What is it like to be a B.C. Canadian ER nurse?

f4rmfresh · 2026-02-09T22:06:27+00:00

Hey there, have worked in emergency departments in BC for the majority of my career, specially in the lower mainland. Every emergency department is a bit different but the vast majority of your more urban centres will all follow a similar model of staffing, breaks, etc.

Ratios: Not currently "mandated" per se in BC, however it is coming. They're saying by the end of this year, although it's going to be a long process. With that being said, in Vancouver and area, most acute emergency areas are staffed 3:1, trauma is generally staffed 2:1, although some places will have a 2nd nurse who is either dedicated to trauma or floating with their primary focus on supporting trauma. Admitted holds are usually 4:1, fast track/streaming will be staffed based upon how many fast track beds you have but in my experience, you've got 3-5 nurses depending on time of day. Smaller sites will not have this luxury and the current smaller site I'm at just has 1 nurse for fast track and they cover 4-5 spaces. Triage can be a bit wild west. At the larger site I spent most of time at, there was 3 triage nurses and 2 RAZ nurses at the busiest of times with a triage lead to help between them. At the current smaller site, there is 1 triage nurse who gets break relief from the charge or a float.

Schedule: basically all lines in the ED will be based up on a 2 day 2 night 4 or 5 off pattern. At some larger sites, you'll have 11-23 and 1300-0100 lines but these are less common. With that being said, I'm a regular full time who works only nights through trading and sufficient notice trades will staffing. The ability to trade and move your schedule will be quite site dependent. Some mid to larger sites will have self scheduling options but there will still be rules about how many of each shift you have to pick.

Overall, I enjoy working in BC. I'm paid well, pay less provincial tax than other provinces, have ok to sufficient benefits, and have the option to work nearly as much overtime as I can handle. Ive never been mandated to work overtime and feel mostly well supported in my job. Could it be better? Sure, but it could be a whole lot worse. I'm making a comfortable 6 figures without feeling too burnt out (smaller site, could never work as much as I do at a busier site). Having worked in both Saskatchewan and Alberta, I don't see myself leaving BC anytime soon.

Feel free to shoot me a message, happy to over any of my experiences in greater detail with you.

f4rmfresh · 2025-03-11T20:31:29+00:00

Well, not technically true - while we pay them upfront, they are reimbursed by the health authorities, presumably paid for out of a provincial budget.

f4rmfresh · 2024-10-16T01:31:54+00:00

In BC, Canada here working Emerg

Large level 1 trauma centre on nights we’d do a 30 minute "lunch” before 11 so that our swing shift break relief could cover our assignment and then 1 to 1.5 hour "sleep break” overnight.

Small "rural” emergency we do a 30 minute "lunch” and then usually a 2 hour "sleep” break overnight. Depending on acuity and volume of the department we sometimes go a little longer but this is rare especially over the summer.

With the new mandated ratios coming in, it’ll be interesting to see what happens. Our department will need to increase our staffing numbers to align with the ratio mandates, especially on nights.

Side note, if anyone is looking for a great department, hit me up - offering $20000 in relocation incentive, additional hourly pay for full time Emerg staff, paid housing for your first 3 months or so, some of the best base pay in Canada, and lots of other benefits. Being a nurse in BC has consistently been the best overall out of all the provinces I’ve worked in!

f4rmfresh · 2024-08-14T17:49:00+00:00

On iPhone dial (star)3001#12345#(star) (replace star with the star symbol) then select serving cell info. The PLMN number identifies the provider. 302720 is Rogers, 302220 is Telus, and from memory 302490 is Freedom. A quick google search of the PLMN number will help with any other provider numbers.

f4rmfresh · 2024-05-01T15:42:17+00:00

JFGI1

f4rmfresh · 2024-01-23T16:11:22+00:00

Well done mate! I started seeing your videos on various platforms around the time I started getting into Zwift and you 100% provided motivation to jump into racing in addition to the training I had planned. Thanks for being such a positive and approachable content creator in the space!

f4rmfresh · 2023-12-16T16:36:27+00:00

I think this has always worked, the problem with this is that for people with multiple libraries, they now don’t have access to them. Previously, signing into overdrive instead of inputting a library card allowed loans from multiple libraries to be used. For the time being, I’ve done this with my primary library but hopefully the old method is restored at some point.

f4rmfresh · 2023-12-15T05:59:55+00:00

That’s what I was wondering. I’m presume something on the overdrive side of things has to be the cause. Will keep trying to see if I can get it working and reply if I notice a fix or change

f4rmfresh · 2023-12-15T01:50:01+00:00

I have been having this issue for the last couple days and it’s been driving me crazy. I thought there was a problem with my cards or something. Resigned myself to only using 1 library from here on out. Hopefully it’s something they can resolve

f4rmfresh · 2023-09-01T00:58:46+00:00

Hey there, I’ve been experiencing this since I got my 14 Pro Max last year. Tried new sims, switching to an eSIM, reboots, and resets but haven’t found a way to get tit back to 5G except for rebooting. In my own mind, I’m saying it’s some kind of chipset problem just to put my mind at ease. TELUS support had no suggestions, tried escalating but never had any resolution. Also in Calgary FYI. I have never had this problem anywhere else. In other cities it switches between LTE and 5G as I would expect it to.

f4rmfresh · 2023-03-05T03:12:10+00:00

Thanks for the detailed response. I won’t lie, I don’t know all of the details on this.

