US nurse considering move to Canada

[Snow549]

Howdy everyone, I am a new grad RN that got my BSN in Texas and I will be working in the ER for my first job. I am considering immigrating to Hamilton, Ontario about 5-6 years from now. I am not sure if I posted this topic in the right area but generally seems to fit into the immigration area.

I have read a TON already about what it is like in Canada as a nurse and the immigration process. From how nurses there typically begin as a casual/PRN nurse (and some are still able to pick up full time hours), unions being a thing there, you guys generally not having CNA's or techs to help, pensions? ( I am assuming that is something akin to the US's social security?), the pay for Canadian nurses is basically the same across the board expect certain specialties such as ER, ICU, and so on, the job market being generally tight even for native born Canadians, some places still doing paper charting, being paid a bit less than US nurses, and rotating days/evening/night shifts.

Sorry if that was a bit long-winded but my question is........ could any of you that live near the Hamilton, Mississauga, or Toronto area tell me about that general area's job market? I know Toronto's market is tough. I wish to stick to the ER most likely while I am young and would prefer evening shifts (such as 11a to 11p, 12p to 12a, stuff like that. I know here in Texas it is hard to keep people in Evening/Night shifts), and if anyone has any experience in an ER in Canada I would gladly like to hear it too! 

Thank you

[Lucydog14]

Yeah pretty much everywhere is unionized. You do pay into an old age pension but most nurses also pay into nursing specific pensions as well that the employer contributes to. 

Many places do employ PSWs  that assist the nursing staff. Some places still do paper charting but that's pretty rare. Shifts are generally 12 hours and are pretty much 7a -7p or 7p -7a. A lot of the time you rotate between days and nights 

[Snow549]

@Lucydog14

OK, thank you for the information Lucy. That's interesting that your employers provide pensions.

A shot in the dark, but do ER's have evening/mid shifts where you work?

[Fiona59]

I don't work in Ontario but in my province, my ER has multiple shift patterns.  There are 8 hour shifts that do D/N, D/E.  Then there are 12 hour rotating A/B shifts.  The shift starts are staggered and different from the rest of hospital to optimize staff being on the floor during the busiest times.

We joke that shifts are rotating so that everyone can have the same level of disruption in their lives.  No one has a straight line.

Our ERs have LPNs who carry their own patient load and a few service workers who clean the bays after discharge/transfer of patients.  Your patient is yours and when necessary you work as a team.

We're in the middle of the transition to paperless charting, it's all been delayed due to COVID.

[Lucydog14]

Where I worked for years the ER (and most of the units) were 12 hour 730a-730p shifts. The ER schedule was 2 days, 2 nights, 5 off. 

The pension was HOOPP ( hospital of Ontario pension plan), bur some places have different ones. For every dollar we contributed the hospital kicked in $1.25

[Snow549]

@Lucydog14 and @Fiona59

OK, thank you both for the information. I see a lot of positives in immigrating to Canada, mainly it being more peaceful than the US and better quality of life. But the biggest deterrent in my eyes is the rotating shifts. I have read some temporary nurses just sign up for only one shift once they have accumulated some seniority. But until then they have to get what they can. 

So, how did you guys, at first, manage doing rotating shifts? (especially days to nights).

[Lucydog14]

You can't just " sign up" for only one shift. Occasionally a line will be just days or nights but unless that is specified you are expected to work all shifts, that is usually in the job description. Seniority has little to do with it except that a straight days or nights line posted internally may be awarded based on seniority. 

You just get used to the rotation. 

[Fiona59]

Took nearly 17 years to get a one shift line.

 

you just do what you have to do.  

[Fiona59]

On 10/8/2020 at 1:14 PM, Snow549 said:

@Lucydog14 and @Fiona59

OK, thank you both for the information. I see a lot of positives in immigrating to Canada, mainly it being more peaceful than the US and better quality of life. But the biggest deterrent in my eyes is the rotating shifts. I have read some temporary nurses just sign up for only one shift once they have accumulated some seniority. But until then they have to get what they can. 

So, how did you guys, at first, manage doing rotating shifts? (especially days to nights).

As a casual, you can make yourself available for one shift only, but you usually won't manage to make full time hours.  When I first started working, I could only do days due to family obligations.  There were times when I had two days work for a paycheque.  I wound up working at five different sites to make ends meet and pay off that student loan.  As new hire casual, you will be at the bottom of the to call list.

 

You have to be aware that COVID has caused all sorts of economic problems.  Alberta nurses are facing cutbacks in numbers, benefits, and wages.  Ontario is probably looking the same.

[Snow549]

@Lucydog14 My mistake, when I said temporary nurses I meant to say  casual nurses. Thank you for the information

@Fiona59 I see, thank you for the insight into being a casual nurse. Wow, I can't believe it took you 17 years to get a one shift line job. Yeah COVID has caused a lot of problems for a lot of people. Thank you again for the information.