r/OntarioNurses

hi guys. I got accepted into both McMaster and Western for the compressed nursing programs. I have to decide my desired program by tonight (it’s a little last-minute because I was waiting on both acceptances + I was waiting for another program, which I got waitlisted for). I want to attend Western primarily because living in London is significantly cheaper than Hamilton, and because London is closer to home than Hamilton (not a huge difference, 2hrs vs 3hrs). I’m not sure if I want to be limited by the Learn-and-Stay grant, so finances are very important to me.

However, people are saying that western isn’t super great clinically. McMaster has plenty of hospitals, enhancing your experience. But what’s so bad about the clinical placements at Western? Did you have to travel very far? Were there less clinical placements rotations/days due to less hospitals? I’m not seeing enough detail about the cons of the program and want to know before it’s too late :( thanks!

I have an upcoming interview for a new grad RN position in NICU/Paeds, and I’m feeling pretty nervous. I was wondering if anyone who has interviewed for NICU, paeds, maternal-newborn, or even a new grad RN role in general would be willing to share any advice or insight.

I’d especially appreciate any tips related to NICU interview questions or scenarios, since I feel more confident with my paeds background and would love to better prepare for the neonatal side. I’d also be really grateful to hear from anyone who has interviewed at NYGH (North York General Hospital), even if it was for a different unit, just to get a better sense of what the interview experience was like.

I’ve already been researching around from colleages and glassdoor but I’d still appreciate any advice on common questions, clinical scenarios, prioritization, escalation, virtual interview tips, or anything you wish you reviewed beforehand. :)

Hi everyone,

I’m a nursing student starting my first summer working as a Clinical Extern, and I was hoping to get some advice from nurses or other externs who have worked multiple hospital jobs. This is just for the summer only until the end of August.

I accepted two part-time Clinical Extern positions at different hospitals because I was hoping to work close to full-time hours this summer. Both positions involve 12-hour shifts, either days or nights.

One hospital is already asking me to provide my availability until the first week of July, and I start training for the other hospital next week, so I’m assuming I’ll need to provide my availability there soon as well.

I’m trying to figure out how to be strategic with my availability so I can hopefully work around two shifts per week at each hospital, but also not completely overload myself or burn out. I still want to enjoy some time off this summer and avoid creating a schedule that becomes unmanageable.

Ideally, I was hoping to have my shifts at each hospital booked close together rather than spread out randomly throughout the week. I’m unsure whether it would be better to try to follow a typical 2 days/2 nights type of rotation, aim for three 12-hour shifts in a row, or structure my availability another way. I’m hoping to get a good number of hours, but I also do not want to run into a situation where I only get one shift per week at each hospital because of how I submit my availability.

Originally, I was thinking of giving the hospital currently asking for my availability more open availability, then using that schedule to plan my availability for the second hospital. However, I’m now wondering if that could create issues with trying to line up days, nights, rest days, and availability for both sites.

For anyone who has worked two part-time or casual hospital jobs, especially with 12-hour shifts, how did you manage your availability? Did you give each hospital set days, alternate weeks or weekends, prioritize one hospital over the other, or leave more flexibility open?

I’m also wondering whether it is best to be upfront with each manager/scheduler that I am working another part-time hospital job, or whether that could potentially affect how they view my availability or scheduling. I want to be honest and professional, but I’m not sure how much detail is helpful to share.

Any tips on how to submit availability in a way that is realistic, organized, and still gives me a good chance of getting shifts would be really appreciated. This is my first time working as a Clinical Extern, so I’m just trying to plan ahead and avoid overcommitting myself.

Thank you!

Hello there,

I’m considering nursing as a second career but I keep doubting myself if it will be the right decision for me. Any advice is greatly appreciated and here a bit of detail about me and what I’m trying to accomplish:

- I’ve completed my bachelor’s degree in life sciences about 10 years ago and worked as clinical trial coordinator, data analysts, QA/regulatory affairs

- Going to medical school was/is my dream and passion and I want to give it a shot. But as I’m older now I don’t want to enrol in another pre-med program trying to purse my dream. Hence thinking about nursing. At least even if my journey to medical school doesn’t work I’ll at least have a solid career to fall back into.
- I reside in GTA and was looking at the 2nd entry/accelerated nursing programs particularly the ones offered at Ontario a tech and Trent university; but since it’s been quite a while not sure if I will quality for that path.

