Offred

Thanks. It sounds just like the US. I thought patient ratio would be different. Our numbers can be very good: 3-4 in observation, 3-4 in ED, 1-2 in ICU. They can also be very bad: 9 in ED I have heard a few times, 7-10 on general care. My brother worked somewhere years ago that gave him 10 patients, some who were very sick. Our pay usually starts at $24.00 hr. Nurses top at $53.00 hr at large hospitals. Most of us make something in the middle. Violence in ED is really out of control. Nothing happens to patients. Management doesn't support any solution. Do you think have good mental health services?

I am in the same position. I feel like I worked hard to get good at it and I don't want to lose my skills, but I am tired of the anxiety, the abuse, and the violence. I have a second job on an observation unit. I feel like a sheep there. I can't seem to give up on ED. It is so great, but it makes you feel like a different kind of animal. Working in observation makes me feel like a person who just got back from war. It's like you don't fit there or anywhere else.

I was wondering what nursing in Canada was like compared to the US. I am an ED nurse in Michigan. As the US sorts out how to provide healthcare coverage for all of our citizens, many people are afraid of the unknown. What is your workload like? Are nurse/ patient ratios mandated? How do you manage workplace violence? What is compensation like? Any info would be great.