Hey everyone,.
I moved to London, Ontario with 4 years of ICU and critical care experience back home, thinking that getting my CNO registration would be the biggest hurdle. Earlier this year, I finally cleared everything, passed the exam, and officially became a registered RN in Ontario. I was ready to jump right into the floor.
Since then, the journey hit a wall. Over the last few months, I signed up for the NGG portal and started firing off applications to LHSC, St. Thomas Elgin, stjc, and other regional hospitals nearby. I was hoping my critical care background would carry some weight.
Instead, it’s been mostly radio silence or instant rejection emails.
Now, I’m sitting here unemployed as an RN, watching my 12-month NGG eligibility window slowly tick away while staring at a few big questions:
Are hospitals in Southwestern Ontario actually hiring through the NGG portal, or is applying directly through their career pages the only way?
How are other IENs translating foreign ICU experience on their resume so ATS filters stop auto-rejecting them?
If acute care stays locked, does taking a job in LTC or home care hurt the chances of ever moving back into a hospital ICU?
Just wanted to share where I'm at and see if anyone else in the London area went through a similar wall before things clicked.