Sorry for being all over the place but I’m seeking any advice or guidance that can help me make the right decision.

Thanks in advance!

I worked as a cook for the last decade before deciding to go back to school to become a nurse after taking care of my father with cancer for many years. I’m currently 29. I just finished pre health at my local college and got accepted into the bachelor of science in nursing program for September.

I’m currently off for the summer and need to pay my bills/rent as I don’t get osap payments throughout the summer until September begins again. I had my resume open and had gotten a job offer for a part time cooking position at a retirement home in town.

When I went to the interview they said it was 10-15 hours a week, part time and just a helping out type of position. I’d basically be there to help out the main cooks in whatever prep needed to be completed, stuff like that. The job sounded okay and I wasn’t getting any other offers at the time so I took the job.

I started the job and it quickly turned into something it wasn’t. It turned out to be a full time position 40-50 hours a week, 10-11 hour days. It also ended up being a leadership position where I was in charge of the menu and creating recipes for the residents to enjoy. I also had to run dinner service and instruct other staff. By my 4th shift, they had me training new staff members and the main cooks that trained me had left on vacation.

This shocked me because they never clarified this in the ad/job offer or said this in the interview. I was okay with a part time casual cooking job but i left the restaurant industry for a reason and it was because it’s not the best for my mental health, I had been doing it for too long and the hours are long while the pay is not so good.

I did a total of 6 shifts and worked there for just over one week. I decided the job was not for me as it just simply wasn’t what I signed up for and I also got a better job offer that allows me to enhance my interpersonal skills which is more beneficial in the long run for my nursing career. I decided to professionally resign from the position through phone call and email. Since I had only worked there for just over a week and a total of 6 shifts, I didn’t think a 2 week notice would be necessary, so I just handed in a resignation effective immediately.

The next day, I got a phone call from the general manager and an email asking if I would give a two week notice. They said if I wasn’t willing to give a two week notice I would be burning bridges with the company and it will impact my nursing career. They said quote “Knowing that you will seek placement opportunities and future employment to achieve your nursing goals, l would hate to see you burn any bridges by not at least providing the appropriate two week notice”. Over the phone they also stated that if I was not willing to give this two week notice, they would keep my name on file and make note that I will no longer be employable at the company.

This confused me as well because when I asked my pre placement coordinator about doing my placement there (when I initially got the job), she said I wouldn’t be able to do my placement there anyways since it would be a conflict of interest. My pre placement coordinator stated “Please note that students cannot be placed in an agency where they are currently or previously employed, as this is considered a conflict of interest.”. So basically I wouldn’t have been able to do my placement there anyways.

I am just worried because I didn’t think a cooking job would impact my nursing career like this. I feel so defeated because I’ve worked so hard to gain admission into the bachelors program and we have to do a placement second semester in a long term care home. I’m hoping I can just be placed into a different company but seeing these emails and having this job say these things cuts me to the core.

Am I in the wrong for not giving a two week notice when I only worked there for a week and was technically still under “training” hours?

Am I in the wrong for not being happy that the job was not what I had expected?

Will this seriously impact my nursing career?

Is it true that it’s a policy in Ontario that I can’t work at places I worked at/currently work at, as it is a conflict of interest? Or maybe I’m interpreting what my pre placement coordinator said?

I feel like I’m overthinking everything right now and I guess I just needed to vent about this.

Thanks for reading it for anyone who did.

Hey everyone I applied for CTF nursing program regular stream for the sept 26 start. I’m hoping to hear from others who have been accepted to this stream or others who are waiting to hear back what their admissions stats are. Has anyone gotten any updates from academic counselling about dates? I’m applying with an 85 or 86 average, I was waitlisted at Queen’s but western is my first choice so looking for some opinions from others. If you’re in the program already did you get accepted with an average in the 80s?

Hi everyone,

I'm going to be entering first year of the Compressed Nursing program at Western, and I was hoping to seek clarifications about the program.

Questions:

1. Is the workload heavy in first vs second year?
2. Would it be possible to manage the workload during first year, while having a part-time job? If so, what days/time would be best to work?
3. Is first year mainly online courses, and how many days a week do you have to be on campus for classes/labs?
4. Any tips to get 4.0?

Thank you in advance!!

