RPN pay scale

This thread should give you an idea as it lists the provinces and pay scale. Cross country wage comparison

I make over $30/hr and have been working over a decade. Like any union contract, once you reach top rate you are left waiting for the yearly negotiated pay increases

thank you both for the quick responses and helpful towards me making my ultimate decision :). Another question who hard is it finding work as an RPN do the majority of hospitals take RN's over RPN's or is it a split. Just want to try and make the smart choice and know that when I am finished school that I will be able to get employment.

I work in Alberta. Nursing is like a wheel. Some years it's easy to get hired, others it's a female dog to find any work. Nobody has a crystal ball and can tell you what the job market will be like 2-3 years down the road.

Ontario only now appears to be hitting the hiring slump that the rest of the country went through years back. Alberta had a hiring freeze that lasted nearly a year. New grads are being hired but we've had some very lean years over the last two decades.

The days of walking out of college with a confirmed job offer are gone.

Yea I am hoping that Kingston General Hospital is hiring RPN's when I get out of school worst case end up in an old folks home until they begin hiring.

There is nothing wrong with working LTC and may help you with time management

Nope, the worst thing was working for Safeway stacking shelves like one RN I know who graduated in the early '90s during the Kline CutBack Era. Or the ones who were forced to look for work in the US to repay their loans.

Far worse use of nursing talent and loss of family life.

I work LTC and I enjoy it. You learn great skills there. The nurse who accepts the LTC job and starts nursing will eventually come out farther ahead than the nurse who waited for months and months for that "dream" job. Some experience is better than none. Keep this in mind. I don't plan to stay in LTC for the rest of my nursing career, but for now it's fine.

as an rpn i started at 26 in a hosp and 23 in ltc. in the hosp the differentials put me over 30. i do have a friend who works ltc and makes more on her base pay then i do with my differentials, so it all depends on where you’re working. pay is negotiated by the unions where i am. rns have a much higher cap then rpns.

ps old folks home won’t fly anymore its ltc from here on in.

Yea I am hoping that Kingston General Hospital is hiring RPN's when I get out of school worst case end up in an old folks home until they begin hiring.

Don't knock LTC, you can gain some very good experiences that will help you in your next job. I worked LTC when I graduated LPN, it was great experience for time management and assessment skills.

Yup, got to agree. I started out in LTC/Continuing Care. You take what you can to repay those student loans and keep the skills alive.

Those who hold out for their "dream" job need to grow up.

Nursing is like a wolfpack. Low wolf in the pack has to suck it up and deal with the jobs nobody really wants.