On my way to BC!!

fergus51 · Jul 19, 2005

I used to live and work in Vancouver and miss it a lot sometimes. There are TONS of foreign nurses, and I always worked with lots of Brits in maternity and NICU. I'm sure you'll be well received. I never worked adult ICU, but from what I understand the ratios are usually 2 patients to one nurse. Vancouver is a nice place to live, I hope you enjoy it:)

markjrn · Jul 20, 2005

Hi all
Hoping some Canadian Nurses can help ease this transition. I am a senior RN in the United Kingdom working in Public Health, moving to BC in the next few months (once the CRNE is out the way!).
I'm wanting to get back to ICU where I worked for 7 years as an ICU nurse practitioner - what is the staffing like in Canada and how do international nurses usually fit it?
Any advice GRATEFULLY received!
Scott

I work east of BC, but here ICU ratios are normally 1:1, 1:2 is worst case scenario. I'm not sure if this is the norm nationally, it's just an FYI.

Welcome to Canada!

UK2BCnurse · Jul 20, 2005

I work east of BC, but here ICU ratios are normally 1:1, 1:2 is worst case scenario. I'm not sure if this is the norm nationally, it's just an FYI.
Welcome to Canada!

Thanks for that! You Canadians are SO friendly! Every time I have to call Canada the RNABC are super-helpful and everyone we have been in contact with for our emigration to Canada has just made us want to move there even more. :)

UK2BCnurse · Jul 20, 2005

I used to live and work in Vancouver and miss it a lot sometimes. There are TONS of foreign nurses, and I always worked with lots of Brits in maternity and NICU. I'm sure you'll be well received. I never worked adult ICU, but from what I understand the ratios are usually 2 patients to one nurse. Vancouver is a nice place to live, I hope you enjoy it:)

Thanks so much. Really can't wait to get to Vancouver and get settled in! Where do you work now fergus?

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Jul 20, 2005

Best of luck to you in everything you do :)

Fiona59 · Jul 20, 2005

Vancouver (and everywhere in the lower mainland) is a very expensive place to live. I know that in comparison to some European cities housing doesn't seem that expensive but you have to factor in what you earn. Houses (average price in Vancouver) are running at $400K and trust me a lot of them are nothing special. Factor in car price, gas, parking fees, insurance, etc. It's not a cheap place to live. The joke is that BC stands for Bring Cash, not British Columbia.

I grew up there and recently spent a year out there. Do you have family ties out here are you just buying into the you can ski, sail, and golf in the same day sales pitch? Because in reality this is a lifestyle that very few can afford. Daycare is hard to find, expensive, and doesn't always accomodate shift workers. It takes most people two incomes to afford to own a home. Cars can be a requirement not a luxury depending on where you live and your work schedule.

Sorry to sound negative, but so many people (even Canadians fromother provinces) move there expecting "the lifestyle" and are disappointed by the reality.

fergus51 · Jul 20, 2005

Thanks so much. Really can't wait to get to Vancouver and get settled in! Where do you work now fergus?

I live in California now (long story...). Believe me, it makes Vancouver look positively cheap! I found Vancouver livable and could afford the lifestyle Fiona talked about partly because I was near the top of the payscale:) I don't golf, but we skied and kayaked a fair bit. I had a condo out in New Westminster that was only about a 25 minute drive into work. If you choose not to live downtown, you can get a townhouse or condo for a reasonable price (under 200K). http://www.mls.ca is a website where you can search for homes for sale. New Westminster, Burnaby, Richmond, etc. are all cheaper than living in downtown Vancouver but then you do have to drive in. Parking was $4 a day at work for staff when I was there. I don't know if you are coming with a family or not, so obviously that would impact your decision on where to live. I plan on moving back in a couple of years. It is more expensive than the other parts of BC, but it's well worth it IMO.