plub

hey spacemonkey! I did the exact same thing in 2013 and did a fast track program through U of A. Definitely don't regret my decision... and yes, similar background (Bsc. in biochem) and also from a eastern province... I understand where you're coming from and I wanna say if you don't mind starting up in a rural/suburb area and working graveyard shifts, you can definitely achieve what you're looking for within a year or two! don't give up!

Hello! I've been working as a med/surg nurse for the past two years and I've been interested in the field of occupational health... part of me doesn't feel like bedside nursing is quite where my niche is so I'm thinking of making the switch. However, I hardly know anything about the field aside from a few job descriptions on COHNA's website. Was wondering if there's any OHN on the forum who can help me answer a few questions? 1. How did you guys get into the field? I've looked at a few online programs (Macewan etc), and they didn't really list many prereqs aside from having an active registration etc. As someone with experiences only in general med/surg, would I be able to sign up for them without too many challenges? Is it necessary to become certified?? 2. Where do you work? Once again, online job research informed me that most of the jobs seem to be in industrial places (oil company, grocery chain etc). Is that accurate? 3. Unionized or not? This is kind of a sensitive topic and forgive me if I ask... Are you unionized? If not, what is the hourly wage in comparison to an unionized RN? and benefits/holidays etc? 4. Hours of work? Do you mostly work day shifts? Any on-call shifts? are most positions full-time? I'm under the impression that only day shifts are offered and this definitely means a better lifestyle for me as I'm getting very exhausted of rotating shifts at work... 5. Keeping up the competencies? I understand OHNuring must entail a different skill set compared to med/surg ... how do you keep up your practice? I guess I'm more concerned with this in the case that I ever want to come back to floor nursing, would I be not qualified due to the loss of key skills? Sorry I've bombarded you with lots of questions! Feel free to PM me if you'd like! Thank you!!!!

would definitely recommend applying for jobs in small towns in AB :) I graduated last year and was hired before the last day of classes and one year down the road, had no problem getting another position in a "relatively" bigger town in AB. Just gotta keep your hopes up and be patient/willing to take baby steps at first! GL!

A little update: Received an email offer yesterday from the manager and will be setting up orientation so it definitely seems more legit. Although I still plan on asking for the official letter of hire... good idea? thanks!

Ok thanks! my thoughts too... usually it takes quite some time to check all the references. It's just such a time crunch because: 1) the supposed start date is only three weeks or so from now 2) I need to give a 2 week notice at my current place 3) new job requires relocation so i will need time to apartment hunt and the whole shebang... But I suppose I will give her a call a week from the day I submitted my references.

Hello there! Seeing there might be some potential hiring managers here, I would love to have advice on something that happened during a recent interview I had. A few days ago I went for an interview with the facility manager, and after the interview ended, she said she "thinks" I'm the perfect person for this, and she "will offer me the job if i'm interested." She then sat down with a calendar and planned my first week with me as well as the start date. At last she asked me for three references "as a routine check then it's all set" and took down my employee number (internal application). I emailed her all three references the next day, and I gave a heads up to my current manager who is extremely understanding and she kindly advised me to get the letter of hire first before giving the resignation letter. Now after browsing several career advice sites, I'm no longer sure if that was even a verbal offer? plus, still haven't received the actual hire letter from her yet. The supposed start date is sometime early next month and would it be considered rude if I follow up on this? When would be a good time? I was planning on calling next Monday although I don't want to come across as impatient... Thanks for your advice! J