journey_bound

Hi AussieRN, not sure if you're still searching for post-bsn options, if you are, here's one given in Canada: http://www.mtroyal.ca/ProgramsCourses/FacultiesSchoolsCentres/HealthCommunityStudies/Programs/AdvancedStudiesinCriticalCareNursingCertificate/index.htm I think I'm enrolling in the spring, looks like a good program! best of luck ; )

My interest in relocating is purely for enjoyment and experience in a different culture, preferrably one with perks like beaches etc... I'm 29 and would like to do these things before settling down and having kids, which I don't want to wait too long on. A large factor in my deciding to get into nursing was to live and work anywhere I desired; of course, having debts to pay off certainly makes that a bit more challenging. Thanks for the information, you've been quite helpful : )

Good to know nurses work similar rotations there! Makes the guess work a little easier... I am reading information from queensland, and it must pertain to something other than what I'm thinking... Wage rates listed for queensland on the QLD government site list Registered Nurses as Grade 5 and Undergrad student nurses as Grade 2. Funny how things so familiar to you guys would seem so complex to an outsider... I guess knowing where to find the information, and what information specifically to find would make it easier If I convert from Canadian to Australian, I make approx. $3484+ a month australian. I'm thinking I'll end up taking a pay cut of nearly 1k a month if I relocate to australia. That saddens me because I have a fair amount of debt from school with the intention of fast-tracking my payments and clearing it asap. Certainly makes relocating seem less desireable. Our start wage here (not including shift penalties) is around $34 an hr, for 1st yr nurses, and up to $44 after 9 years. I sort of assumed nurses were paid quite well everywhere... That coupled with the cost of living, especially somewhere like Melbourne, might be enough to have me change my mind on this idea....

Thanks, ceridwyn : ) I think I'm grade 5 (registered nurse), 1st year (or 2nd year if my previous Canadian experience will be recognized). I'm trying to figure out if it's feasible financially for me to relocate. What rotations do nurses typically work? We work half of our shifts on days, the other half nights and do two weekends a month. For taxes and union dues, pension, medical etc... deductions are approx. $2000 a month, leaving us to net around $3400/mth. Is there any way for me to work out an estimate based on a typical acute rotation including differentials? sorry, it seems to complicated to me.

So, if I were an RN with one year experience, working in acute care, how much could I expect to take home bi-weekly or monthly, on average? Take home here is approx. $3400 a month for someone in my position.

oops, that was originally in a table...

I'm making plans to relocate to Melbourne and find work as an RN but somehow thought the pay was better than it appears to be in Australia. I'm looking at a scale and the wage is listed as this: Nursing Level Hourly Rate Fortnightly Salary Annual Base Salary 1styear $23.13 $1,758 $45,708 2ndyear $24.02 $1,826 $47,746 3rdyear $24.92 $1,894 $49,244 4thyear $25.00 $1,962 $51,012 5thyear $25.88 $2,031 $52,806 6thyear $26.75 $2,098 $54,548 7thyear $27.61 $2,166 $56,316 8thyear $28.29 $2,220 $57,720 9thyear $28.98 $2,274 $59,124 10thyear $29.65 $2,326 $60,476 In Alberta, Canada, as a new grad RN, I make approx. $35 an hr not including shift differentials and take home is around $3300-3500 a month. How much is typical take home for an Australian RN with only 1 yr experience? Is there much off set with salary packaging etc... and shift differentials? I'm worried that I'll be moving and taking a huge pay cute when I'm still paying off a large amount of debt from being in school. For those of you who work in Australia, what does a typical nurse take home after all is said and done, per month or bi-weekly? Thanks!! : )

I would imagine that both your manager and pharmacy would have to investigate to determine who opened the bottle, to whom it was given, how much, and when. You've already spoken to your manager. Has it been cleared up? I'd submit an incident report regarding it to your manager, if you do, the responsibility is on the manager to follow-up.

