Graduating students' initial career plans.

Abstract

As recent as six years ago, a shortage of nurses in Canadian hospitals meant that graduating nursing students had little difficulty finding work to begin their careers. But the realities of provincial budgetary deficits and extensive restructuring of the health care system have translated into downsizing of hospital staff, a shift to casual and part-time work, a loss of nursing positions, a surplus of RNs, and limited employment opportunities for graduating students. Today, things are slowly starting to turn around.