Gailsimpson

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I think we are probably having a mid-life crisis and it was the deciding factor in bringing us over !!!!! I have relatives - now in Whitby and Cobourg- and have been wanting to come over for many years. Every time we visited we thought about it but the timing never seemed right. We were over last August and I think we had both had enough of the UK, especially when your petrol is half the price of ours !!!! I approached various hospitals, expecting them to say no, but St Mikes said yes and we started on the very long road of getting our visas. I will be working on the med/surg ICU but haven't actually visited it yet, so it's all a bit scary. At the moment I am a sister in PACU, we get a lot of ventilated patients and act as ICU overflow. Before working in PACU I worked in the ICU for 8 years -the hospital is the largest in Europe and the patients were extremely ill. In spite of having lots of experience and the UK equivalent of CCRN I am still very apprehensive, and find the thought of taking my RN exam rather daunting. Our daughters are aged 11 and 8, the oldest one has just started high school over here so is now rather miffed that she will be going to Elementary school in Canada. We will be living on Gardiner Drive which is quite near Lord Elgin school (according to Mapquest!!!!). We have got a 6-month rental which gives us time to look around to buy. Unfortunately we haven't sold our house over here yet, but are hoping that it won't be too long. Our house prices are really high and we could buy a decent house outright, or pay a bit extra and have a small mortgage in Canada - so that was another deciding factor in our relocation. The commute downtown will be a whole new experience as I am not far away from work over here. If we settle in Ajax I will probably think about working closer, it all depends on how things work out. Do you work locally or also have a commute? I am really looking forward to coming over in spite of all the worries. It will be interesting to see the similarities and differences between the Canadian and UK hospitals. Cheers, Gail

Ajaxgirl Just a query - do you live in Ajax? We are moving from the UK in October and will be renting a house in Ajax. I have been past it many times (on the 401) when we have visited relatives but don't know what it is like. I start work at St Michael's Hospital in Toronto at the beginning of November - so lets hope the GO train is efficient to get me there on time!!!! My children will be going to Lord Elgin School, they are apprehensive but excited. If you have any "tips" on Ajax they will be greatly appreciated. Gail

I realise that you are all having lots of problems dealing with the SARS crisis and the unfair danger payments. So sorry if my question seems a little trivial!! I would love to have an idea of how much "take home" pay I would have each month. I realise that unsocial hours etc make a difference but I would appreciate an "average" figure. We are looking on websites at houses/apartments to rent but I have no idea of what we should be able to afford. I will be working full-time, on $33.75/hr. My husband won't be working initially, we have children aged 10 and 7. I have looked on the revenue canada website but have no idea of the tax rate. In England I reckon my deductions for tax, national insurance, pension etc come to about 28.5%. Am I going to have a big shock when I come to Toronto??? Also do you get paid monthly? Thanks very much Gail

I work in a large teaching hospital and we frequently care for ICU patients when the ICU is full. We are probably very lucky because we have close links with the ICU and current management is hoping to strengthen them further. Out of a staff of 35 there are now about 8 of us who were very experienced ICU nurses before moving to the PACU, and others are now expressing an interest in making the move. Most of our E grades have had placements on the ICU, and this week we have a study day specifically aimed at our D grades on caring for ventilated patients. On the majority of shifts there is someone available who can care for an ICU patient, and most are willing to help out if needed on a night or a weekend - but this has rarely happened as most of our staff feel confident enough. A D grade would never be left with an ICU patient, though we encourage them to help the E grade to gain some experience. We also have an agreement with the acute anaesthetists that they are always available to us in these circumstances and will stay with the PACU staff at night if they don't feel confident to be left with 2 nurses and one ICU patient - the majority of them have respected this as they rotate to other hospitals where the PACU nurse role is more limited than on our unit, so they seem to appreciate the service we provide. The scrub side usually help out if needed and will reduce the number of acute theatres running if necessary. Unfortunately the overflow from ICU is a problem that is not going to go away, but staff need the appropriate education and training to perform the role. Even though I was a very experienced ICU nurse I think it is harder to care for a patient in the PACU because all the equipment needed is not always available and you are not surrounded by other ICU nurses who can help you - though I enjoy the "challenge" and it stops me losing a lot of my ICU skills!! An outreach team has recently been set up but we don't know yet if they will be involved with patients being ventilated in the PACU - maybe they will be available if the senior on the shift does not feel confident. Nursing in the PACU has dramatically changed since I was a student - though that was a long time ago. Many patients who routinely went to ICU now go to the wards, they just have a longer stay in the PACU. It is no longer a case of maintaining someone's airway and then sending them back to the ward! Nurses expecting that probably would be better working in day surgery recovery (I don't mean that nastily!!!). On your unit you need to speak up and make your manager aware of your educational needs, and the fact that you are compromising patient safety by caring for these patients without adequate knowledge or support. Wave your "code of conduct" at them and put your concerns in writing!!! It is not ideal and I sometimes wonder if the PACU patients we are supposedly there to look after are being compromised when we have to direct our efforts towards ICU patients. It is not ideal for relatives either, we have to restrict visiting when other patients are in the PACU. Hopefully by voicing our concerns we can overcome some of our problems, and can work together to provide solutions to them. :)