# Alberta Nurses to be Highest Paid in Canada



## Ravenclaw (Feb 18, 2007)

What do people think of the new contract? I don't know the details; I'm not a nurse. In an effort to keep nurses from going to the States where they can earn more and perhaps have better working conditions, senior nurses here have accepted an offer that will give them $43/hr in the third year of the settlement.

I have family members in the profession (not in my household) so I know the conditions which they work under, but it seems like an awfully large raise, especially since it may not translate into better patient care. There is a baby boom here and many new moms are being sent home much earlier than they were in the past--and with little education about caring for a newborn. Alberta seems to have the money, but not for everyone.

What are your thoughts?


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## JumboJones (Feb 21, 2001)

I'm all for it, they deserve it. Alternatively, gov'ts should look at hiring more health care aids. Nurses do jobs they shouldn't, they should concentrate on the well being of patients, and seeing out doctors orders. Not changing soiled linens and mopping floors. My wife has come accross a few women who have come back from the States and they can't believe most of the crap they have to do up here. 

And the stories of how she gets treated, ridiculous. She has been hit, spit at, faeces thrown at her, sexually harrased, any other normal work place the police would have been called, but not in the hospital. And for some reason, patients think that nurses are their personal slaves.

$43hr, good for them, too bad we just moved or we would concider Alberta too.


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## Ravenclaw (Feb 18, 2007)

I think the government wants to and has to open up more post secondary spaces in the nursing program in Alberta. Many students with decent grades are being turned away. They need 86% for most RN programs, I think.


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

Ravenclaw said:


> What do people think of the new contract? I don't know the details; I'm not a nurse. In an effort to keep nurses from going to the States where they can earn more and perhaps have better working conditions, senior nurses here have accepted an offer that will give them $43/hr in the third year of the settlement.
> 
> I have family members in the profession (not in my household) so I know the conditions which they work under, but it seems like an awfully large raise, *especially since it may not translate into better patient care.* There is a baby boom here and many new moms are being sent home much earlier than they were in the past--and with little education about caring for a newborn. Alberta seems to have the money, but not for everyone.
> 
> What are your thoughts?


I say privatize and outsource nurses. That will bring down the cost and I'm sure we can find immigrant to do the work. They have already done that for the cleaning crew and many other positions...


Higher salaries is hardly compensation for the fundamental problem of being _overworked_. As you pointed out, it does not mean better care.


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## JumboJones (Feb 21, 2001)

ArtistSeries said:


> Higher salaries is hardly compensation for the fundamental problem of being _overworked_. As you pointed out, it does not mean better care.


Very true, burn out is a huge problem for nurses. We have an ex-nurse as our secretary making half of what she used to. Less stress is well worth it she says.


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## Vandave (Feb 26, 2005)

ArtistSeries said:


> Higher salaries is hardly compensation for the fundamental problem of being _overworked_. As you pointed out, it does not mean better care.


I believe in supply and demand. If you pay nurses more, more people will be willing to take on the job. Canada loses a lot of nurses to the US. If we pay them better, they are more likely to stay. It will also help to attract other qualified people who are employed on the periphery or in other fields.


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

Vandave said:


> I believe in supply and demand. If you pay nurses more, more people will be willing to take on the job.


If you really believe that, then you have a lot to learn about being an effective manager.
Salary is only on part of the whole "employee" equation. Work environment, vacation, fringe benefits are often as important.....


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## Vandave (Feb 26, 2005)

ArtistSeries said:


> If you really believe that, then you have a lot to learn about being an effective manager.
> Salary is only on part of the whole "employee" equation. Work environment, vacation, fringe benefits are often as important.....


Thanks for stating the obvious. Money is a factor to many people as well.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

I agree with JJ, nurses truly deserve this regardless of where they live. However, I know that in NL, we could never afford to pay nurses this sort of rate, which is why many are leaving NL for AB.


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## martman (May 5, 2005)

The world has truly come to an end. I too (largely) agree with JumboJones! :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: 
Nurses deserve this raise. Its doctors who need the salary cut. I know we need to keep medical costs down but nurses are way undervalued and way abused which is why so many leave Ontario, Canada, etc. 
I hope this translates into better salaries and working condition for all of Canada's nurses.

As a side: this ties into an issue I'm working on for the upcoming Ontario Provincial election:
Benefits etc for part time workers in Ontario. Part Time workers should be entitled to the same benefits, and job protections (based on hours worked per week) as the full time workers in the same work place.
This ties into the nurses issue because in Ontario (probably the other provinces too) nurses have trouble getting full time positions BECAUSE employers do not wan to provide benefits. Many nurses in Toronto fill two or more part time positions to make up for this. They need the benefits their counterparts get. Comments?


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

"This ties into the nurses issue because in Ontario (probably the other provinces too) nurses have trouble getting full time positions BECAUSE employers do not wan to provide benefits." That is the way it is here in NL for many nurses.


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## Ravenclaw (Feb 18, 2007)

I'm not sure if it is still like that in Alberta where employers want to keep nurses, especially those new to the profession, as casual or part-time with less benefits.
Something interesting about the new contract though, is its strong attempt to keep senior nurses, those with 20+ years experience, as mentors. As reported on CBC I think, senior nurses will be able to work part time hours over the weekend, but still get paid full time hours and not lose pension benefits.


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## MasterBlaster (Jan 12, 2003)

.


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## JumboJones (Feb 21, 2001)

martman said:


> This ties into the nurses issue because in Ontario (probably the other provinces too) nurses have trouble getting full time positions BECAUSE employers do not wan to provide benefits. Many nurses in Toronto fill two or more part time positions to make up for this. They need the benefits their counterparts get. Comments?


This is funny cause they do this and then they have to call in agency nurses at 1.5-2X the rate of their full time staff when they are short durring shifts.


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

JumboJones said:


> This is funny cause they do this and then they have to call in agency nurses at 1.5-2X the rate of their full time staff when they are short durring shifts.


You can blame bonehead hospital administrators for that. For the most part they are overpaid clowns with the insight of gnats when it comes to running hospitals...


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

i wonder what the nurses would opt for if given the option of the raise

or

taking that money and hiring more nurses

or 

taking part of the raise to hire more nurses


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

this kind of sums things up nicely;



> Yeah Americans are big-hearted and friendly, and I like 'em over all, but man these guys are something else. They are arrogant and ignorant of the rest of the world. They know how ignorant they are, and don't do anything about it. They joke about it instead.
> 
> Their arrogance they honestly don't see. They expect all foreigners to speak English and they expect a McDonalds in every foreign city. They firmly believe God is American and if you aren't with us, you are against us -- hence why many of them boycotted Canada Dry ginger ale (seriously) when Canada didn't join them for the second Gulf war. Never mind that Canada was in the first Gulf war, and was still fighting in Afghanistan, or that Canada Dry isn't even Canadian.
> 
> ...


Dislike of Americans


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## JumboJones (Feb 21, 2001)

MACSPECTRUM said:


> i wonder what the nurses would opt for if given the option of the raise
> 
> or
> 
> ...


Only if it was that simple, I think every hospital would hire more nurses if they could but there really isn't enough to go around. Hence the carrot of more money being dangled to steal them away from others.


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