Pre-Grad in Alberta/BC ER

fergus51 · May 23, 2005

I would suggest looking at hospitals in BC. Vancouver has several large hospitals. I don't know which ones see traumas, but you could look into St. Pauls and VGH. You can go to http://www.hospitalsoup.com and click on Canadian hospitals, then type in the city.

My niece tried to do a practicum in Alberta a few years ago and it was extremely difficult because you have to be enrolled in a nursing course in Alberta to do a placement there. I don't know if that's the case in BC.

Fiona59 · May 24, 2005

Edmonton handles the serious stuff for northern Alberta, BC and further north. I don't know about out of province students though. They have had a hard time finding preceptors, etc. for their own students...

markjrn · May 24, 2005

I would have to second that Edmonton suggestion. It seems that if we can't handle someone here, they go to Edmonton.

There's always Calgary, but a friend of mine who lives there says the people are nicer in Edmonton. Go figure.

Kudra · May 24, 2005

I would have to second that Edmonton suggestion. It seems that if we can't handle someone here, they go to Edmonton.
There's always Calgary, but a friend of mine who lives there says the people are nicer in Edmonton. Go figure.

the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary is the Trauma centre for Southern Alberta (and parts of Southern B.C. as well)... i'm not sure how easy it is to get an Emerg placement, but i'll ask a few of my co-workers who graduated here to see what the possibilities are... i seem to remember hearing that most people who wanted Emerg experience ended up going to rural hospitals...

as for Edmontonians being more friendly than Calgarians, i've yet to see a major difference... i definitely find these Westerners to be more friendly than Ontarians (i still miss ON, though)...

Kudra · May 26, 2005

k, i asked a new grad who just did their final placement in the Foothills emerg... they said it was really hard to get into because of the high demand and that there was only 3 students accepted at our site (it was pretty much the same thing at the 2 other hospitals)... so, the chances of out-of-province students getting a placement (unless it's during an "off" time for local students) probably isn't so good...

also, you didn't say whether or not you're planning on staying out West after you're done your placement, but i know that Foothills emerg rarely hires new grads...

gchelak · Jun 3, 2005

k, i asked a new grad who just did their final placement in the Foothills emerg... they said it was really hard to get into because of the high demand and that there was only 3 students accepted at our site (it was pretty much the same thing at the 2 other hospitals)... so, the chances of out-of-province students getting a placement (unless it's during an "off" time for local students) probably isn't so good...
also, you didn't say whether or not you're planning on staying out West after you're done your placement, but i know that Foothills emerg rarely hires new grads...

I hope that the info is not applicable in all sitations about the Foothills ER. I have a friend who works there and she said they are so short that they have even paid for people to move from Ont., and are trying to pull the Canadian nurses back from the US (don't know if this specifically applied to the ER). SHe said that they send you to an 8 week course for the ER in Edmonton and pay for all. Just so happens that when I am done school in TX, I planned on going into the ER in Calgary, and it was nice to hear that there should be a job for me there.

Do some checking.

Gail

Fiona59 · Jun 3, 2005

There is a big difference between hiring new grads and giving them additional training and taking students for their final placements. Its finding nurses willing to be preceptors that is the challenge.

I had the misfortune to be a patient in the Foothills in the '90's it wasn't a great experience. The student's didn't enjoy patient care and the RN's were abrupt and didn't seem to understand that pain is what the patient says it is and not what they think it should be.

And before anyone flames me, it was before King Ralph did his healthcare cuts of the '90s:angryfire

gchelak · Jun 3, 2005

There is a big difference between hiring new grads and giving them additional training and taking students for their final placements. Its finding nurses willing to be preceptors that is the challenge.
I had the misfortune to be a patient in the Foothills in the '90's it wasn't a great experience. The student's didn't enjoy patient care and the RN's were abrupt and didn't seem to understand that pain is what the patient says it is and not what they think it should be.
And before anyone flames me, it was before King Ralph did his healthcare cuts of the '90s:angryfire

that is interesting. I never knew about preceptors.

I was in my first clinical rotation day of OB in L&D today and the pt said that I better go into L&D because I was a "natural" and was sincerely "there" with her. I told her that I could not imagine someone delivering babies NOT enjoying it!

