registered nurse

médecin

registered practical nurse

responsable recrutement

registered nurse - infusion

Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre

Worked at RVH as a clinical extern. It was advertised to nursing and paramedic students as a great job for learning opportunities and developing nursing skills. Majority if not all of the externs had different expectations of what the role really is. Staff also do not seem to understand the roles of externs based on the type of responsibilities they are delegating to externs (taking patient vitals, doing patient ADLs, etc.).

Externs get paid very little for what they are expected to do. Externs answer most if not all call bells and assist patients with ADLs (feeding, toileting/brief changes, bathing, transferring, etc.). While some nurses are willing to include externs in nursing skills (which was what the job was intended for), most nurses view externs as the low of the low and expect them to do their patients' care throughout the day. Basically, externs are off-brand PCAs with less pay but expected to perform the same responsibilities (minus the patient assignment; however, cares are often passed off to us).

Overall, this position put a bad taste in my mouth for RVH. I originally wanted to work as an RN at this facility once I finished school; however, after working as a clinical extern, I would rather work anywhere else and be treated with respect and paid what I am worth.


A typical day at work:
- interviewing patients, discussing stages of change and willingness to seek ongoing support upon discharge
- completing ADAT, accessing residential treatment program information, educating clients on health teachings and harm reduction strategies
- discuss traumatic events leading up to their admission
- documentation on RVH server
- run groups, patient walks

What I learned:
- everything that is impossible to absorb in a classroom
- patient interaction strategies, and how to best approach those coping with mental health issues
- reality of medication compliance, and how difficult it is for people to access support within their communities
- can never do harm by being supportive, and attentive to patients needs; client centred approach

Management:
- wonderful, approachable, friendly, humble, accessible, knowledgeable
- I received endless encouragement, and always felt very supported

Co-workers:
- gracious, knowledgeable, friendly, supportive, funny, spirited, patient

Hardest Part:
- working with youth who self harm, where injuries were recent and visible

Most Enjoyable:
- learning from a fantastic mentor who always lent appropriate advise, and challenged me everyday

Part-time staff: Disorganized scheduling - will be fighting for shifts most of the time if you want full-time hours
If you are a float, be prepared to be moved to a different floor with short notice after getting report. 

Managers - Do not care about their staff. Do NOT want you to excel in your career. Poor management skills.
If wanting to move to another floor/position -HR/management will block you from doing so. Because of short staffing.Difficult to fight with union.

Lots of bullying/clicks - Certain floors are worse than others. If you are new, it can be difficult to make friends .
Staff are unhappy and do not want to be there
Patient assignments are high and NOT worth your license, management does not care. Period. 

I was hired for a temporary position - overjoyed when I got the temporary position - thinking I would try to apply for a permanent position. I was GLAD when I left RVH. They have a lot to do to fix their organization.

Working on this unit has been a very rewarding experience overall. It is definitely one of the busiest units in the hospital, so you learn quickly and gain strong clinical experience. The workload can be challenging at times, but the teamwork here makes a huge difference. Coworkers are friendly, supportive, and always willing to help when needed, which creates a positive environment for both new and experienced staff.

One thing I especially appreciate is the availability of clinical skills preceptors. They are approachable and can walk you through procedures step by step without adding pressure to other nurses who are already busy. As a new grad, this support was extremely valuable and helped build my confidence.

The computer system can be slow and outdated at times, but it still gets the job done. Extern pay is minimum wage, though the learning opportunities and hands-on experience make it worthwhile overall.

Worst of the 3 hospitals I've worked for as an Allied Health Professional in my 20 years. Constant expectation to work unpaid overtime, and management acts like you are the problem if you get burnt out. Moved to RVH for the increased salary, but it wasn't worth it. Was there for 4 years, and then applied for my old position at my previous employer. 20 years in the field, and RVH is by far my worst experience. Colleagues were wonderful talented people, but completely exhausted and burnt out as well. Some colleagues in other fields seemed happy, but I recommend looking elsewhere if you are a front line Allied Health Professional (OT, PT, SLP, etc.).

After 8 years of working here, saw no improvement in organization and proper staffing levels despite many changes in hours, responsibilities, and management. Every day we were short 2-3 people due to poor scheduling and another 1-2 people from sickness - when only 25 people are in the department daily, being short often means all staff go without their breaks and are multitasking, which leads to mistakes. The only reason the staff keeps pushing through is they care for their coworkers and their patients. There should be at least 5 extra people  daily and all positions should be properly filled in the schedule, this way the inevitable sick calls do not cause chaos.

This is the best location that I have been fortunate enough to work for. TEAM RVH employees are a big family, everyone looks out for each other. Management has a progressive and ever evolving mindset open to hearing feedback and embracing change. I.E - compressed schedule for the summer (4 days instead of 5) Love the dedication put into the Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging committee they have. Good pay, proud to work here and I suggest to everyone. :)

Understaffed. Bad managers on most floors. Hospital cares more about how they look on paper than how they function in reality. Staff not appreciated, favouritism by managers to their favorite  staff always given before skill set and proper employee given opportunities they deserve 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Rate of pay and close to home 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Not enough staff, too many patients 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Can be very stressful. Tough when you’re off sick and they won’t replace you so you end up working twice as hard to catch up 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Only work during the week. Eight hour shift but only get paid for 7.5 hours.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Registered nurse 3 salaries reported	$38.67 per hour
Médecin 2 salaries reported	$63.76 per hour
Registered practical nurse 3 salaries reported	$29.50 per hour
Responsable recrutement 1 salary reported	$39.15 per hour
Registered nurse - infusion 1 salary reported	$56,000 per year

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