

I hear nursing is a good profession, with lots of stability in terms of work, and there is always a demand. It can be highly rewarding.

I've also heard that it's a difficult job with high burnout. Not enough respect.

TTYl

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Hey,

I am on same boat as you. I am finishing my health science degree and planning on applying to second entry nursing program for this Fall. From what I have heard, if you study hard enough you would be able to pass the CRNE exam for getting your license. Considering you have a 3.5 GPA from McGill does make you an applicant who has what it takes to pass the exam.

Job prospects are great for nursing. If you go on any hospital website, you would see most amount of RN positions available. Also, most of my friends who graduated from nursing program were able to find a job within 3 months. So don't be disappointed. Nursing opens a lot of doors for you, with a Master in nursing degree or Masters in health administration you could also find a lot of consulting jobs. You don't always have to be a front line worker. I hope this helps! Again, I am not a nurse yet so I am sure the nurses over here would probably be able to guide you better than me. Good luck with your future endeavors.

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if you plan to study in quebec but work in another province, see mcgill's information on preparing for professional licensure, note that

students wishing to be licensed in any canadian province other than québec should consult the nursing regulatory body of that province for specific details

http://www.mcgill.ca/nursing/students/licensure

there are currently more job vacancies in quebec compared to other provinces but their salaries are the lowest.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Which websites are you looking at where there are an abundance of RN positions, Tobenursey? I've noticed there are more positions available for RPN/LPN's, nurse managers, or at the very least, 1-2 years of nursing experience. There are positions available for new grads providing you're flexible, but there aren't nearly as many as you'd expect. I would caution all prospective nursing students to do their research carefully.

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Thanks for the input! um, im not really into orthotics or prosthetics. As for physiotherapy or occupational therapy, are they actually better paying compared to nursing?

I've thought about speech therapy before but I lack most of the requirements - such as many courses i need to take in psychology and linguistics.

With my background in anatomy and some volunteer experience in a hospital, I believe nursing is right for me. Yet I've received several advices against the career for reasons already listed on this post..

So, right now I'm thinking if it is possible for me to find some entry-level positions as a personal caregiver to sorta "get a taste of things"? did my workopolis search but got nothing.. :(

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Thanks for the warning! I'm definitely in need of more research. Are you currently a working RN? Do RNs get normal holidays like most other employees do? or are they on call during weekends and holidays? (sorry if this question has been inquired a million times before)

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Yup, I'm getting mixed opinions too. That's why i'm here. Don't want to get into another 3 year program which would make me resentful of my future again! :p

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I probably will not be applying for schools in Quebec since one has to possess some levels of french in order to register here...but good luck! which school are you doing your second degree?

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if you plan to study in quebec but work in another province, see mcgill's information on preparing for professional licensure, note that

students wishing to be licensed in any canadian province other than québec should consult the nursing regulatory body of that province for specific details

http://www.mcgill.ca/nursing/students/licensure

there are currently more job vacancies in quebec compared to other provinces but their salaries are the lowest.

yea that's another concern of mine. i get confused looking up different requirements for individual provinces. where should i be looking?

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