Now I am torn between L&D and ER... which is harder to get into (in Calgary)? I am sure that you can not just jump into either straight from school.

I also remember my dad watching weatherman Ralph on the 6pm news! How ever did he become so powerful? We get no news from Canada down here in TX, but I follow when I can and I can not believe he is still there... he was premier when I moved here in 1993. His liver will give out soon..

Fiona59 · Jun 3, 2005

Ralphie apparently gave up drinking about 3 yrs ago after a faux pas in a men's homeless shelter. His mouth got the better of him.

He has said he won't finish up this term, he just wanted to be there when the Queen did the Centennial stuff...:chuckle

But the rest of the Conservatives are just as bad. Especially a lot of the seniors who vote. They snarl and complain whenever they feel like it, but keep voting him in... How many times have I bit my tongue when they've complained about the state of the nation but seem to forget THEY were responsible for Trudeau, Chretien et al in Ottawa during the 70, 80's and yup some will even admit to having voted for Mulroney.

Preceptors are hard to find. The pay isn't great and a lot of the experienced LPNs and RNs are saying the BScN grads just can't manage the patient loads that they should, or they come to units and expect the LPNs to do all of their patient care, or they think they only have to give meds...

gchelak · Jun 3, 2005

Ralphie apparently gave up drinking about 3 yrs ago after a faux pas in a men's homeless shelter. His mouth got the better of him.
He has said he won't finish up this term, he just wanted to be there when the Queen did the Centennial stuff...:chuckle
But the rest of the Conservatives are just as bad. Especially a lot of the seniors who vote. They snarl and complain whenever they feel like it, but keep voting him in... How many times have I bit my tongue when they've complained about the state of the nation but seem to forget THEY were responsible for Trudeau, Chretien et al in Ottawa during the 70, 80's and yup some will even admit to having voted for Mulroney.
Preceptors are hard to find. The pay isn't great and a lot of the experienced LPNs and RNs are saying the BScN grads just can't manage the patient loads that they should, or they come to units and expect the LPNs to do all of their patient care, or they think they only have to give meds...

I remember hearing about the shelter incident and Ralph. You mean he is retiring? I had heard he was going to call an election some time ago- but like I said- no news here... I barely knew about the Martin election. I hear that it is also turning into a fiasco. :uhoh21: I guess it is better than a President that cheats with an intern! I am a dual citizen now too and voted in my first US Presidential election last fall... there are a bunch of bone-heads here too!

I am at kind of a disadvantage because I am going to school in TX and it is a ADN degree (diploma in Canada). I had wanted to move back some day, but my husband was transfered back to Calgary last fall when I was accepted into school here. I do plan on getting my BSN, but this way I can work in the mean time as soon as I move up there (and take the NCLEX and CRNE). I guess I will find out when I get there what I am able to get into.

Nice chatting with you...

Gail:nurse:

Kudra · Jun 4, 2005

I hope that the info is not applicable in all sitations about the Foothills ER. I have a friend who works there and she said they are so short that they have even paid for people to move from Ont., and are trying to pull the Canadian nurses back from the US (don't know if this specifically applied to the ER). SHe said that they send you to an 8 week course for the ER in Edmonton and pay for all. Just so happens that when I am done school in TX, I planned on going into the ER in Calgary, and it was nice to hear that there should be a job for me there.

true, they're desperate for people, but they're not desperate for new grads... i can't tell you the number of people i've worked who graduated in Spring 2004 and now have more than a year's experience in a Trauma setting that that have been turned down for jobs there because they're still "too new"... you really have to impress the Patient Care Manager to get hired right out of school...

as far as paying for people to move from other provinces, hospitals do that all the time... with EXPERIENCED nurses... if you look on the CHR recruitment page, it even says that only those with 2 years of experience qualify for a paid move...

Now I am torn between L&D and ER... which is harder to get into (in Calgary)?

they're both hard to get into here... high demand areas...

ETA: i'm not saying these things to be discouraging... i just wanted to point out that (from the experiences of my co-workers) it doesn't appear to be easy here in Calgary to get into speciality areas as a new grad...