Is anyone else having trouble finding a hospital job in Ontario? I finished school December 2025 and still am unable to land a hospital position. I did a clinical Extern position at a hospital and they’re only prioritizing people who’ve consolidated at their hospital. I did extra certifications like BLS as well. Altered my resume a lot to fit the job posting. Then the NGG positions as well are mainly going to people who have consolidated at a hospital. I did consolidation at LTC and feel like I’m at a loss because of that. Is there anything I could do to put myself in a position to get a hospital job?

(I’ve even been applying to casual PSW positions as a “RPN” at the hospital and didn’t even get a call back😭)

I’ve applied to every single hospital in Ontario even if the posting said 1yr experience required. I’ve applied to hospitals 2 hours away even. I was considering going to BC or NS or anywhere rural but they’re only accepting people with experience. Send help🙏🏾

Hi everyone, pls I need help and advice.

I'm a nurse in Ontario doing my Nursing executive Master in Walden University but right now I'm looking for a hospital in Ontario to do my practical...Where I work said they can take me in but I have the following centres provided by my University: North York General Hospital, Trillium Health partners Toronto, Right Home Canada and Runnymede Healthcare center.

I have tired for the past weeks to contact the above centers but none is responding to me.

Pls can any in the group help me out. Thank you very much

I'm only writing this for those who are considering their initial US licensure. I wish I had this information before I accepted an offer to work in a New England state.

First of all, some states will ask for a SSN to initiate an application for licensure. If you don't have an SSN yet, you will need to get a TN visa for that. In order to get a TN, you need a job offer.

So, you get a job offer. Now, you have to gather requirements for the TN visa. Your prospective employer will provide the offer/support letter. Your biggest contribution will be the VisaScreen (from Trumerit/CGFNS). If you're a newbie to all of this, just know that you will pay Trumerit a lot of money (currently 740USD for VisaScreen) but you will be doing the brunt work i.e. making sure your school actually submits the forms required by Trumerit. Mine was so unresponsive; I didn't know what stage my request was in because nobody acknowledged receipt and nobody told me what to expect next and when. Then you have to pay the school for those forms too.

TN visa is currently at 80USD.

Say, you got your TN and you got your SSN. Now, you can apply for licensure at the state. The state will most likely need a CES Report from Trumerit (which is currently at 735USD). This is where the problem started for me. Trumerit needed further clarification on my nursing hours from the school, particularly in surgical, obstetrics and paediatrics. I had the theoretical hours but not the clinical hours. I had to go back to my school to get this done and, this time, I was on their case because I wasn't gonna wait around and trust them like the first time. For additional context, I did an accelerated nursing program in Ontario and spent my last 2 placements in psychiatry. I have also worked exclusively in psych after school and got my CNA specialty in psych. I just knew from my first placement in psych that it's where I want to be.

Anyway, the state receives the CES Report. The state will also require other things like background checks. The state, in my case, took a long while to review my application - about 3 months. Take note, my prospective employer was waiting on me to get this done. At this point, they had been waiting 7 months from when they offered me the job. Finally, I got connected to the highest-ranking member of the board of nursing. She then tells me that I need to fulfill clinical hours in surgical and obstetrics nursing. I go back to my prospective employer and they say that the only way to fulfill this is to go through one of the nursing programs that would accept me in the state but it would cost me at least 17,000USD. So, I said no and they rescinded the offer.

You're better off applying for your first US license in a state that doesn't require a SSN. That way, you won't have to spend money on a VisaScreen if it turns out that you're not eligible to work in that state after all. And, don't ever move for a job unless you're absolutely sure that you're allowed to practice there.

TL;DR: I recommend applying for your initial US nursing license in a state that doesn't require a SSN.

Hello everyone, please be kind. ❤️

I was wondering if anyone here became an RPN through Better Jobs Ontario. How was your experience? Did everything work out well for you?

For some background, I was recently laid off from my HR job, and it’s been discouraging seeing how limited the opportunities are in my field right now.

I already completed a diploma, a degree, and a post-grad program. However, becoming an RN has always been my dream. I know the pathway won’t be easy, but it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time. I actually got accepted into nursing back in 2014 when I was only 16 (which honestly feels so young to start college now lol), but my mom encouraged me to pursue Business instead, so that’s the path I took.

