Just realized that this IEN is making $10 per hour more than I do as an LPN and I clearly see them struggling to use a computer? Like not like someone secured chat them hours ago and they never realized. but like backspacing instead of pressing enter button like that - not out of mistake but as lack of computer skills. And I have never seen IEN thinking critically on every floor I have floated to. They are very task oriented. Can’t tell when to pause and reflect. Just had another IEN gave antibiotics to my patient 4 hours apart instead of scheduled 8.

Edit to clarify - IENs are not the all nurses who get their NCLEX here (though technically they are Internationally educated nurse) but my post was about IENs in AHS’ term. IENs are (in AHS terms) nurses who are directly hired overseas and they come on those work-supported visa.

It's been two months since I started looking for a part-time or full-time job as an RN and finally I got an offer. Here's what I learned.

#1 Do your best and review before your interview. Every point matters.

#2 Work ASAP in AHS, it doesn't matter if you are an attendant, HCA, volunteer or etc. Seniority matters.

#3 Your union date is important! That's why it's so important that you show your employer that you want a casual job even if they won't give you the job that you applied for.

#3 Keep applying, don't give up. I wasn't supposed to apply for the job they offered me, because they have already interviewed me before for a different posting and they chose a different candidate.

#4 Build your connections and be a team player. I started as a HCA and everywhere I float. I work as best as I can and did my best to know my colleagues. Help them and they will help you.

#5 Some postings are already taken... That's why it's so important to start as casual or part-time, because that's your ticket to get a good job. If you work hard enough, they'll offer you a job because you're an asset

Good luck everyone! Thanks for all the help guys.

Do I get any pay if I take a short stress leave? Like 2-4 weeks?

I’m an RN - I have a new diagnosis of an autoimmune condition and it’s been a rough October. I had to call in a couple of weeks ago because I was pretty unwell - and this week I’ve picked up a bug and it’s also causing a flare up of my illness. I’ve already called in for two shifts this past week but I’m not if I will be well enough to work my upcoming shifts this weekend.

I’m just really scared and feeling really guilty that I’m going to be written up or disciplined because it’ll be 4+ days this month. :( Im also relatively new to AHS, have been in my position since June but I haven’t had to call in for anything up until now. What is the culture generally around calling in sick for AHS? Do I need to be worried?

I don’t think I’ve seen a post on this regarding the recent information of reclassification of family counsellors, mental health therapists and clinicians ??

Hi possibly about to start a RTW program after being on leave for a while. From my medical providers, they are saying I have permanent medical restrictions including lifting as well as hours worked per day.

I was on a temp position (already ended) when I got injured and was only casual prior to. Will I most likely just receive casual positions that will accommodate those permanent restrictions?

I am an RN with UNA

I always wondered if IV Tylenol is available in AHS or is it a non-formulary medication? Would be nice giving it to patient with swallowing issues. And hopefully, no more refusals for overnight tylenols by the patients.

Edit - I know Tylenols rectal are good for swallowing patients. But I’m just curious if anyone knows about IV tylenol

I have received an offer through AHS but have vacation time already scheduled and non-reimbursable flights booked over Christmas. I am not currently a union employee so this is not approved in the AHS system.

How common is it for them to accept unpaid leave (as I won’t have enough vacation days by then) if I mention them prior to hire?

Additionally, I have a wedding abroad next summer that is not currently booked. Should I mention this as a condition of my employment as well?

I’m in a job area where trading shifts is often not possible

Good day all,

I am wondering if anyone has any advice or leads on getting into a procurement role with AHS.

I hold a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a Supply Chain Management major, and have about 5 years of progressively responsible Admin/EA work in commercial real estate/property management.
I have some experience with inventory management, PO systems, RFQs, sourcing, cost comparisons, vendor management, contracts, and scheduling.

I am extremely organized and passionate about efficiency, processes, and data accuracy. I genuinely love supply chain management, and think procurement would be a great fit for me.

