Registered Nurse: Alternative Careers. A guide for newcomers to British Columbia

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2 Registered Nurse: Alternative Careers In BC, registered nurses provide direct nursing care to patients, deliver health education programs and provide consultative nursing services. They work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, extended care facilities, rehabilitation centres, doctors' offices, clinics, community agencies, companies and private homes, or they may be selfemployed. You may find that your international training and experience as a nurse are not immediately accepted in B.C. The skills you have acquired as a registered nurse (compassion, patience, self-discipline, problem-solving and communication skills) can be used in these alternative careers: Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Medical Office Assistant (MOA) Health Care Assistant (HCA) Residential Care Worker / Health Care aide Alternative Careers: Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) (NOC 3233) Also look for these job titles: registered nursing assistant, operating room technician Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) provide nursing care under the direction of medical practitioners and under the supervision of registered nurses. They work in hospitals, nursing homes, extended care facilities, rehabilitation centres, doctors offices, clinics, companies, private homes, educational facilities and community health centres. Provide nursing interventions such as patient and family teaching, taking vital signs, applying aseptic techniques (including sterile dressing), carrying out infection control, watching patient diets and collecting specimens give medication and record therapeutic effects provide personal and comfort care before and after an operation check on respiratory and intravenous therapy Licensed Practical Nurses working as Operating Room Technicians: prepare patients for surgery by washing, shaving and sterilizing the body area to be operated on help get operating rooms ready by laying out instruments, setting up equipment and sterilizing operating room equipment and instruments help prepare specimens taken for laboratory analysis operate sterilizers, lights or suction machines and help operate diagnostic equipment Requirements: completion of college/vocational program for LPNs successful completion of the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination registration with College of Licensed Practical Nursing (CLPN) of British Columbia. You may be eligible for practical nurse registration if you have completed nursing training as part of an educational program in another country. For more details on application, credentials, language requirements, see: Process/Internationally-Educated-Nurses.aspx Last updated: December 13,

3 Operating Room Technicians: additional academic training in operating room techniques or on-the-job training. good observation, communication and problem-solving skills patience, self-control, and empathy good with people Wages median hourly wage: $ Additional details of wages available from: Medical Office Assistant (MOA) (NOC 1243) Also look for these job titles: medical secretary Medical secretaries perform a variety of secretarial and administrative duties in doctors' offices, hospitals, medical clinics and other medical settings. schedule and confirm medical appointments; receive and communicate messages for medical staff and patients prepare, key in, edit, and proofread medical records, reports, articles, case histories and correspondence interview patients in order to complete forms, documents and case histories Requirements secondary school completion; some employers require completion of a college MOA program training in medical terminology or pharmacology ethical, tactful and discreet, good judgement strong communication skills detail-oriented and organized ability to adapt to new software programs, e.g. electronic medical records (EMR) Wages median hourly wage: $ Health Care Assistant (HCA) NOC 3413 Also look for these job titles: nurse aide, health care aide, orderly, nursing attendant, patient care aide, hospital attendant, long term care aide, patient service associate The health care assistant (HCA) assists people, especially older adults, who require basic nursing care, and to promote and maintain their physical, emotional, cognitive, and social well-being. HCAs work within a health care team in hospitals, care facilities, group homes or independently within the community. take basic measurements, temperature and pulse, observe and report patient status give basic personal care under the direction of a nurse provide assistance in patients' daily activities, such as bathing, dressing, grooming and eating Last updated: December 13,

