Nursing in Canada

miss81, BSN, RN · Oct 6, 2009

Hello, will someone who has the time, be able to tell me about nursing in Canada?
Is there a nursing shortage? Basic education, is it associate degree or BSN. Basic salary? How is the relationship with physicians? Do you have to wear uniforms? Thanks. Neelum

Hello, I work in Atlantic Canada. There is a nursing shortage here. We are 1000 RN's short and we are only a small province. There are people that graduated from the Hospital RN's programs working but the Association of Registered Nurses made a mandate that all new RN's have a minimum of BN, BSN, BScN now for licensure. The hospital program RN's were "grandfathered" in. We do not have associates degrees in Canada. There is no shortage of LPN's here. I am not on the top step of our pay scale yet, there is one more step for me as a floor RN and I make around $70,000/year (there are 6 steps). Average house cost is around $250,000 but you can get houses for less and much more. Some Docs are great and treat you with respect and others will hang up on you and are A$$holes! We don't really have to wear uniforms, per se. We are allowed to wear comfortable work clothes (no sweat pants, jeans, logo shirts etc). But almost everyone wears a uniform. We wear all colors and makes. There are a lot of male RN's. They tend to wear uniform pants and golf shirts. Where are you from??

Neelum RN · Oct 6, 2009

Thanks, I work in IL. It seems like Canada has the same pay scale. I work on a tele. unit and my pay with overtime is between 80-90,000. But it is a lot of hard work.

We recently had uniforms so no autonomy there. I am in NP program in Chicago. V.expensive. Does your hospital pay for your tuition?? How much?

What is the difference in BN, BSN, BScN???

And yes the physicians are the same here; especially the surgeons, some are legend in their own mind. Are the physicians super rich in Canada??? Thanks so much, N.

allnurses Guide · Oct 6, 2009

Moved to the Canadian forums for a better response

Neelum RN · Oct 6, 2009

Thanks! N.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Oct 6, 2009

Do our hospitals pay for tuition? NO. They are government-funded and tax-payer supported. They may offer some small concessions that help a person with educational aspirations but in general, you're lucky if you are permitted to schedule around your classes. My hospital doesn't even subsidize PALS, ACLS or TNCC.

The difference between BN, BSN and BScN is negligible. The university granting the degree determines what they're going to call it, purely and simply. The content and curriculum varies little from school to school.

Physicians aren't typically "super-rich" but they do make a good living. Some specialties are paid REALLY well, such as cardiovascular surgeons, intensivists and radiologists. But the average general practitioner isn't rich.

dishes, BSN, RN · Oct 10, 2009

While Alberta hospitals may not, many hospitals in Ontario do pay tuition for full or part time employees who pursure relevant diplomas or degrees. Many Ontario hospitals also provide funds for ongoing professional development and conferences. Ontario has been offering tuition assistance for about 10 years, not sure what the other provinces are doing... can anyone else share what is going on in their province?

dishes

Neelum RN · Oct 10, 2009

Thanks so much for the wonderful responses.

What are some of the issues facing nurses in Canada??

What is the nurse/patient ratio?

What do you have to say about your healthcare system versus ours in USA.

Fiona59 · Oct 10, 2009

Is this research for a paper? If you look through various threads, you will see all your questions are answered.

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Oct 11, 2009

Thanks so much for the wonderful responses.
What are some of the issues facing nurses in Canada??
What is the nurse/patient ratio?
What do you have to say about your healthcare system versus ours in USA.

In Ontario, where I am, RNs need their BScN.

Nurse/pt ratio varies from hospital to hospital, but unlike American hospitals, we do not have CNAs (or PSWs as we call them) - nurses seem to have a lot more hands on care here - as near as I can figure form these forums at least!

As for our health care system vs the US system, - I have never worked in the US but all I can say is I think ours is better because we are focused on pt care,not customer service.

I have to admit, my impressions of the US system is based on this forum, not personal experience, but the Canadian system seems much more pt focused than the US. I think its like comparing apples to oranges. The systems are just too different to make a fair comparison.