Jobs in Ottawa

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Mar 11, 2012

First, a question... do you have a Bachelor's degree in nursing, with generalist education? That's the minimum educational level for entry-to-practice in all provinces but Quebec.

Most urban areas of Ontario are currently experiencing a hiring freeze. Unless the applicant has very specific qualifications, it's difficult for almost anyone to obtain employment. 1 year of experience isn't very much, really. I took a quick look at the main Ottawa hospital websites and there are only a handful of RN positions posted. All of them require specialty experience and most of them require fluency in French. Ottawa is basically a company town, the "company" being the federal government. That fact makes it almost essential to have at least some French language skills.

There aren't a lot of positions being filled in most provinces right now, although Alberta Health Services is hiring for their new Calgary hospital. By the time you'd worked your way through all the various stages of the application for registration, all of those positions will be filled. But there's no harm in sending out feelers to the employers you'd be interested in working for. What's the worst that can happen? They turn you down.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2012

I moved from ON almost a year and a half ago. There are very few jobs anywhere in urban centers, and many local applicants to fill them. This has not improved during the time I've been away. I think it will be near impossible for you to find work, since employers will chose a Canadian first.

zoeb · Mar 13, 2012

Thanks guys, maybe I should wait until the economy 'clears up' :)

JT17 · Mar 22, 2012

Hey guys, my name is Zoe, I'm an Australian nurse with 1 year experience under my belt and I'm think about moving to Canada. I was just wondering what the job climate is like in Ottawa, and Canada in general? And does anyone know the chances of getting a job with 1 year experience? Obviously the more experience the better, but does this sound impossible? Just testing the waters :)

I am currently working full time nights in Ottawa. The jobs are mostly casual or part-time and many nursing agencies throughout the city are hiring. To get full time in Ottawa being bilingual (French/English) is a huge asset. At my hospital, approximately 60 percent of the full time positions are bilingual imperative. Despite this, most casual nurses can get full time or close to full time hours on the casual pool if they have open availability. At the Monfort Hospital, they will not hire you unless you are bilingual. At the Ottawa Hospital, they are hiring casual staff on a continual basis but there is no guaranteed hours and a large percentage of part-time/full time jobs require bilingualism (approximately 40 percent). The only hospital in Ottawa that does not require bilingualism in Ottawa is the Queensway Carleton Hospital and they are not hiring even on a casual basis. I am from Ottawa and have accepted a full time job elsewhere in Ontario because I am not bilingual. Your opportunities are more limited in Ottawa if you are not fluently bilingual. I would recommend looking elsewhere in Canada/Ontario if you are not fluent in french/english despite the fact that Ottawa is a nice place to live. You can google the Ottawa Hospital, the Queensway Carleton Hospital, CHEO, the Royal Ottawa for current opportunties.

kamrankhan · Mar 22, 2012

[color=#660000] hello janfrn[color=#660000],

[color=#660000]i,m from pakistan, i have 3 year experience with medicine sans frontier france international ngo as a or staff .can i work or get easy job in canada is itexceptiple

, waiting for you`r kind reply.

regard,

riaz

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Mar 22, 2012

[color=#660000] hello janfrn[color=#660000],
[color=#660000]i,m from pakistan, i have 3 year experience with medicine sans frontier france international ngo as a or staff .can i work or get easy job in canada is itexceptiple
, waiting for you`r kind reply.
regard,
riaz

when even native-born and locally-educated canadian nurses aren't finding it easy to get a job here, it's very unlikely that someone from outside the country would be any luckier. the process for becoming a nurse in canada has been well-described in threads in the international forum (international nursing - nurses / nursing students) and we're not going to go into it all over again here.