CarmelValley

Thanks for this. Yes, I have been online and seen GF Strong rehab center. I will do this!

Thanks for that, it's very encouraging!

Your reply has been an eye-opener, for sure. I so appreciate all the replies on Allnurses since they are from nurses actually on the job. Priceless. Well, you have given me a glimpse into the Canadian healthcare system. I am originally from England, so understand a national health service very well - many of the same conditions exist in the UK. What draws me to Canada is the ethical treatment of people in general, so I am going to have to figure out a way to do this! I really do thank you for your long and thoughtful reply.

Again, very helpful. About specialty, I am going to be taking my CRRN exam (Rehab RN specialty) soon. Do Canadian hospitals accept USA specialty qualifications as far as you know? I have worked on a specialty spinal cord injury acute rehab unit for 12 years.

Oh wow, this is a pretty dire report - but exactly the kind of real information I was hoping for. PAPER CHARTING - now that's a real blow! Our docs put all their orders in electronically, and all meds are bar coded (very difficult to make a med error!). Yes, we get paid training. And patients can be barred from our hospital for assaulting a nurse. Hmmmm. this needs a major re-think on my part. You have been very helpful!

My Carmel Valley is actually in the San Diego area, but I know the Monterey Carmel Valley well and it's beautiful. I don't know about the hospital there, though. You will probably double your salary if you work in California. But you might want to think twice about moving in this political climate! Depends on your political views LOL. All the best to you :)

Thanks. Right now I work 40 hours/week.

Thank you for your reply. I have prepared the NNAS form for BC, but the cost is $600, then another $500 for the BC license. So I was trying to get a "feel" for how nursing really IS in Canada before taking on this large expense. From what I can gather from this forum, there are the same staffing issues in Canada as in the USA (running short staffed), and the hours in Canada seem longer. I will go to the NNAS experience forum on this site, as you suggested. Very grateful for anyone's input. Thank you!

Thank you so much for your very informative reply! This really helps me envision what nursing might be like in a similar setting (acute rehab) in Canada. I work in a Veterans hospital, spinal cord injury unit. RNs take a max of 3 patients (direct, full care, NO care aides), and we cover an LPN for an additional 4 patients, we do all the IVs, PICCs, vents, trachs. So our ratio is slightly lower, but not much. I really appreciate your help - I'm gathering information in order to make the big decision to move.

That's very helpful. From what you say, it seems you are working 42 hours/week over the course of 30 days doing 12 hour shifts. In USA the standard for full time is 36 hrs/week. For government hospitals, it is 40 hours. So you guys are working harder than us! It must be very difficult to switch between nights and days. We just have night shift or day shift nurses. I really appreciate your input. I would like to learn as much as possible about how nursing REALLY is in Canada.

Hello Canadian nurses, I work in San Diego, California, but am considering a move to BC. Can you tell me what is normally considered full time in Canada? I work for the government, so we do a 40 hour week. What do most hospitals/clinics consider full time in your beautiful country? Thanks so much.

Here are some ideas about the NCLEX. I read a lot of Allnurses posts before taking the test, and heard from people who had not made it after several tries. I want to help. First thing, try to go to a REALLY good school. My school's tests were much harder than the NCLEX so I was pleasantly surprised come test day. Review your notes for the school's tests as well as NCLEX books. This will remind you of the background, and since it's familiar material in a familiar format, it will stick. I studied from the Kaplan book as well as the Saunders (yellow) book, cover to cover, as well as reviewing all my school notes. Know your labs really well, learn to recognize normal as well as abnormal. Review all content! I was weak on Ob/maternal-child, so studied it like crazy - and only got one question on it! I got no calculations, but probably 40% of my questions were "select all that apply" or "Put the steps in order." So... practice the alternate format questions. I studied for about 6 weeks before taking the plunge. Don't be in a hurry. So far I have heard that everyone in my class who took the test has passed, most of us with 75. It was the LVN-RN program at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, CA. I can't praise this program enough. The instructors, the students, the way we all worked together and helped each other. They even offered a free Telemetry Certification class. Just :heartbeat! Best of luck to all who are still waiting to be successful. You WILL make it, with enough study.

I think the academic climate is largely shaped by your school. I have heard some horror stories of highly competitive schools, and we have had transfers from those schools; however, I'm just finishing an LVN-RN program at a community college and have found the opposite: the students are (maybe 90%) very collaborative, helpful to one another, willing to move between "groups or cliques" to assist when needed. The faculty encourage a collegial atmosphere among students. They encourage us to behave as adults, as future RNs. Those who are not serious have dropped out. In my class, about 30% were over 40, many with children at home. We had corpsmen, who struggled. Many of us helped them study. It was a wonderful experience, an example of how we can go forward as RNs and be collaborative and collegial. Just concentrate on learning, keep your integrity, be good to those around you. Oh, and CONGRATULATIONS on getting in!

Hi there jboogie58, I'm also probably starting my RN-BSN at CSUDH in the fall. I have found the faculty most helpful - I made an appointment to meet with one of them, and they answered all my questions. This may be a way to go, if you still have unanswered questions. I'm starting with BSN 302 Concepts over this summer, and also possibly 306 Cultural Diversity. Can anyone out there tell me roughly how many hours/week they put into these classes - would help me to plan. Thanks so much.