Work at the Jewish Hospital of Montreal ?

shurchik · Feb 8, 2008

Hi, Theimys!

I'm moving to Montreal from US and looking into the Jewish General too.

Don't have much insider info on any of the hospitals in Montreal yet, but so far I've liked Jewish General the most. Mostly because they advertise free preparation courses for the Quebec nursing exam. They also offer free French courses (not necessary in your case :) and other free courses that help you integrate into the new workplace. To me that shows that this hospital really cares about its new employees. I don't know, maybe other hospitals have that too plus other perks, but it's not listed on their websites. Here's a link to Jewish General www.jgh.ca

Another thing I liked is Jewish General, along with other McGill's English-speaking hospitals, regularly receives grants for research directed towards the advancement of nursing practice - research done by nurses and even nursing students. I understand that this is a rare thing for Canada, especially Quebec, and a good sign of a career potential for a nurse in this hospital.

But all that is pure theory! I wish I knew anything for sure...

Let's exchange information! Can you tell me about your hiring process? Did you have to go to Montreal, or were they phone interviews? How were the interviews? What experience do you have and how did that help your employment, etc.?

Bon chance!

Theimys · Feb 23, 2008

Excuse me for answering so late!

I was recruited in Paris where a delegation of the quebec come to recruit every year. I had one maintains of hiring that I made a success, then I have chooses my hopital and signed my contract. I am continuing my paper to arrive in montréal.

And you what is your hiring process ?

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Feb 23, 2008

I spoke with my coworker who grew up in Montreal and went to nursing school there. She made a couple of jokes when I asked her about the JGH..."Well, it's Jewish" and "The menu in the cafeteria is a little restrictive" sorts of things. When I asked her specifics, she said that the hospital does fund nursing research and that she knows nurses who work there and are very happy. But overall, Quebec doesn't treat its nurses well. Pay and benefits are near the bottom of the pile. And the political climate is always uncomfortable. My husband grew up in a suburb of Montreal and is 11th generation French Canadian, but he has no inclination to ever return there for more than visit. (As a unilingual Anglophone, I applaud that decision!)

Theimys · Feb 23, 2008

So it is more interesting going on an other province ?

I'm not fluent in English (as you can see it) so i imagine that work in English in another province will not be easy...

I have choosen this hopital to learn to work in English...

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Feb 24, 2008

I don't know if "interesting" is quite the right word. Quebec has been trying for many years to separate from Canada and be their own nation. Their provincial legislature is called L'Assemble Nationale; they wnat Canada to continue giving them transfer payments of tax money collected in other provinces, but they want to be separate. They've pushed and pushed until Canada became an officially bilingual English-French country... outside of Quebec, where the only legal language is French. Living in Quebec is hard for people who don't speak French because they've gone so far overboard trying to protect their language rights that if one doesn't speak French, one isn't worth the time it takes to be ignored. As a unilingual Anglophone who has lived in Quebec as an adult, I've never been treated so poorly as I was then. Our family could have used some extra money in those days but I couldn't get a job because I didn't speak French. My husband worked two jobs for the first year so that we could pay his income tax and we could still buy fresh produce for our little ones. When I would go to the store, I had to find everything on my own because the second I responded to a clerk in English, the look of disgust I received was more than I could take. While we were there a couple from the US were killed in ahead-on collision inside a tunnel because they didn't know that "Reculez", the only word on the sign at the entrance to the tunnel, meant they were going to wrong way. The social isolation was very hard for me. If I would have had the Internet then it might have been okay. Since both of you, Theimys and shurchik, speak French, you'll be okay. That's how my daughter manages to live and thrive there while she's working on her PhD.

Ther'es a document that compares the wages and benefits offered to nurses in each province available at https://www.una.ab.ca/Login/F0000F183/S005EE9FD-005EEA00.0/national%20comparision%20Sept.06.pdf that will show you the differences between Quebec and "The Rest of Canada". You'll see what I mean that Quebec doesn' t treat its nurses well.

Theimys · Feb 24, 2008

Your link does'nt work, it need an login to show the document

Do you know french nurses who work in a other province without beeing biligual ?

