This should be no surprise to anyone, but British Columbia still needs nurses. There are around 2,000 vacancies at presetn. And anyone with the slightest ability to look into the future will be able to see that this demand is only going to increase.
Nurses are not immune from ageing. So like other professions there is a bubble of nurses about to retire. One third of nurses in fact are eligible to retire over the next 5 years. That is massive.
No wonder then that the BC Government has negotiated a deal with the BC Nurses Union to increase their wages. At a time when there’s a pay freeze pretty much across the board (AIG in the States being the sad exception).
So nurses can look forward to pay rises, assuming the BCNU agrees to the new contract. This will mean new nurses starting on $58,000 a year. Senior nurses (9 years plus) on $76,000 and top management grades on $95,000.
I hear from a lot of the nurses we have seen in our time here – both as clients and occasional hospital visitors – that nurses are paid well compared to the UK. No wonder then that we hear so many English accents in the hospitals.
How can we start the process of converting a nursing degree and moving over to BC. Is there any help in this process?
Hi Dawn,
there is some information on our web site on nursing jobs including information on the exams you will need as a foreign trained nurse. There is a link to the immigration information you will need from there too.
Good luck.