Traveller12

Shift differentials, OT, and working at extremely short-staffed work sites all contribute to those high wages. My first year nursing I made $90,000 (this was at step one in BC). It looks great on paper but I worked nearly every day for over half that year. Usually in those cases it's due to not enough nurses being available to cover shifts- I often found myself finishing my 12 hour shift only to be told that no one would be relieving me and I'd have to stay otherwise it'd be abandonment of duty. If you work at enough different places within a health authority and don't mind working your days off as well then it's easy to reach those high numbers.

There are quite a few nursing agencies that do hire LPNs. Solutions Staffing in BC hires LPNs for assignments (there aren't as many assignments available as RNs get but they do still exist). They are excellent to work for and offer work in several provinces. They can help you get licenses in the province of your assignment and once you work a certain amount then the cost of your license will be reimbursed. This holds true for all agencies I know. It's usually 8 weeks of work over the year to get the license cost back, which is pretty easy to do. They'll pro-rate it too if you happen to work less than that during the year so you can get at least part of it back. I believe Venture and Bayshore also hire LPNs though there aren't a whack of assignments available. Still worth contacting them and getting on their lists. Most of these assignments will be rural/remote though you do sometimes get ones in hospitals in bigger centres. Good luck.

Are you a Registered Practical Nurse or a Registered Psychiatric Nurse? If you are a practical nurse you can look into postings at the Rankin Inlet hospital, the Gjoa Haven Continuing Care Centre, or the Igloolik Continuing Care Centre. If you are a psych nurse then you can work as the mental health nurse in the communities, either through the Government of Nunavut or agency (Bayshore or Venture).

There are a few agencies that hold the contracts in Nunavut. Indigenous and Canada Healthcare are seen pretty rarely (I've only run across 2 nurses from them in the last few years). Bayshore and Venture out of Winnipeg have the main contracts with the majority going to Venture. As of right now with agency they want you a minimum of 6 weeks in though if they are really short and need someone last minute then you may get a shorter stint. They pay flat rates so it doesn't matter how often you get called in after hours so that's a downside but the upside is you know how much you'll make each contract- gives a bit of security. If you go with the government casual pool then you get orientation for 2 weeks and can sort of pick and choose where you want to go and for how long. They're pretty disorganized though so that's the downside. If you have certifications to do flight nurse work then there are companies that do that as well (depends on who won the latest contract) and do medivacs. Not sure who has the contract now...might be Keewaitin?

I've lived in Nunavut over the last few years and now travel there for casual assignments. I had a great deal of issues with the GN (very understaffed and unfortunately very unorganized) so after a few years I decided to resign and go with agency. There are two agencies with the northern contract that are based out of Winnipeg (you can google them). If you go with government you pay rent but if you go with agency rent is covered and so are per diems daily. It's also nice to be able to travel to different communities for a few weeks at a time and have your airfare paid back home (I used to pay $3000 alone to get home for vacation). Cost of living is very expensive so doing short stints with agency is kinda the best of it all. Wonderful culture and beautiful landscapes- I love heading back up to see friends. I originally went up to expand my scope and also try to sock away some money- unfortunately even with those big wages and bonuses the cost of living and being able to leave to see family means you really don't make that much more than if you had stayed in the south and done some OT. Travel assignments are great for experience and savings but you really do need to be ready to hit the ground running as soon as you land in the community. Hope that helps.