Min wage for new LPN?

World Canada

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Hi there,

I'm new to allnurses, but I have used the website for years as I was applying for schools, and during nursing school. I expect to use it even more as I continue on in my journey of LPN to RN, and in between as I look for work!

I am a fresh grad looking for work as an LPN. I though I found my dream job working for a pharmacy dispensing meds to patient who are not able to take them independently.

However, during the interview, they told me the wage would be $18 an hour. This is less than I was making at my previous job, before going back to school! When I mentioned that most starting wages for LPN were $25 (at least in my area of Canada - BC) the interviewer brushed it off saying "it depends where you work."

To add to this, they expect me to use my personal car to go around to patients yet do not pay per km. Instead, they pay "per day, depending on the route." After speaking to my partner and my friend who both use their personal vehicles for work, they said there is a federal suggestion for personal car use that is usually covers more than the average wear and tear of using your car for work.

On top of this, they do not hire full-time (shifts are only 6 hrs.) So I would not be eligible for benefits.

I get that I'm a new grad, but I just want to be sure I'm not getting taken advantage of! My union and the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of BC were no help. I'm hoping one of you bright people out there can offer some advice!

Thank you!

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

They're definitely taking advantage of you. They want your education but don't want to pay you for it. My instincts are saying that this job could be done by a health care aide with a med admin course; most likely the meds are prepackaged in blister packs and the clients just need someone to pop them out and help them get them down. But legally, they might have to have a licensed person to do it. As for the use of your car... NO!! They should be paying you government rates - approximately 53 cents a km - for all your travel, and they should be paying for your insurance. Then there's the short shift. Another way for them to make a pile of money for the service they're providing their customers while keeping you beholden to them for your income. No benefits means you don't have a paid vacation, paid sick time or disability insurance. So suppose you're in a collision-with-injury while on the job... you're off work, they won't pay for repairs to your car or for the sick time you're off, WCB might not cover it either... not a good position! You're taking on all the risks for what seems to be very little reward.

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$18 is on the low end but not unheard of. You can always take the job for now and keep looking. Experience on a resume is rarely a bad thing. If you have other interviews lined up I'd wait and see.

It does sound like they're trying to take advantage of a new grad and save some money, and you will find companies that try that. I started at $24.87 in a non-union environment as a new grad. So there are definitely places that would t try to rip you off.

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Thank you for you input! This helps to verify my instincts!

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I am interested to see what happens but not sure if it's worth it and I do have some other leads and interviews. We'll see what happens! Thank you for your reply!

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Some private facilities or home care sites are able to dictate their own wage grid and may have a different union. It may be beneficial to also look for other jobs in your area (including with your local health authority as they have a set wage grid).

There are plenty of LPN jobs out there you will also gain experience.

Continue your search and continue working hard! :)

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Some private facilities or home care sites are able to dictate their own wage grid and may have a different union. It may be beneficial to also look for other jobs in your area (including with your local health authority as they have a set wage grid).

There are plenty of LPN jobs out there you will also gain experience.

Continue your search and continue working hard! :)

Could you tell us where those jobs are? BC is a very tough market

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