4 move physically challenged patients with special equipment do various tasks, such as assisting with setting up and maintenance of traction equipment, cleaning or sterilizing equipment, and maintaining and repairing equipment Requirements: secondary school education, a criminal record check and a tuberculosis screening employers often ask for 5-7 month post-secondary certificate program HCAs working for publicly-funded health care employers must register with the B.C. Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry ( You may be eligible for registration if you have completed international health care training in another country. For more details on application, credentials, language requirements, see strong interpersonal skills sensitive and patient to create a comfortable environment for patients excellent observational skills able to adapt to constantly changing environments and carefully follow direction, policy and procedure Wages: median hourly wage: $ Residential Care Worker (NOC 3413) Also referred to as home care aide, home health aide, home support worker, long term care aide, personal care aide, personal care attendant, resident care aide, or resident care attendant. This position supports individuals in all areas of daily living: personal hygiene, meal preparation, routine housekeeping and mobility assistance. assisting patients with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing and grooming and eating performing basic personal care under the direction of a nurse taking basic measurements, temperature and pulse observation and monitoring patient status and reporting changes to supervisor moving physically challenged patients with specialized equipment Requirements secondary school education, criminal record check, tuberculosis screening Resident care aides require physical stamina and strong interpersonal skills. Sensitivity and patience are also crucial qualities for creating a comfortable environment for patients. Resident care aides have excellent observational skills. They should be able to carefully follow direction, policy and procedure. Wages median hourly wage $ Last updated: December 13,

5 Employment Outlook Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN): A growing and aging population will require more health services, which will result in an increased demand for workers in this profession. The majority of job openings expected for LPNs will come from new job creation. The strong demand for LPNs across B.C. tends to be higher in areas with more extended care and longterm care facilities or larger acute care hospitals. Many openings for LPNs will be in specialty areas, such as emergency and pediatric wards, and operating rooms. Cumulative number of new jobs ( ): 10,800 Medical Office Assistant (MOA): The majority of new job openings will result from retirements. Individuals who have completed related post-secondary studies, have good knowledge of computers and software applications, and have previous experience working in the occupation will be in high demand. Cumulative number of new jobs ( ): 20,000 Health Care Assistant (HCA): Strong demand for resident care aides is contributing to higher salaries and increased opportunities to work in various environments. The provincial government is increasing the number of long-term care beds available in B.C., which will create more employment opportunities. Employment opportunities will be high throughout the province, especially in nursing homes, long-term care facilities and privately run institutions. Cumulative number of new jobs ( ): 24,100 Source: Retraining You may want to consider upgrading your skills to increase your employment options in this field. The following courses may improve your current skill set: BCIT, Medical Office Assistant Associate Certificate (part time) Vancouver Community College, Medical Office Assistant for International Students Six month, full time certificate program Kwantlen Polytechnic University: Professional Communications for Internationally Educated Health Professionals (IEHP) Program will improve communication for entry into professional practice, improve pronunciation, expand health and idiomatic vocabulary, improve written skills for documentation, increase awareness of communication styles and understanding of culturally expected behaviours of the Canadian health care system shared/assets/iehp_brochure_june_ pdf Nursing Unit Clerk programs: Unit Clerks work with physicians and nurses; they process doctor s orders and instructions and perform other clerical duties. The complex and detailed nature of working with physicians and nurses requires excellent communication, decision making and problemsolving skills to coordinate quality patient care. These are 8 month, full time programs. University of Fraser Valley: Vancouver Community College: Last updated: December 13,

6 Searching for Jobs: B.C. Health Authorities (select link for each region and then go to Careers ) Regional services including publicly funded hospitals and residential care facilities B.C. Provincial Health Services Authority Job postings available in specialty institutions such as BC Transplant, BC Women s Hospital, BC Children s Hospital Health Match BC Health Match BC is a free health professional recruitment service funded by the Government of British Columbia Indeed.ca Health E Careers Providence Health Care Volunteering in the Field Volunteering in health care facilities can help you to explore a new career and learn more about the health care system in BC. You will meet new people and build a network of contacts that can lead to information on job openings and inside connections with potential employers. Canadian Red Cross see Community Support Initiatives Vancouver Coastal Health Authority Fraser Health Authority Providence Health Care VOLWEB.ca Last updated: December 13,

7 Helpful Resources Licensed Practical Nurses Association of BC (LPABC) Resume and cover letter help: Networking and accessing the hidden job market: Getting Canadian work experience: This project is made possible through funding from the Government of Canada with support from the Province of British Columbia. Last updated: December 13,