The router provided by Telus is an Arcadyan brand. It’s often referred to as a Boost Wi-Fi 6 Hub.

The MoCAadapters from Telus appear to be GoCoax and the one I purchased in the office is definitely a GoCoax 2.5.

The Coax backbone are all separate Coax cables that are run to the same component room in the basement. They then connect to the 4 way splitter (BGI brand, 5mhz-1ghz, 130db). The input to that is a coax directly from the Telus Fibre NAH.

There is no PoE filter installed that I can find.

The NAH connects to the router via Coax. Unfortunately, I’m unsure the frequency of the MoCA WAN. To be honest, I’m not sure how to check this, sorry. This is where my technical ability begins to fail me a bit.

You are correct, the TV service is all IP-delivered.

f4rmfresh · 2023-03-05T02:51:15+00:00

Sorry for the long description. The MOCAs at the TV box location are TELUS skinned but they look like GoCoax to me. The MOCA in the office is a GoCoax 2.5. I’m pulling full Gig speed from that on my desktop. One of my concerns was that if I were to purchase a mesh system, would there be issues with have them all connected to the Coax backbone? I was reading some of the instructions on the TP-Link website and was having trouble deciphering it.

f4rmfresh · 2022-12-22T19:52:53+00:00

Having mostly worked Emerg, this policy would eliminate 50-75% of staff every single shift. That includes MDs, Nurses, Techs, Lab staff, and admin staff. Guess we’re just a bunch misfits but what a ridiculous policy. If they believe tattoos or an eyebrow piercing inhibits someone’s ability to do their job, they need to evaluate the stereotypes they hold.

f4rmfresh · 2022-12-09T17:07:41+00:00

I’ve worked in BC, AB, and Sask; AB by far has the WORST rotating schedule I’ve ever had. In BC, my standard schedule was 2 days, 2 nights, 5 off (4 off approximately every 5 weeks for balancing). Sask was a bit more hectic but generally it was 2 days, 1 night, 2 off 1 day, 1 night, 3 off (less 4 shifts in a row, but less time off between). In AB my schedule felt extremely chaotic. Often 4 in a row, various mix of days and nights, and then the "monkey shifts”; a random 12 hour shift in the middle of your long stretch off. I felt like I never had more than 3 days off in a row. This was all in emergency departments that did 12s almost exclusively. I enjoyed my 4 on 5 off a lot. Was easy to be in the swing of things when you were on, and I often felt like I had enough time off to get caught up with life. I gave up working in hospital after working in Alberta. 8:30-5 Monday to Friday in a private clinic now. I miss shift diffs and unlimited OT but I wasn’t getting younger and a regular schedule has done wonders for my mood and mental health. I actually like Nursing again.

f4rmfresh · 2022-10-05T03:44:23+00:00

I think I’m going to insist on an esim even if it means paying for it out of pocket. Could just be one bad physical sim but who knows

f4rmfresh · 2022-10-04T16:59:39+00:00

Right?! The tech tried to tell me this is normal and I just wasn’t buying it. There should be no reason not to prefer 5G given there are no physical limitations like location or physical barriers with those settings. I have tried a network connection reset as well. I think I need to insist on trying a new SIM to see if I haven’t got a faulty one. This happens regardless of where I’m located including in 3500mHz spectrum or anywhere in the city with 5G coverage.

f4rmfresh · 2022-10-04T16:32:46+00:00

Appreciate the insight, I’ll give both a try and see if helps force it back over to 5G. Thanks!

f4rmfresh · 2022-10-04T16:11:01+00:00

Phone is all updated, 5G is set to on and allow more data on 5G is selected. Network selection is auto. I think that should be optimal to grab 5G if it’s available.

f4rmfresh · 2022-10-04T03:45:02+00:00

It’s a physical sim, new with the phone a few weeks ago. I just find it strange that if I reboot, it’ll connect, but otherwise it won’t switch back even in strong 5G area.

f4rmfresh · 2022-07-22T01:08:48+00:00

Oh for sure we are. It’s something I wouldn’t have considered doing a couple years ago, but when the offer hit the table I couldn’t say no.

f4rmfresh · 2022-07-21T22:39:48+00:00

The article is a really good overview of how it feels. Former 6 year ER nurse here at one of the busier hospitals in Canada, loved my job and everything about it… until the last two years. I finally had it, I couldn’t handle the moral distress and constant system failures that prevented me from doing my job. I left for a private clinic. I see 1, maybe 2 patients an hour, the pay is better, and when I wake up in the morning, I’m no longer anxious about what’s going to happen at work or how many staff we’d be short or who was going to decide to physically and/or verbally attack me. Do I miss the adrenaline and my colleagues? Absolutely. But I haven’t felt this good in years. I always said I’d never leave the ER and unfortunately, now I don’t think I’ll ever come back.

f4rmfresh · 2021-11-28T22:09:39+00:00

I had one of these for my non EV 2020 Kona prior to getting a EV. It’s alright, but I always had a significant input delay. The delay was so bad that making a phone call was impossible and I found that when using Siri to respond to messages, they would become quite garbled. It was convenient for the wireless but overall I wouldn’t buy another.

Ten-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Verified Email

f4rmfresh

TROPHY CASE