I think your decision to approach only a select one or two nurses is a wise idea. It's really quite sad that you can't freely approach any given nurse and seek advice or information when required. Nursing should be a team effort with understanding and insight info the lack of knowledge a new grad nurse has. It's ludicris to expect you to know something if you haven't already done it, and in my opinion, text book knowledge only goes so far... Having read and understood the process of something doesn't make an individual competent and capable to perform it without guidance and assistance, chastising you for asking questions isn't productive nor professional. My only suggestion would be to make sure you understand/are aware of what is being said about your practice, get it in writing if you can, also - very important, document ALL meetings with your manager, stating what you were told, what you'd said, etc... keep it non-biased and objective. That way, if you need to defend yourself in any situation, you have a leg to stand on and look professional in maintaining documentation of this. Just do the best you can, ensure you are always doing safe practice, review at home, talk to your manager and a selected nurse or two on things you can work on/feedback, and be prudent on who you go to. Don't let any of what others are thinking seep into your functioning on the floor because that stress is going to produce less efficient and more "unfocused" work. It's better to work slower and maintain patient safety and have your coworker complain about you. You can't have your license revoked for that. Good luck! : )

I've only ever seen and written "writer," as in: "Pt was talking to self when writer entered room" Referring to yourself as the writer is the most grammatical (and logical in my opinion). I wanted to add as an edit, reading "this nurse" has the potential to be taken wrong, in that you are might be referring to another nurse who was involved in the care somehow... It's ambiguous.

Hi there, if you're interested in volunteering, I know of a place that is in desperate need of nurse volunteers... Casa Guatemala. It's an orphanage that cares for an average 250 kids and is located in Guatemala near livingston. I have plans on volunteering my time in the future and had a chance to visit the orphanage last summer.. The volunteer stays in the clinic and sees children throughout the day for typical conditions like ear, nose, throat, skin, digestive etc... It's absolutely beautiful there and the place is run by almost all volunteers. If you're interested in it, their website is casa-guatemala.org : )

In Alberta, Canada: BSN new grad $34/hr base pay with $5 evening differential and $3.25 weekend diff, ceiling as per our schedule right now: $44/hr not including differentials.

As a previous poster mentioned, get some pre-hospital paramedic books... They get right to the point in those and offer step-by-step for trauma's and emergencies like acute asthmatic attacks, heart attack, etc... So you feel prepared for the major things - tho the majority of emerg nursing (as per my experience) has been much more medical clinic type presentations as compared to true emergent or critical situations. Also, get an older but recent copy of advanced medical life support and ACLS and trauma nurse core course from somewhere like abebooks.com. I am orientating to emerg and am a new grad and what I've done that helps me also is to make case studies out of patients I've had, and go back and review everything that was done, why they were done, if things could have been done differently and why, and review related lab work and body systems. I've found that it helps me to consolidate my theoretical knowledge with applied practice and to identify gaps in my learning. Ask lots of questions on the floor and you'll do fine! Good luck!

Thanks so much for your clear and concise response : ) I don't have the position yet; I have an offer but have not made my mind up about it. It concerns me that you mention lay off's in the spring... If I were to accept a position in a small hospital wear people aren't looking to work, is there still a possibility of me getting laid off? I assumed that taking a position in a hospital where people aren't applying and where they need more people would help me to avoid that situation. If I take this position, I will be relocating to another province (obviously) and don't want to find myself with an apartment and no job in AB... thanks again

thanks for your response : ) If you take a look on Alberta Health Services job postings, you'll see that there are a (very) few postings that are open to the public, some casual and others are way in the middle of no where are are part-time... So, what you're saying is that instead of getting a temporary interim license like I would here in BC, I simply work as a certified graduate nurse under the license of the RN on the floor? I am registered to write the Feb '10 CRNE and will satisfy all my degree requirements in 4 weeks. Obtaining certified graduate status, you said that all I need is proof of my degree from my university and that's it? I don't have to do any tests (SEC)? I see that according to your link, CARNA will recognize a registered nurse from BC, but if i've yet to write the CRNE, do i have to do an SEC assessment? My concern is time... I'd like to ideally be working by mid Jan, after submitting my application to CARNA by the 20th of Dec...