Aspie

That's how I've got my first job, full time in a small rural hospital, as a new grad. Relocation paid and all that. Keep in mind that it is a different type of nursing. You have to be jack-of-all-trades and be ready for anything. Doctors are all locums in rural places, without Canadian education, so be ready to question every order and lots of confrontation and advocacy needed. Risking your license every second. No resources, if your patient is deteriorating you don't have a code team, no respiratory therapy, you are it. Mental health resources suck. Lots of social issues that won't ever be addressed. Staffing is terrible. You'll find yourself running back and forth between a code and an active labour. Very sick kids, with doctors waiting for them to crash before they bother to transfer them to a paediatric centre. Lots of stuff that is different, but it is nice still. Quite rewarding and you get to live in a beautiful and tranquil place.

I understand that PALS is extremely rare thing to use, but my employer requires me to take it. I hope I won't ever need it. But with the childhood obesity epidemic we already see kids with clogged arteries and MIs before reaching 30 yrs old. It's getting worse.

I am also taking PALS soon for the 1st time. Any study tips? The book is very strange... Usually there are case studies, exercises, post-tests, critical thinking questions at the end of each chapter. And here... just dry text. Do you know of any good study guides? I took NRP and the text was awesome. This one is not user-friendly.

The orientation was about a month, 16 buddy shifts. I would say it was more than enough, I felt comfortable starting to be on my own.

For tips: have a good winter wardrobe and make sure you have indoor hobbies and an entertainment system:) the closest movie theatre is 200 miles away and a reliable vehicle.

After working about 6 months in a isolated northern village I did my first charge shift and remembered this convo :) Yep, rural nursing is not for everyone, for the reasons stated above for sure, but I love it and can't imagine doing anything else. Very happy about my choice. Thanks everyone!

For me it says: "We're sorry, you are not eligible to register for an exam at this time. " Whatever that means...

Kikilaroo, wow, your story is impressive! Good job! Do you still have the list of the links and videos to get prepared for an RN job interview?

blissity, thank you very much for this information! Glad to hear that you're enjoying your work! I'm just a school junkie. I thoroughly enjoyed the 4 years of nursing school (and my classmates said I'm crazy) :) The idea of another semester in the University of Northern British Columbia sounds better to me than a vacation :)

Hello everyone, I'm writing to seek your advice. I just graduated from a nursing school in BC and my husband and I are dreaming of moving to some distant rural area (any province). My husband works from home, so we are not tied to anywhere. When I think of what kind of nursing I want to do, the only thing that really excites me is rural nursing. But I know it is a hard kind of nursing where you work with scarce resources and have to really know your scope. I would like to take Rural nursing program in the University of Northern British Columbia and I can afford it. My question is: is there a point to enrol into Rural Nursing Program right after nursing school? I heard that it is not hard to find a rural nursing job somewhere up North and get experience, but I don't feel confident enough to accept it before I have a certificate. Too much responsibility. Do you have any advice for me or a story to share?

Hi blissity, I'm a new grad going through the same process with AHS Сandidate Management at the moment. They scheduled a phone call with me. I wanted to ask you to share your experience about talking to them. I have already screwed up one interview, so I'm nervous. Will that phone call from AHS Сandidate Management be about asking questions as it's an interview? Or is it just a chat about my preferences?

I think there are way too many folks with AS now and because of that empathy concept was included into the curricula, lol :) I'm finishing the nursing school and have had many struggles. Group work sucks balls! Especially because English is not my native language. But I just learned a lot about non-verbals and social norms and trying to fit in. Takes a lot of energy. Sometimes I get so exhausted that I relax and become awkward again. Then I call myself Sheldon Cooper :) Everything is possible, but it will be very draining... I will try to get into the research field, get Master's Degree and find something with less social interactions. Or get a NICU speciality. I know that there I will have to talk to parents. but at least it will be meaningful, not just stupid chit-chat.