Kabel

In addition to the 5 gegraphical health authorities and the Provincial one there is also Providence health which is a faith based health provider. They are based in Vancouver itself too.

The Fraser Health website has a good pdf document for looking at salaries up to about 8 years experience I think. Not sure if I'm remembering rightly but I think it does a comparison for Band 5. Regardless it will give you a rough idea. My OH and I are both nurses in the UK too. Also looking at going to BC, but thinking more VI at the moment. He's an RMN (I'm RN) and had a spontaneous (ie did not expect to have and totally unplanned for!) interview with FHA in April when Nurse Vancouver were at RCN Congress. He got the job...at Surrey working in CAMHS. He's since turned it down as we are trying to get somewhere with VIHA first but he said the experience wasn't that bad - lots of scenarios. Good luck on the 23rd! Can I ask about the RPN exam on his behalf? What preparation did you do for it and was it like you were expecting it too be...or harder (or easier)? Also one other question - how long did the process of going through the CRPNBC take before they finished their assessment. They have just banked the fee a few days ago, so we are wondering how long they may take before he gets the yes or no. I've got a better idea for me with the CRNBC so it would be good to know for him. Thanks Kabel

In fairness 3 attempts at an exam should be plenty. Patients need to know that their nurses can operate at a certain academic level and if they can't then they really shouldn't be allowed to practice. If you fail the first time you should be able to learn from that, do your research, ask colleagues, learn from your mistakes. The exam is multiple choice/short answer questions. If you've manged to get through your nurse training it is surely a matter of approaching the questions from the right angle and getting used to the terminology. There is access to lots of support. With the amount that is out there I'd personally be worried about someone who can't pass the exam after the 3rd attempt. I wouldn't want to be cared for by that nurse...would you? I really wouldn't worry about it. Start worrying if you fail the second attempt! There is after all a number of months to prepare yourself between attempts if it comes down to it. Make sure you access the available resources and support because they will help you get through it. For exam nerves there are things you can do to help with that. Also, try and think more positively about it. I'm not sure whether having a back up plan if things go pear-shaped is really a good example of positive thinking!? Good luck for when the time comes! Kabel

My OH has been in touch with him as he is an expat and we were given his name as someone useful to get a UK/Canada nursing comparison. He's been in Canadian nurse education until fairly recently and now I think concentrates on the tuition. My husband found it good to talk to him and it wasn't until a while after that we realised he offers this service. A friend of my OH who is working as an RPN (RMN to you and me...at the minute anyway!) on VI did use the exam tutorial. I think he found it really good as he had been in management in the UK and was going back to clinical work. Anyway...he passed so something must have been done right! With regards to you trying to find out stuff yourself on the RPN exam. There is the union of psychiatric nurses of BC http://www.upnbc.org/ I don't know if this will be any use but there might be some links or someone you could email to ask. Let me know if you do find anything good. We are still waiting for our assessments of eligibility to sit exams so I haven't done that much research for my OH for his exam. Kabel

I think the difference with the exam for psychiatric nurses and RN's is obviously the bias towards mental health related questions. Be prepared for general nursing questions. I don't know if this is correct but I remember someone telling me its 60% psychiatric,and 40% general. Whether the general part is more focused on A&P I don't know but this would make sense. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. What province are you headed for?My OH is an RMN and we are planning on going to BC. HTH Kabel

Have you done the CRNE online readiness test? Might be useful if not. Costs around $40-50 (can't remember exactly) and I think you can access it through most of the provincial nursing colleges. HTH Kabel

In order for an internationally trained nurse to get a Canadian job (if they are going on a work permit, not with pemanent residence) they have to get a positive Labour Market Opinion from HRSDC. Part of this is to do with the employer showing that they couldn't get a Canadian to fill the post. So perhaps they aren't getting the Canadians applying or they wouldn't have to look elsewhere. A very recent recruitment drive from a joining of 4 of the 6 health authorities in BC had their advert saying there was about 200 jobs they were trying to recruit for. Who knows what the real figures for shortages are. In the UK the government and the nursing unions has been going on about nursing shortages for years. They have increased our salaries in a bid to recruit more student nurses and to help retain staff. Now though because of financial losses in the NHS they are sacking nurses, and in a lot of trusts not advertising ANY nursing jobs (even though there are a lot of vacancies). So the shortages are now even worse, but the government insist there will be no impact on patient care...who are they trying to kid. Only about 10% of the recently qualified mental health nurses have got jobs in my area. I really feel for them. It's crap no matter where you are in the world if you can't get a job on graduating in an area that there is supposed to be a shortage, but please don't go blaming the foreign nurses coming in for taking canadian posts. Kabel

Hi, I don't know for everywhere but when I qualified in 2000 the ward I worked on had just introduced them and they were one of the first to do so in that hospital. One of the senior staff nurses was looking the new system as part of her dissertation - not sure how exactly ie research/audit. I seem to recall she also presented ?her findings at some conference. Not sure if this helps but maybe good place to start. Kabel

Hi, If the form you are talking about is the tax review form for the the last financial year (ie the one ending april 07) then the expenses you can claim are things like professional subscriptions (NMC, RCN or other union memberships), shoes and tights/socks allowance (only about 18 pounds but every little counts!). Also if your employer has no facilities for washing your uniforms then you can claim laundry expenses (with the conditions that they are washed seperately from other clothes and at 60 degrees). I can't remember the exact amounts you claim for shoes and tights nor the uniform laundering but I'm sure you could find out. The professional subscriptions are just the amount you pay for the year. Just to note, don't expect to get the above expenses back as a tangible amount of money! You just get the amounts added onto your tax code so that your tax free amount is raised. Hope this is what you were after!

Hi, I'm in similar position in that thinking of migrating to Vnacouver as RN but I'm probably a little ahead in the researcing of it all. A good place to start for info on nursing in BC, the health authority structuring etc is; http://www.healthmatchbc.org/ They have all the websites for the 6 possible employers. The fraser health site (I think) has a comparison of a band 5 in UK to BC salary so would be good place to start. One good thing about moving there as a nurse is that they take the number of years experience in this country and have it count to where your salary would be once working there. The healthmatch site is who you would have to go (again i think) through once registration and job offer sorted and they act as go between for immigration stuff (free of charge to the individual nurse). Some of the general forums eg brits2Vancouver, british expats -canada sub group all have good info on immigration routes/ timespans and there are a few nurses there who have either done the move or in process that can offer some good info. I just met up with 4 of the BC health authorities at RCN Congress in Harrogate. They were doing a recruitment drive (my hubby, psych nurse, somehow ended up having an interview and was offered a job!!) and it was really good from an information point if view. Any way hope this has been of some help Kabel