m_aidez

Although, there are "english" hospitals, other HCPs/clientele expect you to understand, speak and write in french since it is a predominantly french speaking province, no? As much as most Canadians say, yes we accept english or french speakers, they usually have a STRONG preferences for those who speak BOTH fluently, and to say other wise is just silly. "...you may chart in English in the English ones" does that mean you can chart in BOTH languages in these "english" hospitals? If so, I see a lot of miscommunication issues that can arise from that especially for those nurses and other HCPs that are not fluent in french. I'm just wary of this because nurses are expected to be responsible for their practice. Saying "I am not able to fully comprehend the doctor's orders because it's in french: doesn't cut it. Always asking for help isn't necessarily a good thing, especially if there is a baseline requirement in order to do the job (i.e., language requirement) and there's a heavy workload. How much of work productivity of those nurses needing translation of certain written documentations and orders are affected? As well as, how does it affect patient care and outcomes? Would you still use the same health and med. abbrv. if you decided to document in french or english? To the OP: I think these are some type of questions you need to ask. You need to find out how are you going to be protected from slip ups because of language barriers especially in those few months, years where you're still learning french. Back to clemmm78: What are the major difference b/w the CRNE and OIIQ--test material wise? I love how our country has two official languages but I think that there is too much inconsistencies that exists which can affect the care we provide. I have a question regarding pay in Quebec. Do you get pay incentives for being bilingual? Because I know some employers (not necessarily ALL health care facilities) in other provinces give these incentives.

Think about it this way, these programs are accredited and checked by some national board. All of them are suitable. All employers care about is that you graduate and pass the CRPNE.

Oh really? I thought from OCAS you can apply for 6 colleges or something like that. There's still GB, Humber and Seneca around GTA. Georgian College is pretty good too. Anyway, good luck to your friend. Has your friend called Admissions in each school to ask when they usually give acceptance letters? If he doesn't get accepted try other colleges, there's so many and to be honest most employers don't care where you graduate from as long as you pass the CRNE/CRPNE.

You're welcome. Oh btw, here is a website that gives you a listing of volunteer positions. That's where I find some of my volunteering opportunities. As you can tell, I love volunteering. I've never volunteered in the hospital because I know there's a lot of needy communities out there and my interest varies. I hope I can continue volunteering when I become an RN. CharityVillage Main Street

I want to make it clear to you that volunteers don't do anything "health related" per se with patients in GTA hospitals. You can probably shadow a nurse but you can't do nursing interventions even with nursing supervision. Most volunteers in hospitals are usually monitors/greeters/friendly visitors, or they do administrative/office clerk duties. Some hospitals if you volunteer with them long enough they could probably hire you as a patient observer. Patient observers are individuals who monitor certain patients who wander or who have certain needs (usually patients with mental illness). Even then as a patient observer you're only allowed to talk to the patient and report bizarre behaviours to their attending nurse. Good luck!

They wouldn't feel bad to let you go if they need to so why would you feel bad letting them go? Family is first, just keep reminding yourself that.

Reality is some nurses do make that much, it depends where you live and the cost of living. Here are some other Health Care Professions: Med Lab Technologist, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Audiologist, Speech Language Pathologist, MRI Technologist, Sonographer, Pharmacists, Radiological Technologist, Dietitian, Respiratory Therapist, Social Worker

Welcome! I'm not sure if you can shadow a nurse because they're pretty busy with their workload. Also, some of them usually have a student nurse that they supervise. You can try smaller suburban hospitals but again, it's not a guarantee. As to suggestions, I don't really have any because it depends on where you want to work once your graduate. The UHN hospitals are pretty good but they're in downtown Toronto. I do have a suggestion regarding volunteering in general. Since hospitals won't allow you to volunteer until you have lived here for a year, why don't you try out illness specific societies like the "Canadian Diabetes Society," "Cancer Society," "MS Society," etc. So that once you hit that one year mark and you're ready to apply for volunteering positions at the hospital you have references to vouch for you. Also think creatively; there's so much more than just the hospital and it's good to experience different things. You can also volunteer for Women Centres, Community Resource Centres, and Long Term Care facilities.

Most GTA hospitals only allow you as a volunteer to either chat with patients, refill water for patients or be patient guide (i.e., if a patient is loss you're expected to take them from point A to point B). Each hospital is different but most hospitals require you to get a TB test, attend their orientation, references and police check because you are working with vulnerable populations. Sometimes they also want to have an interview with you. Talk with the volunteer coordinator of the facility you want to volunteer at, they'll guide you through the process. I know that some hospitals like UHN gives you free TB test if you're volunteering with them. I'm not sure if this is still exists but hey if it's still FREE, go for it because it saves you $10-20. I'm not sure what you can do in the OR but you can definitely be used in the ER and Med/Surg floors (especially the latter). Oh and to volunteer you don't have to be a nurse. They got a lot of retirees, post-sec. students and secondary students.

You'll get there sooner or later.

I'm sure if you get part-time or PRN.

There are many other options in the Health care field besides nursing. Google "Health Care Careers" and you'll find many! Don't do nursing if you're not interested in it, it will only eat your soul. lol I've meet a few nurses who hate their careers and they're miserable and they seem to age faster.