Fast forward to now — I’m 28 with a baby, and I was accepted again into the RPN program at this March. The only issue is that I need to upgrade some of my courses because my high school credits are outdated. Back in high school, I did really well and maintained grades between 80–100%.

Sometimes I feel old starting over, but I also don’t want to rush the process. I want to take things one step at a time. If Better Jobs Ontario is able to help me, I’m planning to work hard to finish my upgrades before December so I can apply for the January 2027 intake.

I’d really appreciate hearing anyone’s experience or advice. Thank you so much!

Hey everyone, I really need advice. I got into nursing and I’m currently stuck deciding whether to stay home for nursing school or move away for McMaster Nursing. I know at the end of the day it’s the same undergrad degree and I can still become an RN either way, but my home situation is making this decision really hard.

My mom is super strict and controlling, and honestly I’m worried that living at home during uni might affect my mental health and ability to study properly. There’s a lot of yelling/lashing out sometimes, and I barely get privacy since there are 5 of us sharing one room. Part of me feels like moving away for Mac would finally give me peace, independence, and a better environment to focus in.

But at the same time, my parents are now promising me things if I stay home, like helping pay for everything and even getting me a car. The thing is, I don’t even know if I want that because I’m scared it’ll just come with more control or expectations, like becoming everyone’s driver or having it held over my head later.

I genuinely don’t know what to prioritize here, the comfort/financial support of staying home, or the freedom and peace of moving away. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Especially nursing students because I know the program is already stressful enough 😭

Hi everyone. I recently passed NCLEX RN exam and eligible for temporary RN license from CNO. I am an internationally educated nurse and a recent Bachelor of nursing graduate. I just have a question. Am I eligible to work in RPN position if I get RN license? Or should I need separate RPN license?

If anyone has any idea about this please help. Also, I understand that job market is severely down especially in Toronto, but is there any suggestions to get a job related to healthcare? Most of the LTC require prior experience for RN position. Currently I’m applying for clinical extern positions in hospitals and some random jobs to pay my bills.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I’ve been working in my current organization for 3 years. I started as a clerk, then actually took a pay cut to become an extern because I really wanted RN experience and genuinely loved the floor. It’s a super busy unit and I worked my butt off for the last 2 years. I have a really good relationship with the staff and we all got along great because I’m outgoing and naturally built strong connections there. So many nurses encouraged me over and over to apply as an RN once I finished school.

Well, now I’m done school and passed everything. Months ago I talked with my manager about wanting to stay on the floor as an RN. She actually told me the job was basically mine because she had heard so many good things about me and my work ethic. But then she retired a few months ago and now there’s a new manager. Ever since then I feel like I’ve been getting the runaround about the position.

There’s currently only 1 RN opening. They told me weeks ago they’d get back to me in 2 to 3 weeks and never did. I followed up once before my interview to ask a basic question, and then recently asked again after the interview for a status update. I got told I was “bombarding” them about the job. Honestly, that really hurt because I truly don’t feel like I’ve been excessive at all.

What makes it harder is that I’m the longest-standing extern on the unit. The others all moved to different floors, but I stayed because I genuinely wanted to work there as an RN.

I know nobody is entitled to a job, and I understand the manager is interviewing other people, which she directly told me. The manager also said they would get back to me soon, but at this point I just feel hurt. After 2 years of hard work and encouragement from everyone, I really thought I had a future there. Now I just feel embarrassed and kind of discarded.

Hi everyone, I recently received offers from McMaster and Western for accelerated nursing and I've been struggling to decide which one to go to. I'm trying to choose the program which would prepare me for the NCLEX and give me the best opportunity to get a higher gpa in. I will most likely have to work, therefore I'm trying to figure out which program is traditionally easier. I would have to move out anyways for either program so that's not really a factor tbh. If anyone can provide any insights on this I would truly appreciate it 🙏

Hello guys I’m starting my new position as a new grad nurse and the unit manager told me I will have just one week orientation. Is this normal?

Based on many of the posts here it seems like the profession is experiencing challenges for nursing students and grads looking for employment .Is it easier to enter career in nursing as a male nurse?

Hello,

I had an interview with Trillium Health Partners last April 26 for a part time position. Then they found out I was a new grad so they put me in NGG on the same unit. A week after the interview a online order for reference check came in and now its been 2 weeks since i filled out those reference forms, and i still havent heard anything yet. Do you have any advice on what should i do next? should i contact them?