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Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

Old Apr 23rd 2015, 9:10 pm
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Default Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

Hi all,

Me and my husband are looking to move to Ontario within a couple of years. Can anyone tell me what the working conditions are like for nurses, either in Ontario or Canada in general? I work in a medical ward at the moment and would be looking for something similar - but not necessarily - when we move. Any information would be helpful

In particular I'm curious to know about vacation entitlement. I have read a little about employment laws in Ontario (which does seem a bit mean and I am secretly hoping someone can tell me nurses tend to get a little bit more than the minimum ). Also can anyone tell me about overtime, common shift patterns, breaks as well as the perks and downsides etc?

Thank you
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Old Apr 24th 2015, 10:15 am
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

As this is a question specific to Canada, I've moved it to the Canada forum where hopefully some of our lovely nurses that live and work there will be able to advise you.

Best of luck with it.
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Old Apr 24th 2015, 10:18 am
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

Originally Posted by Sarahjane88
Hi all,

Me and my husband are looking to move to Ontario within a couple of years. Can anyone tell me what the working conditions are like for nurses, either in Ontario or Canada in general? I work in a medical ward at the moment and would be looking for something similar - but not necessarily - when we move. Any information would be helpful

In particular I'm curious to know about vacation entitlement. I have read a little about employment laws in Ontario (which does seem a bit mean and I am secretly hoping someone can tell me nurses tend to get a little bit more than the minimum ). Also can anyone tell me about overtime, common shift patterns, breaks as well as the perks and downsides etc?

Thank you
If you do a search on the forum for nursing, nurses etc you will find a lot of info, and a lot of it isn't that good news, apparently you need to have your qualifications checked and approved, and, probably take more courses, people have said this can take a matter of years rather than month.
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Old Apr 24th 2015, 10:22 am
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

I am sure most if not all nurses in Ontario are union so I wouldn't pay much attention to what the Ontario labor code says as that is the basic minimums required, most union jobs have better pay and benefits then what is required under labor code.

Union contracts for various locations appears to be online.

https://www.ona.org/ona_members/hosp...greements.html
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Old Apr 24th 2015, 5:24 pm
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

Well I can't sadly... I live in Ontario and my paperwork has been with the CNO for over a year now and they still haven't finished assessing it to put me forward for the RPN exam. There's only one exam left for me to sit this year and the deadline is to enter is June and after that I will have to wait until the next lot of exams in my third year in the country..

To add, my husband is the reason we came and we were not relying on my income in any way so the pressure is not on us, I just want to work..

I think two weeks is fairly common starting as a new employee. I met a nurse the other day who after 10years was now on 5 weeks annual leave. I guess if you're part time it's not such an issue.
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Old Apr 24th 2015, 5:54 pm
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

I'm not a nurse but I work with them

A friend has taken 2 years to get her RN status, she'll get a part time casual job as there are few full time jobs outside big cities.
Casual work means no guaranteed hours but you are often put on the schedule. If you are lucky enough to get full time the seniority, ie who has been there the longest, means that with little seniority you will be at the bottom of the pecking order for vacation time. Once everyone else has chosen their weeks off then you can chose yours. The advantage of casual work is that you just tell them when you can't work, you get % pay instead of vacation pay and benefits.
There's a good pension scheme. HOOPP.
12 hour shifts are common. There seems to be loads of paperwork.
Out patient clinics are few in hospitals as the physicans are mostly self employed and have their own offices away from the hospital site. This can lead to a lack of continuity in medical records.
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Old Apr 24th 2015, 6:13 pm
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

Originally Posted by bats
I'm not a nurse but I work with them

A friend has taken 2 years to get her RN status, she'll get a part time casual job as there are few full time jobs outside big cities.
Casual work means no guaranteed hours but you are often put on the schedule. If you are lucky enough to get full time the seniority, ie who has been there the longest, means that with little seniority you will be at the bottom of the pecking order for vacation time. Once everyone else has chosen their weeks off then you can chose yours. The advantage of casual work is that you just tell them when you can't work, you get % pay instead of vacation pay and benefits.
There's a good pension scheme. HOOPP.
12 hour shifts are common. There seems to be loads of paperwork.
Out patient clinics are few in hospitals as the physicans are mostly self employed and have their own offices away from the hospital site. This can lead to a lack of continuity in medical records.
Seem's to be the norm for almost all medical jobs in BC these days. You see some full-time positions for well experienced positions which nobody would get fresh from school, otherwise casual seems to be the way things roll these days.