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Feb 24, 2008

Try this link then. I know it works without a log-in.

http://www.nursesunion.mb.ca/pdf%20files/CFNU_ContComp(12-17-07).pdf

There are some small pockets of Francophone-only nurses. St-Boniface and Tache in Winnipeg, have a high Francophone patient population. There are also some areas in eastern Ontario where there are French-speaking communities. Otherwise, the common language is English.

zuzi · Feb 25, 2008

So you need to know about Jewish hospital in Montreal not about Quebec, right?

So first..Jewish is the greatest hospital that I ever meet in Canada!

The doctors are on the top (all of mine was), the nurses and techniciens are ones of the best ever. Because me and my DD we are alive now that is happen because one of the olddy but goody nurse practitioner signed by her own couples of documents and take care of us seeing "you are one of us!", never ever I will forgot her...God bless her and her drole french accent. They are special people, very good organised, teaching and reserach at high level, opportunity to advance open for you, they love french people special orinal ones from France, are bilingual (at thta time for me bilingual means 2 words in frenc and 2 in english, looooool).

Cafeteria is gooooooooooood the coffe yummmmy. Couple of Zuzi closed to heart friends there, kiss them all beuatifull girls now, sweet childreans when Zuzi was there...loool

I am not jewish but so much compassion and so much smartest and quality of medical act I seen only in few places.

Is a good hospital, you will be happy there, talk with them all details about your insurance, union.

I will come in summer to vist you, loooooool, muaaaaaaaaaaah honey! Be happy you will like Montreal ....in the summer:lol2: is a nice place, free life style, a lot of placesto enjoy muaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Say bonjour from me to all boutiques, muaaaaaaah again

Aloort · Feb 29, 2008

Hi there,

I'm an RN working actually at the JGH ( for 2 years).I work on a med-surg unit.

There are good and bad things about JGH (as per my humble opinion).

I'm not French nor English, but I speak both languages. JGH is mainly an English environment but the documents are bilingual and if you don't get well with English, you can write your notes in French (almost everyone is more or less bilingual). JGH is very multicultural; there is no worry about not being French (Québécois) or whatever.

Things that I like:

People-staff: very professional, very team work oriented. The working relations RN with MD or Physio or Dietitian-great, we work very well, as a multidisciplinary team. MDs very open to suggestions, we discuss cases, sometimes the very fresh residents are asking the more experienced nurses ''what should I do?''

Top notch surgeries, very good environment for someone who wants to learn.

Among the things I don't like:

-staff shortage due to the financial policy of the hospital (very stingy);

-problems with the payroll-one has to check the paycheck every time, there is an error all the time, (might seem little but when you see that you've been cut a working day on your paycheck, this might become very annoying);

-Jewish type of a policy which allows the male or female beneficiary assistants to not provide the basic care for the patients if they don't feel comfortable (if the patient is a male or female). I totally agree with someone's rights but this policy totally encourages them to be lazy (yes this is the word) and to refuse to even assist a patient to transfer from bed to the wheelchair saying '' she is a woman I cannot touch her'') and so the nurses workload increases

I won't continue with too many details, there might be more to say about JGH (pluses or minuses) but this is what it came into my mind quick quick.

Take care

Pili · Sep 3, 2008

Hi all,

I need help!!!

I am a Spanish nurse, I've been working 5 years in France in the theater, so my French is quite good, my English is not too bad 6.5 in the IELTS, and now I am in South Africa, but after one year trying to work here without success (here everything is too slow, so the process to get registered is too much), so now where are thinking to go to Montreal because my husband could work there, but before that we need to know if I will be able to work, so I have a few questions:

Are there work?

How long it takes to do the papers?

Theimys: with who you did the interviews to put me in contact with them?

Do you know an agency or a contact that I could contact to look for a job/papers etc

How is the work? are you happy with the ambiance/salary?

Many thans for your help, but I don't want to do again the same mistake to follow my husband everywhere and to find that I am not able to work!

Cheers

Pili

Silverdragon102, BSN · Sep 3, 2008

Welcome Pili

Have you read this thread? https://allnurses.com/forums/f108/internationally-educated-nurses-very-important-read-first-323075.html

You do not need an agency and the process isn't too bad, paperwork is easy to complete and you will need a medical before you can work in the healthcare setting. I would also suggest a search in this and the International forum as there are many threads explaining the process. Also contact hospitals in the area you want to live as they will have experience with foreign trained nurse and you will also have to register with the province's nursing board and sit the CRNE. Nurses are required in most areas of Canada