I am new to this forum, although I have checked it out a few times before registering myself. Happy to have some fellow nursing peeps to look to for advice and guidance!
I am currently doing the BN fast track program in a remote area in Canada and I am itching to get out of here. I am so unhappy where I am, and have even contemplated dropping out of school so that I can go after the life I want, but I can't bring myself to do that because nursing is extremely interesting to me and my only regret is that I didn't chose this as my first degree..would have saved a lot of time and money!
Anyways, my question is: how hard is it to obtain a position in a city in Canada with little to no work experience, besides the work experience I obtain in school. I am worried I will have to work at the hospital in my area for a while and I would really rather not. I am looking at moving to Calgary or Toronto and I'm wondering the likelihood of having a job lined up for when I graduate.
I emailed Alberta Health and spoke with a rep there and they said nurses are in demand so it shouldn't be a problem, but I was wondering if people could provide advice/ experience on this matter.
I work in one of the two large hospitals in Edmonton. Our casuals are having a hard time. I started off as a casual and some months I might get two shifts because I was the newest hire.
There is a nasty thing happening in Alberta hospitals. It's called workplace utilization. Positions were eliminated last year and bumping took place. I know of three nurses who, due to a lack of seniority wound up in the float pool. One who had a great range of availability wound up getting two shifts in a six week stretch.
Unless regular staff are sick or on vacation there is no need for casuals. Casuals are there to be used when needed. They are basically the bench team. You might be booked for a shift and cancelled up to two hours before the shift starts. Similarly, you might be called at 0545 for a 0700 start. I've been called at 2230 for a 2300 start. That's the reality.
Despite what you think, the reality is there are lots of games played in the allocation of hours. Grievances filed by both nursing unions have been won by the nurses filing them, so management is wrong and it's being brought to light.
Nursing education doesn't guarantee or entitle you to a job upon graduation despite what schools tell their students.
You asked and we are telling the truth. I'm sorry if that isn't what you expected. The job situation is terrible for new grads across Canada and the US since 2008.
Don't take our word for it. Do your own research. There are numerous threads on AN and all over the internet about nursing cutbacks. Quite frankly, I do not appreciate someone telling me that I'm not being truthful. I have no reason not to be. The current climate is what it is.
I think it's a case of when the answers aren't what is expected/desired, the posters are all negative nellies.
Nursing has never been all rainbows and unicorns sparkling fairy dust across the job market despite what we are told as students. I remember one instructor telling my class that " a nursing license is like a permit to print money!". When I was a new grad 13 months later, it took me four months to find a casual job in LTC. I did my orientation shifts and waited three weeks after that for my first shift. That's when I realized I was going to need multiple casual jobs to repay my student loans. At one point I was on five different facilities casual/float pool lists.
But hey, we're making this stuff up to scare students.
You have to be aware that there's usually a reason a unit is willing to give permanent full time to new grads (ie no one wants to work there). It may end up being okay to work, but it's better to go into it knowing there are likely legit reasons the place is desperate.
Additionally I don't know whether they exist in AB or BC, but here in SK unit managers can make temporary full time lines out of wholecloth for new nurses. This can be deceiving because they promise yes you'll have a full time line, but it expires in four months. At that time you drop into the casual pool if it isn't extended or you haven't been able to pick up another line internally. Most of the time it's another temporary line of some type (and other than Saskatoon, it still is much easier to get a job here than other provinces). In fact, there are a number of units that give out temporary full times like candy and will never fill the permanent lines because then they have something to hold over the staff (they can stop extending your temp or fill it with a permanent to oust you).
So even when they're making offers you have to make sure you know exactly what they mean. While it sounds negative, it doesn't have to be. It's just good to walk in with your eyes open.
Yeah, the idea of casual work is crazy. The position is just casual, only when someone calls in sick, or has a leave from their regular position. I don't have much experience being a casual in Alberta, but in BC I usually worked more than full time as a casual. Casual has its perks tho. You may not get the benefits, but you usually get extra pay in lieu of benefits. If you want to go away on a trip you don't need to ask and pray you get the required time off... One of the harder parts of being casual is it is hard to say no to shifts because you never know when the next shift will be, so sometimes you work too many in a row.
I had no clue about any of this before I graduated, and don't know that I would have wanted to know!!
Private facilities and LTC are usually a bit easier to get more work than the health authorities as well. But that is another world... and layoffs happen, wage cuts, etc etc. New Horizon in Campbell River BC, Wexford Creek? in Nanaimo, a DAL facility in Edmonton.... those are just the ones I know of, I am sure there are more!! I also worked at a LTC facility in bc that did the lay off and rehire at lower wages periodically, and then another private facility where they kept trying to cut our wages (successfully).
If I were you I would go rural if you can for a while. Try to stay in the health authority that hires for the city you want to end up in so that you start building seniority. Work lots, get lots of experience, and keep applying to the city while you do this. And of course we all have our fingers crossed things pick up soon, and hopefully for you when you retire in a year and a half things are on the up-swing
PS I have been applying in the Edmonton area since November (after moving from BC), and just got my first job. Casual.... with a staffing agency... :\ I get calls for work after the shift starts, and the pay isn't that great. But I am happy!! I am working again!!