I'd be fine with it though, and was one reason I was looking into psychiatric nursing, casual hours. The pay is high enough where I would not need full-time, on a 12 hour shift at starting wage is 360 per shift approx pre tax under the current pay scale.
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Old Apr 24th 2015, 6:21 pm
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

Depending on when you trained and which province you live and work in will pened on whether you have further courses to do.

All International applications now have to go through NNAS before you apply to province of choice. Some if not most provinces now require some form of assessment before being allowed to sit NCLEX and for many that have posted further courses are required which will add on to the time you have to wait before you can sit NCLEX.

I work as a nurse in a long term care facility in Nova Scotia and really it isn't bad and currently my pay here is better than I would have gotten in the UK.
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Old Apr 24th 2015, 9:39 pm
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

I want to thank everyone for their replies, particularly Jsmth321 as that link was incredibly helpful! Even gave me information for things I hadn't even thought of yet such as maternity leave!

I know its a hard slog as a nurse to get to Canada but boy when I'm determined, I'm determined! I already applied to NNAS on the 1st April. Not liking this idea of working casual... but I suppose one foot in the door and all that?
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Old Apr 25th 2015, 12:34 pm
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

Originally Posted by Sarahjane88
I want to thank everyone for their replies, particularly Jsmth321 as that link was incredibly helpful! Even gave me information for things I hadn't even thought of yet such as maternity leave!

I know its a hard slog as a nurse to get to Canada but boy when I'm determined, I'm determined! I already applied to NNAS on the 1st April. Not liking this idea of working casual... but I suppose one foot in the door and all that?
Yep, one foot in the door. There are advantages to it and you can have more than one job. I've been part time casual for 8 years I always get enough work though until recently it wasn't the best choice of shifts. When there are layoffs of permanent staff then more casual employees are used.

You'll be fine.
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Old Apr 25th 2015, 12:55 pm
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

Originally Posted by bats
Yep, one foot in the door. There are advantages to it and you can have more than one job. I've been part time casual for 8 years I always get enough work though until recently it wasn't the best choice of shifts. When there are layoffs of permanent staff then more casual employees are used.

You'll be fine.
I moved to Ontario a few months ago from NS. I am enjoying my nursing here much better. It is still a nice casual working environment, but the standards of care are much higher. In both provinces I have been allocated 4 weeks A/L plus public holidays. Bear in mind that you normally have to work the first year without holiday so you 'accrue/earn' it for the next year. That sounds grim but I managed quite well getting time off together with shift switches. Also the annual leave allocation goes entirely on seniority, so when you start you are at the bottom of the pack. I didn't get a request sanctioned for quite some time, however, I got a nice surprise when I got a lump sum payment of around $3000 for my vacation not taken. You can also bank any extra shirts you do as vacation and you get double time for missed breaks or staying late that you can choose to get banked or paid. In the UK, we had this 'time owing book' that you wrote your hours in and it just seemed to stay there for ever, never getting it back of getting paid. The pay is excellent here!
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Old Apr 25th 2015, 1:00 pm
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the most common shift pattern I have worked is 2 days, 2 nights and 4 off. (with an extra day here and there for smoothing) Our department has just brought in 'the continental' shift pattern, which is all over the place and seems completely random. People are up in arms about it. I am now part time, so it doesn't really affect me. I just sort of pick and choose my own shifts. (lucky!)
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Old Apr 26th 2015, 12:22 pm
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

Regarding casual employment contracts, I've seen a number of these advertised on Health Match BC but I'm assuming that they aren't able to sponsor people for Express Entry if it's a casual job? Does anyone know for sure? I ask because in certain areas (Okanagan mostly) those seem to be the only roles advertised!
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Old Apr 26th 2015, 12:40 pm
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

Originally Posted by Shelley Bean
Regarding casual employment contracts, I've seen a number of these advertised on Health Match BC but I'm assuming that they aren't able to sponsor people for Express Entry if it's a casual job? Does anyone know for sure? I ask because in certain areas (Okanagan mostly) those seem to be the only roles advertised!
It's actually a good point for nurses looking to gain PR... With the new Express Entry a nurse untill they have had their education assessed (which I presume but don't definitely know is the recognition of a professional body such as the CNO as it is was with my husband- a doctor) would mean you couldn't gain enough points to get an invitation to apply until you had registration and a job offer. To gain a job offer you would need registration anyway. That requires definite dedication to the idea of moving to Canada!
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Old Apr 26th 2015, 1:18 pm
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Default Re: Canadian Nurses - What are the working conditions like?

Most employers if not all that I have seen advertise require eligibility or license with the provincial college of RN's. This may make things a bit more delayed when looking at the various routes that require employment
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