Nurses Working At Whitehorse General Hospital

[alberta.student]

I am in my third year of school and am very interested in working in Whitehorse when I graduate next December. I have been in contact with the recruiter for the Whitehorse General Hospital and he informed me that while they do hire on new grads and provide a comprehensive 6 week orientation they usually only hire new grads to fill casual positions. When I asked if it was possible for casual new grad employees to apply for permanent positions he told me that while it is possible those positions are fairly rare. So I have a couple of questions for nurses that work there.

1. How often are the casuals utilized? Could I expect to work a lot of hours or would I likely be scrapping by?

2. How often are internal permanent positions posted? Would it be worth my while to stick it out in a casual position for a few months or are they very difficult to come by?

3. If I were to work elsewhere for a year and then apply for a term position at the Whitehorse General is it possible to extend that term if I decide I'd like to stay?

Thanks for your help!

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

To be quite honest, I don't remember ever seeing a post from anyone working in Whitehorse. The pool there would be quite small. I do have a friend who grew up there who may be able to shed some light. I'll ask her.

[Fiona59]

I think what the OP has to factor in is the union up there. It'll be like anywhere, seniority rules.

The extension of "term" positions (do they mean mat leave type coverages?) are at best iffy. Locally, I've seen RNs come back early due to financial reasons. Other times, I've heard of different people applying for the job when it's been extended and getting it.

Temp fills and casual lines are the luck of the draw. Like Forrest Gump said "life is a box of chocolates" and you make the best of what you pull with no guarantees.

Personally, I wouldn't relocate for a casual line.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

I agree. Unless you have at least a .75 and a guarantee in writing, I wouldn't relocate either. Casual means you might end up working full time hours for 2 months, then the third month three shifts. Casuals are not guaranteed hours.