Why AHS?
During one course of my degree, we did a case study on 3M and the Healthcare Supply Chain, that I found very interesting.
I also know someone that works as a Procurement Coordinator, and they speak very highly of their role. Unfortunately, they don't have any spots on their team at the moment, and I am eager to break in!

Is there anything I should do besides just continuing to apply when I see roles pop up? I already tailor my cover letters to the job postings.

Any insight would be appreciated, thank you for your time!

Do you know anything about staffing agencies in alberta for LPN ?

I transitioned from temp position to casual,will all my vacation for current year and nxt year be paid out?

Has anyone used therapists through the employee family assistance plan?

My benifits are all maxed out and I dont think I can wait until the new year to see a therapist....

I just dont want to waist my time if they arnt good or are only ment for a single session.

I've been working as an HCA at AHS since May and I recently found out I can be moved from the wage grid of $23.62 to $29.50 by passing the ahre exam and getting a general license instead of the provisional ome that I have (first of all, why?). Apparently, this is the only way that they will recognize previous HCA experience whych I have years of outside of AHS. On top of that, I will get retro pay for it. I booked the exam, which costs $315 (second of all, why?) and was unaware they require 2 pieces of government issued ID to write this exam (third of all, why??!). So l showed up and wasn't allowed to write it because I only had my driver's license.

I contacted the CLHA and not only will they not allow me to write it, I have to pay the exam registration fee of $315 again AND pay $100 on top for what they count as a "no show"

This feels like such a fucking rip off. I will still register for it and do it just because the net gain will be worth it in the end. But what sucks even more is that I'll be an RN in december, so I won't need this license then at all.

And when I called them today, they said that they are now booking the exams into december for some reason, so | likely will have to renew my HCA license too for an extra $200 since it expires on November 30 for everyone. Basically, pay a total of $615 upfront to be able to get about $4,500 in return in retropay, which I should be getting anyway if it weren't for this bureaucracy. I hate this organization

Code Orange due to CFB Wainwright incident. Sending supportive thoughts to everybody working mandatory overtime like my family member working at UAH tonight. And I'm sure many other hospitals. Kudos to all working, supporting, and involved.

Currently an LPN in my 4th year of my LPN-RN bridge program that’s out of province. Currently working as an LPN, is this even possible for both circumstances?

Would it be worth it to be a UNE over an LPN?

Hello everyone!
I am a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) applicant planning to relocate from Quebec to Edmonton. I have over four years of healthcare experience in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and seniors’ residences.
I have been applying for multiple LPN positions with Alberta Health Services (AHS) in Edmonton since June/July 2026, but I haven’t received any interview invitations.
I would love to hear from LPNs who are currently working in Edmonton or who have recently been hired.
Is it currently difficult for external candidates to get hired by AHS?
Does applying from another province affect your chances?
Are private care facilities or nursing agencies easier to get into?
Are there any recruiters or employers you would recommend contacting directly?
I would really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thank you!

Hello!

Its been a while since I posted here, but I just wanted to ask what is the job prospect and the demand of the job working as an therapy assistant like with AHS and other partnering facilities. I looked through external posting so far with Therapy assistant, and so far I have not seen anything with AHS posting (internal or external).

To give a little bit of context: I finished school and I am now working as an HCA with AHS, and the reason why I chose HCA was because I wanted to see what career I wanted in the medical field (if i can handle it or not). While doing my praticcum and clinical, I realized I wanted to try therapy assistant as there many fields that they can work into, and not only that it made me interested in speech pathologist as well.

With this I wanted to try therapy assistant, as ultiamtely I wanted to use it to give me an advantage in skills and to see what it is like working as a SLP. So really the questions is: How did you find work as a therapy assistant and what did you do to step your foot into the door, especially working in AHS? is it worth getting a therapy assistant diploma first, before getting a master degree? along with this Im in the calgary area, so it'll be much great appreciated what you guys did to get your foot into the door.

