NextGenRPN

I took the same path as you, did pre nursing at algonquin college in ottawa, had mixed feelings towards RN or RPN, the factor in my decesion was the RPN program was only 2 years compared to 4, i thought taking the RPN program would be a good introduction to the profession, if i dident like it then hey i only wasted 2 years compared to 4. now that im registerd as an RPN and working at a hospital up north, im glad i did what i did here a starting rpn vs a starting the pay difference is only 5$ but obviously over time the RN's make way more. i am going to be bridging to my RN eventually but this way it allows me to work and gain nursing exp as well as finish my degree and for me i think this was the best way to go, yes it takes a little longer to acheive that degree but i was working right out of school making money(very good money for 2 yrs of school 28/hr but i did relocate up north mind you) and chipping away at my loans. . feel free to PM me if you have any questions as it seems our situations are somewhat similar.

Ive had 2 Jobs in ontario as a RPN since i graduated (2013). IMO it all depends on your ability to relocate, and being able to take any job that comes your way even if its not your ideal job. If you are on the fence right now about it all i suggest do your Practial nursing, get a feel for the profession and job market in your area, and if need be bridge to get your degree in the future.

As a new grad i worked for a agency on a Temp licence. the best way to describe it to you would be it felt like everytime i was at that med cart my licence was on the line. i found that especially as a new grad it was overwhelming, and found that there was a real lack of support from the agency. when telling the regular staff at the homes that i was only on a temp licence they were mostly in shock. i would never recomend working for an agency for a new grad!!!

When you work for a staffing agency what happens is x nursing home has someone call in sick, they then call your agency, agency then calls you and then you go to x nursing home to work the shift. i would work 4-5 different homes a week, horrible for a new grad as there is a lack of support on the employers part (in my case at least) dont limmit yourself though take any experience is better than none, i did that job for 7 months right out of school just so i could have some experience under my belt and it has paid off as i am working in a hospital in pretty much my dream job, but that seems to be very rare these day i was extremely lucky :). and yes your fry selling job should go on there but with like 1 or 2 bullets, fatten up that resume with nursing jargon and you should be good. also in your young take an adventure and apply to other cities, i had to pack up leave home and live 4 hours away just so i can have my dream job, you gotta do you. feel free to PM me if you would like some resume help, i helped my buddies girlfriend and she landed a job a week later!

out of curiosity whats the hourly wage range for a lvn ? just a ball park figure ? ( i understand it may vary from state to state)

No i do not, is there a way around this? or another route i could take?

Hi all, Long story short my grandmother who has lived in california for the past 30 years. was generous enough and paid for my entrie nursing course here in canada, and I am looking to see if I would be able to get licenced in California to spend the final years with her, I have tried looking online but I can not find a staright forward aplication or anything like that. My offical title is Registerd Practical Nurse I am from Ontario Canada and have been licenced for over a year now currently working in a pscyiatric forensic ( mental health and the law) . any information would be greatly appreaciated

finding it difficult to find a job? are you only applying to particular places that you want, or are you applying to everywhere just so you can get your foot in the door and experience? . it was the same situation with my graduating class, people would always complain about not being able to get a job when they have only been applying to a select few places their "dream job" so to speak. the harsh truth is unless you had something lined up while finishing prgrad then your going to have to not be picky and work at anywhere that will hire you. as for the aplication on my resume when i passed the cpnre i put " successfully completed CPNRE awaiting registration from the CNO" in your cover letter mention you are waiting for your registration, it took 3 weeks for me do all my orientation and paper work before i could start and my registration came just in time. get some people to look at your resume, design it more towards a nursing job, managers arnt going to care that you sold fries at a chip truck during the summer. highlight clinical experiences ect if you didn't work as a psw during school or something like that, a little trick i use when emailing resemes is i email them them during closing hours late at night so when hr comes in the morning hopefully my email was thy last they had. when applying in person always ask to speak to managers directly or get their ext numbers so you can follow up in a few days. i hope you can take something from this post and good luck on the job hunt!....apply to a staffing agency , horrible job for new grads, but if you can handle it then it will be great for resume experience and will leave no time gaps, while you search for your dream job, when i graduated i worked for a staffing agency for 6 months then landed a job at a hospital in a forensic mental health setting! you get what you put in so work your but off and it will pay off!

Come to Canada :)

Dont give up!! my parents kinda pushed me into business right out of highschool and i absolutly hated it, the idea of nursing was always in the back of my head, so i decided to go for it. started the RPN program when i was 21 , and now im 24 and was lucky to get a job on the unit that i had my heart set out on! i will leave you with a couple quotes that have helped me make my own decesions and leave other peoples opionions out if it. "so many young people are getting so much advice from their parents and from their teachers and from everyone. But what is most important is that you have to dig deep down, dig deep down and ask yourselves, who do you want to be? Not what, but who. And I'm talking about not what your parents and teachers want you to be, but you. I’m talking about figuring out for yourselves what makes you happy, no matter how crazy it may sound to other people." - Arnold Schwarzenegger "Anything I've ever attempted, I was always willing to fail, you can't be paralyzed by fear of failure or you will never push yourself. You keep pushing because you believe in yourself and in your vision and you know that it is the right thing to do, and success will come. So don't be afraid to fail." - - Arnold Schwarzenegger

I am a RPN in ontario and i work in forensic mental health, and consolidated on an Acute inpaitent psych unit, so yes we can work in mental health, my employer did not need me to complete any extra courses or anything like that, but it does help to do them.

Applying to the Temporary Class - CNO

Absolutly right!! I bit the bullet and worked for a staffing agency for 8 months, and eventually landed a job in a forensic setting. i dont think i would have gotten this job if my resume lacked nursing experience. once you start gaining that experience just like xokw said you become more attractive to employers over the no experience new grads.

Where i work psws work in so many different areas, from psych, surg, medicine, they are even starting a trial with them in CCU. which personaly i think is a great idea, thoes nurses run their butts off, will be nice to lighten the load for them so they can tend to more urgent care matters.

I am in Ontario and work at a hospital and here we have RPNs in med surg, ive been pulled over a couple times to work there as well, where are you going to school?