Published Nov 17, 2009
pdempz
1 Post
Hey guys!
I'm a male nurse in ICU in one of the major hospitals in Ireland, however myself and my girlfriend were thinking of moving to Canada for a number of years?!?
Would any one have any advice in relation to job prospects, preferably on the east coast,(ICU~specialising in cardiothoracic ), expectant salaries, cost of living and so on!!!
I would be very gratefull of any advice you guys have!!
Cheers !
NotReady4PrimeTime, RN
5 Articles; 7,358 Posts
There are cardiothoracic programmes at Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre/Halifax Infirmary and Izaak Walton Killam Hospital (peds) in Halifax, New Brunswick Heart Centre in St John and Memorial University Health Centre in St John's.
QEII has positions vacant right now in their CVICU. Hourly wages range from $29.07 to $34.12 plus shift differentials. See Cross Country Comparison for more information on pay and benefits.
Cost of living in the Maritimes is quite reasonable. I could buy two homes similar to the one I live in here in Alberta for what this one would sell for. The tricky part is heating since many homes in the Maritimes are still heated with oil. If you can get a home with natural gas heating you're in like Flynn. Perhaps silverdragon01 will wander by and offer her assessment since she has emigrated from the UK in the recent past and lives in Nova Scotia now. SD?
Silverdragon102, BSN
1 Article; 39,477 Posts
Hey there
A lot will depend on which province you want to live in and what sort of lifestyle you are after. Cost of living does vary with some things cheaper and other things more expensive. Housing is definitely cheaper and we have a house and land that we could only dream of in the UK. If you live in the big towns like Halifax, Fredricton, Amherst, Moncton etc you may have access to natural gas for heating but once you move out of the towns and into the country then generally wood and oil are the main heat. We use wood with oil as a top up as we live approx 40 kms outside a town, that means we have to buy and cut the wood for the stove/furnace.
RGN1
1,700 Posts
I came to Canada -really happy I did. ICU is a good field as it seems to be always in demand. Most of the East coast seems to be still recruiting, unlike us in Alberta!
All the best!
BTW try to avoid going with an agency, you're better off approaching the HR depts yourself if possible.