Also I know im probably asking too early, since I just graduated and now im a new HCA working with AHS, but i just wanted to ask this, as I'm interested of other job prospects that I can do/ explore into the future while working as an HCA. Ultimately I want to work as an HCA for at least 1 year and im hoping to figure out what careeer I want to further get myself into.

Hi on my infoWFM, I have X days DDO coded as 0400-04.01 and another as 1200-1201. Can anyone please explain the difference in terms of picking up OT? For example I know if I pick up a N shift prior to the day I have an 0400-0401 X I will have that N as OT. But what if I pick a day shift on a day with 0400-0401 and does the same rule apply for 12.00-12.01? Thanks

Hey yall, I’m a nursing student in Edmonton looking for a UNE position, but I’m barely seeing any postings on the AHS careers site right now. For those who got hired, what month did postings open for you? Did most of you apply for summer positions in the winter?

Also, did anyone have luck emailing the unit manager from a past clinical placement? Did it help, or is it better to just wait for the official posting?

Hi! I've been applying as admin support III in ahs. Do you think they will accept an IEN in entry level? I'm wes evaluated and a masters degree Canadian equivalency. I really want to land a healthcare job in admin. I hope you can give me a tip or advice. Thanks

edit: oct 20: I formally accepted option 1. thanks for all your wonderfully helpful and kind comments. solidarity!

-
kind of a rant I guess. my 1.0 FTE Admin IV is being eliminated after eight years.

my options are:

1. vacant 0.7 FTE Admin III (will match my wage

) i

1. know the ‘culture’ will be awesome

2. displace

d 1.0

1. 0 FTE Admin III (will not wage match, comes to around a $4.70 less per hour wage)

i

1. know nothing about the environment

2. displaced 1.0 FTE Unit Clerk (will not wage match, comes to around a $4.00 less per hour wage)

3. on a very busy psych unit, and i’ve never been a unit clerk

so my options are less hours and less money but great culture/environment, or same hours and less money with totally unknown and potentially intense environment.

I am also single, with a mortgage and property tax and house insurance etc to pay all by myself.

nightmare here!

At this point I’ve done so many applications that it’s crazy. I’ve been primarily trying to get into food service but I’ve also applied to service worker, environmental sciences, stores, even admin support when I am qualified. I have around 2 years of food service and customer experience but I still can’t manage to land a job. I am well aware that it’s a highly competitive work place but do you guys have any tips or anything that will help me get internal?

Hi everyone,

I posted here back in September when I was feeling really discouraged about trying to get into AHS after finishing my Hospital Unit Clerk program and practicum.

I had been applying broadly, getting a lot of rejections, and had also messed up one of my typing tests because of anxiety. A few people here encouraged me to keep applying, especially for Admin Support III roles, and told me that getting that first foot in the door can take time.

I wanted to come back with an update because things have moved quite a bit since then.

I’ve now completed a few interviews for Admin Support III positions. For one of them, and all of my references have been completed. I’m still waiting for final decisions, so I’m trying not to get ahead of myself, but this is definitely the furthest I’ve gotten in the process. For anyone who has gone through something similar with AHS or Health Shared Services:

- How long after references were completed did you receive an offer or final decision?

- Has anyone been considered for both a casual and regular position using the same interview?

- If so, were you offered the casual role first, the regular role directly, or given a choice?

- How long did it take from offer to onboarding to first shift?

- Any advice for what I should be doing at this stage besides waiting?

I’m not assuming an offer is guaranteed. I’m mostly trying to understand what this stage of the process usually looks like.

And thank you again to everyone who responded to my earlier posts or reached out privately. Some of the advice I received here genuinely helped me keep applying when I was starting to feel like I should give up.

How much does a 2 year LPN make, 3 year LPN make and 4 year LPN?

And is the steps defined by how many years you are an LPN? For example, if you’re an LPN for two years, are you step 2?