Nurses living/working in British Columbia?

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Are there any nurses out there (i.e. LPN/RPN/RN) who are living and working in British Columbia, Canada?

If so, where are you (ex. Victora, Vancouver, Nanaimo, etc?)? What's it like to live there? What are the job prospects like? How's the cost of living compared to your pay-scale? Is it feasible for a single, sole-supported nurse without children to have a comfortable life there?

Many thanks!

You need to take care of what's going on inside. Running away isn't going to help if it's still with you. Being alone can be a blessing. You can go and do what you want. Start over. Teaching yoga in Hawaii doesn't sound too brutal. Take care of yourself.

I agree with what you are saying, and I'm doing all I can to recover from all this. Unfortunately, I can't live here anymore. My dad was my only family, with him gone i have no reason to stay in a place i never liked living in, in the first place. Also, my ex and his friends take great pleasure in knowing how sensitive I am.... Where we live is small and I get little peace, I'm constantly bumping into his circle when going about my business... And they're not kind people. They go out of their way to give me their two cents or make me uncomfortable. It's been like a nightmarish divorce. I need a fresh start somewhere I can be completely alone and at peace. Y'know?

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Will you have opportunity to work in Hawaii before you complete the BScN?

UPDATE: I was accepted to UVic, too. And...because of my honors undergraduate degree, I'm eligible for a direct entry masters of nursing program in Hawai'i. Whereas most schools in my home country won't even admit me to a bridging program?! My GPA is good, I've worked in a hospital and LTC for the past several years, I have strong clinical competence. Not sure why my applications keep getting rejected at most schools here and they won't tell you why other than, "every year is more competitive than the last."

And why most Canadian schools require LPNs/RPNs to do an additional 3-4 years to complete the BScN is lost on me. Especially for those of us who have an undergraduate degree as well (ex. I've taken university orgo, advance level psych and anatomy). I should've just completed the full 4-year BScN from the beginning since most schools require LPNs/RPNs to do the same length of the program anyway. We get no credit for our education, knowledge, skills, and clinical experience we've acquired as diploma nurses. I'm frustrated :(

Everything is becoming so frustrating that if I had the opportunity to give up on a career altogether I would take it. But I'm not in a position to have that option (as most people aren't), so the struggle continues.

This is why I advise everyone and anyone (who asks me for advice r/t becoming a LPN/RPN or RN in Canada) against becoming a LPN/RPN here. Especially if they care about career flexibility, advancement and mobility. It's a waste of time and money and we get no recognition for our work.

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BC is beautiful....RN and RPN get 41 an hour and up. LPN start at 24 go up to 29/per hour

its not cheap to live here though better if you a bit further from Vancouver.

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Job prospects = hard unless you have solid 2-3 yrs experience especially in a specialty unit there. License transferring also takes a long time and that can hinder your move here. The cost of living is high. You probably won't be able to afford everything alone unless you're willing to sacrifice and live with roommates or cheap apartments, especially in metro vancouver area. Vancouver Island isn't that cheap either. It's very hard to get a full time position here that's not temporary (temporary = 1 yr or less) unless you have solid experience to get into a job and then have good seniority on top of it

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