I've spoken to many new grads (2009-2010) that graduated from my school here in ON. They got jobs, some started May but some will start September. Yes, not all of them are full-timers and a lot of them got two part-time jobs. Some got hospital jobs but a lot of them are in LTC or homecare. Also, the people I know have connections from inside their facilities so I do believe that networking helps when it comes to landing a job. I actually have a friend who called the hospital she wanted to work in and asked if they received her resume/cover letter through Health Force Ontario. They told her no and that it probably got lost in the system. They told her that this happens a lot because they receive so many applications especially during their hiring peak season. So then my friend went to HR the next day and handed the resume/cover letter in person. They called her two and half weeks later for an interview and she got the job a few days later. She's starting the end of September beginning of October. Fiona59, what do you suggest the OP do? What steps can the OP take in order for her to land a job in Alberta? Can you give her tips? Personally, as I said before, I think it's worth to try the networking method but I don't know, you know the Alberta system. Yes, I agree that some managers will hate it but I know that not all managers will react the same. At the end of the day, the OP needs money and to utilize skills. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. As you said, don't expect the dream job so if the OP already accepts this I don't see why she should not explore other options/methods in finding a job.

How I see it, it's better to try than not try at all. If you don't try then how does one expect to land a job. I don't think sitting around and looking at the computer screen really helps. When looking for a job always look for different methods to search for those jobs. It's not easy, you do have to be aggressive because it's competitive. Fiona59's hospital is one hospital out of 1000s other facilities, each facility is different so just try it out and see. Have you considered moving? I know it would be hard because you have child(ren) so I don't know how you would feel about that. All I have to say is don't limit yourself, think positive and be innovative.

I don't see why not to be honest if you're really desperate for a job. Yes, some will disapprove but some not so much. What exactly do you have to loose? Talk to the HR department.

Ok, I understand that there are a lot of threads regarding my question but I feel that some of them are redundant or unoriginal. I need a nursing issue to debate about that is interesting and unique. Let's go beyond the "nursing shortage" or the "DNR" debates, they're so overrated. I also want an issue where there is not a definite bias.

You take courses AFTER you become an RN.

To be honest, I don't think parents care. A nurse is a nurse according to the public. The public usually thinks that anyone in scrubs is either a nurse or a doctor. They don't understand how complex the system is. So, no I don't think parents (unless they're a Health Care Provider by profession) would know that a non-peds nurse is nursing their child. I don't think they even know that nurses have to go through formal training for most of the specialty floors. Anyway, I agree with the OP but at the same time I also agree with the first commenters frank comment because it's absolutely true.

It's only been 30 resumes, be more aggressive and non-apologetic. 80% of jobs are not posted on ads (newspaper, online or any other methods). I suggest calling hospitals or other facilities, introduce yourself and ask if they're currently hiring or when are they going to hire. Best of luck.

Everything, at least for me. I put effort in all those courses.

What are your goals? Do you plan on being an RPN for the long run or do you want to bridge and get your RN few years later down the road? Although work is important in the short term, school is more important in the long term. You have to decide whether school is worth jeopardizing so that you can work and provide for yourself. Maybe look for a job around campus, they're more apt to be lenient towards students.

Oh my, well all I can say is good luck. I might have to agree with Fiona59 that you can't expect a prospective employer to care about your lack of childcare. I know, it might sound cruel of them but that's why when you have an interview they always ask for what YOU can do for the organization/agency rather than what the organization/agency can do for you. Again, good luck, I know it can be tough.

I took an online workshop on "Job Searching" and they said 80% of all positions are filled without employers advertising. This is shocking as most job seekers look through ads as their first method. You have to tap into the "hidden job market." Simply put, you have to network. Start attending networking fairs and career fairs.

Did he apply through Confirm Your Offer of Admission | ontariocolleges.ca ? Because I'm sure you can check your status there and see which school has accepted his application or any offers that are in standing. To be honest, when I was applying to universities 3-4 years ago, I didn't get a letter from one of them.

I agree whole heartedly. If you're in it for any other reason it's definitely a waste of time because no one knows how long this "recession" will last and what are the true/real implications will be. As I've said before in a different thread, there are many careers out there that are naturally competitive but you don't hear those people back out because there's no jobs lined up for them when they graduate, why would nursing be any different? I'm tired of hearing prospective nursing students (potential nurses) using the "shortage" excuse alongside with "recession" excuse as if both issues have any significant causation relationship with each other. There's a lack of understanding that just because there's a shortage of nurses that it automatically means that hospitals are obligated to hire nurses. Hospitals KNOW that there is a shortage of nurses, but because the recession exists they have a tight budget to abide by. The reality is new grads are expensive because: 1) The new grads get paid training. 2) The seasoned nurse/trainer get paid for training the new grad. Extra responsibility. I'm sure there's other many reasons beyond those I've mentioned but I think that's the main explanation. In truth, nursing school only teaches you half to less than half of the skills you will learn in the work setting. You will need training and support once you get out in the real world.