looking4options

I see, what about more rural areas? Also, what about research nurses?

Thank you both! I'm situated in lower mainland of British Columbia. My impression is that the job market here is fairly decent. And I have quite a bit of savings from working full-time in the past 5 years so the finances isn't a huge burden. What does the schedule of a typical nurse at a hospital look like? I'm interested in knowing how many shifts need to be fulfilled, the length of shifts etc. Can one also work part-time at a hospital? If so, what does that look like in terms of hours and shifts? I know it's gonna depend on the site but just wanna get a general sense of the possibilities.

I'm a masters of science graduate in psychology and neuroscience and have been working as a research assistant/coordinator for the past 4-5 years in a hospital research setting managing clinical research projects, with experience in both neurology and psychiatry departments. Currently, I make about $50k per year working full-time, with great benefits and a pension plan. I like my current job given its flexibility, for example when I work later on some days and weekends, I can bank those for my vacation time. However, there is not much growth (pay-wise especially, the most one can advance to is about $60k per year) in such positions and they are typically meant as turnover positions for those looking to go on to an MD or PhD, not to stay long-term. My work is largely administrative (about 70%) but I do also work with patients and families directly in assessments and in therapy/treatment sessions from time to time, which I enjoyed tremendously. This got me thinking about nursing as a profession. At this stage of my life, it seemed to be a great fit for its promising financial returns (with a small time investment), and of course, the human factor. As well, I'm looking for a skillset and profession that will lend itself well to international settings as well as a non-9-to-5 work schedule. While those are all very convincing arguments for me to change gears, I am wary of the family life that I'll miss out on by working night shifts, especially once I have children. These are my very surface impressions thus far so I'm hoping someone who has more knowledge than me can speak more about nature of the job and if possible, give me some advice on whether this would be indeed a good investment of time, energy and finances. Many thanks in advance!