Specializes in AC, LTC, Community, Northern Nursing.
I'm sorry but I don't believe the situation is as dire as you make it out to be. People aren't holding jobs and getting zero shifts a month. I came to this site for advice and support not to be convinced not to be a nurse and how horrible and unjust nursing is. As nurses you should be supporting your students not giving them worst case examples that you haven't actually witnessed. It's not just in my thread but all of the threads here. In a response above you go off track complaining of the work environment and many other things that have nothing to do with what I asked. Stop trying to scare new grads its not nice!
Just because you don't believe it doesn't make it a lie. People are telling the truth and if you choose to be naive and not heed advice do not come back in tears and complain about it.
I live very remote. We are constantly understaffed. We had 4 casual nurses (rn and lpn)
who had their shifts cancelled due to budget cuts. It happens. Thats why most people who have casual positions hold either another pt job or multiple casual positions at different facilities.
There are jobs out there. Usually if you want Ft they are in indesirable locations . Take the undesirable location, get your skills, and then after a year apply to where you want to go. You can live anwhere for a year even if you hate it.
Be a nurse or dont be a nurse but don't say no one warned you. It sucks right now . It may or may not get better by the time you graduate. At this point the govt doesn't give a crap about pt safety and its all about the budget. This means less nurses despite there being more pt's which means increased pt mortality.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.
I'd really like to change jobs for quite a few reasons, but because of personal limitations (spouse and son with significant chronic health problems) moving isn't an option. We have to live in the city. I've applied for and interviewed for several positions and like Fiona59, have lost those opportunities to seniority. My 11 years and 8 months isn't enough. Even my multiple certifications don't count as much as I'd like them to. I work on one of those extremely-high-acuity units where there are always vacancies posted, and there's a really good reason for that. Working conditions are pretty bad at the best of times, and the best of times happen rarely these days. Nine years ago there were 30 people behind me on the seniority list. Now there are 91. (Half of that number have less than 1 year of nursing experience and are expected to provide a level of care they aren't at all prepared for.) But I have a job and I'm grateful to be working, even if I don't love WHERE I'm working.
OP, you wanted the truth, and that's what you're getting. I see things actually getting worse before they get better. It sucks, but it is what it is.
I'm sorry but I don't believe the situation is as dire as you make it out to be. People aren't holding jobs and getting zero shifts a month. I came to this site for advice and support not to be convinced not to be a nurse and how horrible and unjust nursing is.
As nurses you should be supporting your students not giving them worst case examples that you haven't actually witnessed. It's not just in my thread but all of the threads here.
In a response above you go off track complaining of the work environment and many other things that have nothing to do with what I asked. Stop trying to scare new grads its not nice!
Oh my word. I can't even contain the eye roll that has occurred while reading this. You came to a public forum of nurses, to ask nurses about the job market for nurses. We gave you our best and truthful answers and because you don't like it you're going to accuse us all of trying to scare a new grad? Get over it.
Of all your friends have jobs and you seem so sure that the market is great, then why bother asking anyone else's opinion? Honestly.
And for the record, when I was hired into a casual position, there were several months where I was given only two shifts. Per month. I worked three jobs at a time for a while just to make enough hours. But I'm probably just trying to scare you so who knows if I'm fibbing, right?
Question, can you turn down a shift if you're casual? Or is there a limit or ?
Yes, of course you can turn down a shift.
OK, here is how casual works in my experience.
Submit a list of dates/shifts you are available to work to your staffing office/clerk.
Depending on the facility and your seniority/reliability, they may offer to prebook some shifts for you (up to three months in advance). These shifts can be cancelled at any time. I remember one summer when 80% of my prebooked shifts were cancelled.
Then you sit and wait. Usually you are called the day before but it's in the evening for the next day shift.
You can decline a shift. Everyone realizes that life happens between today and the day you submitted your list. BUT they keep a record of who declines a shift, who calls up an cancels a shift.
Medicine and surgery float pools do not tell you which unit you are going to be working on until you sign in that day. Too many units have bad reps or casuals don't like the staff and want to specify where they want to go.
My hospital requires you to be available two weekends a month and half of the statutory holidays.
Turn down or cancel too many shifts, they can stop booking you.
I used the float pool experience to look at which units I'd like to work on when a line came up.
Some units are great to casuals, others give them the horrible assignments so their staff can get a break from the incontinent, demented, combative patient who keeps pulling their dressings off and have been there for 46 days.
Casual work teaches you to be organized, hone some skills, and basic survival. The most able nurses I work with have all come through the pool or will pick up from the pool to keep their skills current.
Believe it or not, some float pools have permanent full time and part time staff. They of course get priority over casuals.
itsmejuli
2,188 Posts
Nobody is trying to "scare new grads", the posters here are stating the truth of the current nursing job situation here in Alberta.
They clearly and accurately answered your questions.
Maybe things will turn around by the time you graduate.