GNIE: RN job search - Update 6

Here's a quick update. Of our cohort of 29 GNIE graduates who passed the CRNE (i.e. eligible for full practicing licence with the CRNBC):

• 23 (or 79%) have found Registered Nurse jobs,
• 2 (or 7%) are not actively searching for job, and
• 4 (or 14%) either I do not have information or they are still actively searching.

For other details, please refer to my previous update.

Drunkard's target is not the wine［醉翁之意不在酒］

I came across a piece "Confessions of an ex-HDB Officer" by a TRS contributor CJ. I am not going to comment on his confessions, but rather the (possibly troll) responses that are rather interesting and (IMHO) reflective of a typical Singaporean mindset. [Note: Italics and bold mine, for emphasis.]

For example, Alan Tay, Professional Tree Hugger at Tree Lovers, posted on July 3, 2013 at 7:27pm [with 2 Like's]:
CJ was out HDB because he was sacked? Otherwise, CJ is so noble to resign and take a pay cut of 50%. How many years did he work in HDB? I smell bulls***

For example, Ron Koo, who "Works at SLNG Terminal Project @ Meranti Cresent, Jurong Island", posted on July 4, 2013 at 7:09am [with 1 Like]:
the story is very doubtful as the writer said he left HDB for a 50% pay cut. Don't bite the hand that feeds you, or rather, once fed you with a fat rolex.

Let me start-off by stating that I do not know CJ personally. In fact, I only read TRS occasionally, but something about his later article "The People Vs HDB. In the matter of public interest." which showed up on another blogger's blogs-of-interest caught my eye. Then I followed-up on his preceding article and chanced upon the above comments.

The comments, as I've mentioned above, (IMHO) reflects a typical Singaporean mindset. A mindset which sees the path to success as a rigid straight line, from A to B. A mindset that finds it hard to imagine that there exists people who will wilfully take "The Road Not Taken".

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost (1874-1963). 
Mountain Interval. 1920.

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;       5

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,       10

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.       15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.       20

I shall repeat myself -- I do not know CJ personally. I have no reason to doubt or believe his story. That said, I know it is possible to walk away from a job/career and to take another that pays 50% or less. I have done so myself. In fact, I have tried 3 attempts -- only to finally succeed on my 3rd attempt.

[1997 Job offer from NCB]

[Note: The above job offer was neither my highest nor lowest pay in my 10+ years spent in my first career. It just serves to illustrate that there are people (your truly for example) who will wilfully walk away from a job/career and move on to one that pays 50% or less of one's previous salary. "The starting basic salary for Registered Nurses is approximately $1,800." according to the WDA Professional Conversion Programme for Registered Nurses webpage as at 22-Jul-2013.]

IMHO, what the commenters above probably do not understand is the Chinese saying, “醉翁之意不在酒”。["The drunkard's target is not the wine."] Look at the long-term. And as Robert Frost wrote, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

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p.s. For those who wonder:

It took me many years, but I am on-track for a return to my previous salary levels. The major/critical point is that I am in a different career, in a different country -- one with proper labour protection and a good social support system (which I willingly pay tax for). I no longer have to deal with stressors like:

• watching my colleagues fall as I survive 3 retrenchment chops in less than 4 years, 
• worrying about being "cheaper, faster, and better" all-the-time, 
• being too old to be employable after age 40, 
• "can afford to die, but cannot afford to fall ill", and
• my retirement fund (e.g. CPF Life) possibly handling out morsels which I cannot survive on in my "golden years".

For those who want the numbers as proof: BCNU's (B.C. Nurses Union) pay-scale for newly graduated Registered Nurse start at CAD31.71/hour as of April 2013. The typical full-time RN works 1700 hours/year or more.

How to become a Live-in Caregiver

[DECLARATION and DISCLAIMER: The following is my personal opinion. I am not and have never been a Live-in Caregiver; nor am I in any way qualified to give advice on the matter. Thus any content from me shall be construed as a sharing of personal opinion, not advice. I do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided by me. Under no circumstances will I or anyone related to this content be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from any reliance on the information or other content posted or linked by me.]

In an earlier post "IEN dreams of migrating to Vancouver" I wrote:

I have met other IENs whose ultimate goal was to obtain Canadian residency/citizenship status. A few did it by the long, slow, arduous route of first becoming a live-in caregiver, spend a couple of years to get their Canadian residency status approved while planning their return to nursing. The con is that they lose their skills during the long process, but the pro is that it is a stable route for those with limited finances and are willing take a long-haul view.

Yesterday, an IEN asked me how to find a "live-in caregiver" job. There's Professor Google to the rescue. 

• Google for "craigslist live in caregiver vancouver" turns up the following link (amongst others)
• Google for "live in caregiver vancouver" turns up links to wowjobs.ca and vancouver.kijiji.ca (amongst others)

As usual, I suggest that readers take time to find out for themselves about policies governing the employment of Live-in Caregivers. Do not rely on hearsay, check out the official information which are available from various government-related websites online. [Note: Click here for an old blog post with some of these links.]

In addition, I believe it would be useful to get the following certifications make your application stronger.

• BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registration. Click here and read the Comments Section for my opinion/suggestion on how to get it done.
• A current (i.e. less than 12 months-old) CPR Level-C certificate. Popular trainers include Lifesaving Society and St John's Ambulance. If you prefer other trainers, again Professor Google can be of service. [That is, please Google for it yourself.]
• Food Safe Level 1 Certificate (once-off training, no expiry date).

Hope the above will be useful for those aspiring Canadians-to-be with a limited budget.

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p.s. I know that major "maid-for-export" countries, such as the Philippines, have job agents that can help the aspiring immigrant secure such jobs even before leaving their respective countries of origin. However, the job applicants should always bear in mind that there may be differences in employment laws between Canada and their respective country of origin. Be aware of your employment rights as a Live-in Caregiver, be wary of unscrupulous job agents, do not be conned/intimated into becoming a victim.

GNIE: RN job search - Update 5

Since my previous update on May 24th 2013, today's status based on the grapevine is as follow: Of our cohort of 29 GNIE graduates who passed the CRNE (i.e. eligible for full practicing licence with the CRNBC), 20 (or 69%) have found Registered Nurse jobs.

Most of us hold several jobs - a mix of casual and other positions. We are distributed amongst the following:

• Private hospital acute care (mostly elective-surgery related) - Regular full-time and casual positions
• Public hospital acute care - Casual positions. There are about a handful of us with these positions now.
• Residential care - Temporary full-time and casual positions
• Home nursing - Permanent part-time and casual positions
• Agency nurse (sent to acute, residential, home, etc positions) - Casual positions
• Education (e.g. clinical instructors for Care Aides) - Casual position

Notes:

• The above data is amongst those that we know/hear from.
• Of those who have yet to find a job, 3 have just passed the June 2013 CRNE.
• There are a few who are not actively looking for RN jobs due to various personal reasons.

GNIE: CRNE Results - 2nd cut

[Contents updated on 15-Jul-2013 at 21:10hr.]

As I've reported previously, 26/30 in my GNIE cohort passed their 1st attempt at the CRNE in Feb-2013. 4 failed and 3 did not sit for the Feb-2013 exam for various reasons.

Below is an update. I've heard from 6 of the above 7 who sat for the June 2013 CRNE. There is still one person who has not attempted the CRNE at all.

• Amongst the 4 2nd timers, 3 passed, 1 failed.
• Amongst the 2 1st timers, both failed.

End of report for those interested in statistical trends.

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[Addendum on 20-Jul-2013]

All the 3 2nd timers who passed had really close to passing score (550), i.e. above 500, at their first attempt.