New Nursing Forum for Canadian Nurses!!

This is way cool! I have read so many posts reguarding nursing and always with the US slant. Of course the issues are different here.

I am a new ( mature student) grad and have just started working on a busy surgical floor. It is very demanding but I love it! I am learning so much.

I am in Ontario and even with the nursing shortage I had to take a "part time"position. To me, this is an issue. I am willling to give it a few months- but only a few and then I am out of here. I am sorry to say it but it is true. I am in demand and I will go where the full time jobs are.

I spent years and lots of money on my education and feel that I deserve a full time job. Being part time means - being called at 6am for a day shift- working with a different group constantly- not having a set schedule.

To me the years of just being happy you had a job are gone.

And when I say I am out of here- I would be willing to go anywhere- yes even the States.

However I am willing to stay here and hope for the best. I am such a Canadian that I think it is my best bet to stay here- so I hope a full time job comes my way soon.

I would like to hear other Canadian viewpoints.

JMP

JMP, RN

Dont give up on Canada yet. Canadian nurses are in very big demand in our own country. Certain provinces/territories are paying big money to recruite and retain their staff.

I personally work in Nunavut. I am Home Care Coordinator. Our territorial government has just issue a labour incentive that results in $24,000 extra in recruitment and retention for the nurses over the next 2 years.

If you are interested in nursing in the Arctic and wish to learn a real broad base of nursing which includes, pediatric, OBS, ICU, med/surg and Emergency/OPD look to the Arctic to give you a new experience.

I have lived and worked in Nunavut for 11 years, I left for 2 years and couldn't find anything like it in Ontario.

So I suggest you look for something in Canada there is alot of diversity here and we need the nurses to stay.

First of all, Thank you Brian! This is such a wonderful idea!

Secondly, I am so happy to see you all here. I miss Canada terribly. JMP I am with you. I left for the same reasons you are considering it, only when I graduated in 1995, even a part time job was not available. Some of my friends from school were reduced to working in minimum wage jobs after gradution.

I headed south, and while I do miss Canada, I am doing pretty well here financially, and with two kids to support, that has kept me here.

I am looking forward to reading all about what's going on back home in nursing. Privitization scares me. While Canada is having it's healthcare woes, I will always maintain that it is Canada that has the right idea as far as healthcare is concerned. Can it be saved and preserved for future generations?

Privitization is not here yet- small ideas ( at least the stories I read in the National Post and Globe) are creeping in- like the idea to pay for Doctors visits- with a ceiling- idea being that it will reduce some of the un-needed overuse of some of the services- I believe this is now happening in some of the Scandinavian countries with success.

But waiting lines are here- people are waiting for things like MRI- CAT scans- months.

I went to a job interview in Arizona and loved it. But something is keeping me here- I know we think we are all the same (canadians and americans) but we are not.

I believe in Canadian ways- but I know from being in Arizona they see us as a socailist country- one person even said "oh Canada- that is a communist country, right????????) yikes.

We are a softer, more comfortable place I think- but this part time gig is really bugging me- so it is going to come down to a list of negs and positives- and may the best place win......win the RN's that is.

Great news! I was hoping this will happen! I am still going to read all other discussions - but it is nice to be able to have some canadian specific topics.

hi to all,

the latest post on this thread was dated july 2001, so i thought it would be great to revive it by sharing with you all the latest about nursing in canada -- in case you haven't read this:

progress report - october 2004

study's newest research report focuses on movement of nurses to and from canada

also in this issue

final research report will conclude phase i of study in december 2004

what's next

immigration and emigration trends: a canadian perspective is the latest research report from building the future: an integrated strategy for nursing human resources in canada and examines the movement of nurses to and from canada. the full text is available at:

www.buildingthefuture.ca/e

building the future will conclude its research phase in december 2004 with a major report that integrates this and all other research it has conducted since the study began in 2002.

here are some key findings of immigration and emigration trends: a canadian perspective:

• migration patterns include regional markets with flows to richer countries, and the global market, with flows from less developed to more developed areas such as western europe and north america. nevertheless, even wealthy countries lose many professionals through emigration.
  
• of the 230,957 registered nurses (rns) employed in canada in 2002, 15,847 (6.9%) were internationally educated.
  
• nurse immigration increased 1999-2002. the 1,528 rns and nurse supervisors admitted to canada as permanent residents in 2001 represented 21.8% of immigrants listed under health occupations.
  
• in 2001 and 2002, the main sources of rns migrating to canada were the united kingdom and the philippines.
  
• although canadian nurses migrate to many countries, most rns go to the u.s. most registered psychiatric nurses (rpns) go to australia, new zealand, the uk, or bermuda.
  

to ensure better management of international migration, the report recommends initiatives such as: development of appropriate databases, establishment of an international body to manage and monitor migration, creation of a forum for workplace monitoring, and a common protocol to deal with recruitment practices. the report also notes that canada needs to improve nursing workforce planning nationally and to collaborate more extensively with other governments and international organizations to manage and facilitate the worldwide movement of rns, rpns, and licensed/registered practical nurses.

final research report will conclude phase i of study in december 2004

:)

Carolyn Inookee,

Could you provide some more details about nursing in Nunavut. I'm sure it would be a challenging and extremely different environment, (I'm currently in Nova Scotia) and interested in (particularly Iqualuit), I have been searching the forums with no luck! Can you tell me a bit about your hospital....do they hire new grads? must you speak the native languages? can you float to different floors? do they provide help with accommodations and flights to begin with?

Thank you for any info you can provide me with!:) Feel free to private msg me as well!

Thanks, Susie!

Carolyn Inookee,

Could you provide some more details about nursing in Nunavut. I'm sure it would be a challenging and extremely different environment, (I'm currently in Nova Scotia) and interested in (particularly Iqualuit), I have been searching the forums with no luck! Can you tell me a bit about your hospital....do they hire new grads? must you speak the native languages? can you float to different floors? do they provide help with accommodations and flights to begin with?

Thank you for any info you can provide me with!:) Feel free to private msg me as well!

Thanks, Susie!

If you look at members profile you will see that they haven't been back to the site since 2001 and this is a very old thread.

There is a huge demand for Registered Nurses in Ontario and especially Toronto. Hospitals can't seem to retain new Nurses in areas such as Critical Care and Emergency. As well, floor Nurses quickly get fed up of the work load and leave to join ICU, and become disillusioned there as well. The result is an abundance of agency Nursing work. Nurses make their own hours, and the hospitals need them to solve staffing issues. An agency Nurse can make an excellent living incorporating themselves as a business, and working with one or two agencies. For more information on how the whole thing works in Ontario, PM me.