Healthcare Jobs in Canada: Real Answers to Your Real Questions

If you’re an HCA, LPN, RN, or support worker thinking about finding work through a staffing agency, you probably have a lot of questions — and not all of them have simple answers. How does pay work? Can you choose your own schedule? What happens if you want to work in a different province? Do agencies hire new graduates?

We’ve answered all of it below. Straight from the desk of a real person at Merging Workforce.

Part 1: Getting Started

1. How do I apply for healthcare jobs?

Submitting your resume to Merging Workforce is easy; simply upload it to mergingworkforce.com/candidates. That’s it for step one. What happens after is different from most agencies: our team personally reviews every application and reaches out to every applicant. No automated rejections, no ghosting. If you’ve applied somewhere and never heard back, that’s not how we operate. We value your time and all our staff, because without dedicated team members, we wouldn’t exist.

Once we receive your resume, we’ll contact you to learn more about your background, the kind of work you’re looking for, which locations work for you, and which shifts fit your life. From there, we match you to roles where you’re genuinely set up to succeed.

2. Where can registered nurses find jobs?

Merging Workforce currently has RN openings in Vancouver, British Columbia, Alberta, and Toronto, Ontario. We work with hospitals, long-term care facilities, and assisted living communities across these provinces, so the environments and patient populations vary significantly.

If none of the listed roles are exactly what you’re looking for, submit your resume anyway. We keep an active pool and match candidates to new positions as they open. Healthcare demand across Canada isn’t going anywhere, so roles regularly become available.

3. How do I become a travel nurse?

Travel nursing means taking placements at facilities outside your home area, often in a different city or province, for a defined period. To work as a travel nurse through Merging Workforce, you need to be registered as an RN or LPN in the province where you’ll be working. Provincial nursing registrations are not automatically transferable, so if you want to travel from British Columbia to Alberta, for example, you’ll need to be registered with both BCCNM and CRNA.

The rest is fairly practical: your credentials must be current, you must have a clean background check, you must have solid clinical experience, and be willing to adapt quickly to new environments. We have travel RN and LPN roles listed in British Columbia and Alberta, and we brief travel candidates thoroughly before placement so they know what to expect on arrival.

4. Can healthcare aides work through staffing agencies?

Yes. HCAs are one of the most consistently in-demand roles we place. Merging Workforce connects healthcare aides with long-term care homes, assisted living communities, and hospitals across Canada. If you’re a certified HCA in British Columbia, Alberta, or Ontario, there is real demand for your skills through agency placements.

Agency work as an HCA tends to offer more schedule flexibility than a permanent position. You’re not locked into a single facility’s rotation, and you can take shifts that fit around your life rather than the other way around.

5. What healthcare jobs are in demand?

Right now, the highest demand roles across Canada are RNs, LPNs, and HCAs — particularly in long-term care and seniors’ living. Rural and remote areas face the sharpest shortages. Support roles, such as dietary aides and housekeeping staff, at care facilities are also consistently needed.

Canada’s population is aging faster than the healthcare system can train new workers. That gap is not closing quickly. If you’re in any of these roles, you have real leverage in the job market right now.

Part 2: Pay, Benefits, and Flexibility

6. How do staffing agencies pay nurses?

Merging Workforce pays competitive wages for each placement. The agency handles payroll, so you’re paid through us rather than directly by the facility. Pay rates vary by role, province, and whether the placement is local or travel. Travel placements typically pay higher rates to account for the additional commitment involved.

Beyond base pay, there are opportunities for overtime and bonuses depending on the assignment. We understand compensation factors into employment decisions, so bring it up directly when you talk to our team. We’re very open about our processes.

7. What are the benefits of contract nursing?

Contract nursing gives you a few things permanent employment often doesn’t. Variety, for one. Working at different facilities exposes you to different patient populations, care models, equipment, and management styles. After a year of contract work, most nurses have seen more than they would have in a single facility for the same period.

Flexibility is the other big one. You’re not stuck in a rotation designed by someone else. You take what fits your life. And in many cases, contract rates are competitive with or better than permanent salaries, especially once you factor in overtime.

The downside is real too: contract work doesn’t always come with the same benefits package as a permanent role, and some people miss the continuity of a single workplace. It depends entirely on where you are in your career and what you need from work right now.

8. How do healthcare recruiters match candidates?

At Merging Workforce, matching isn’t just about credentials and availability. We take the time to understand the kind of environment you work well in, the type of care setting that suits your experience, and what your scheduling needs actually look like. A nurse who thrives in a fast-paced acute unit is not the same as one who does their best work in a quieter LTC home, even if both are technically qualified for both.

We also pay attention to facility culture. Some of our client partners have specific expectations around communication style, charting systems, or care philosophy. Knowing those ahead of time helps us send candidates who will succeed there, not just fill a vacancy.

9. Can new graduates apply?

Yes. New graduates are welcome to apply at Merging Workforce. That said, certain placements require clinical experience, so not every opening will be appropriate right out of school. We’re upfront about that.

For new grads, agency work can actually be a smart starting move. It lets you build experience across different settings quickly, which helps you figure out what type of nursing you actually want to do long-term — before you commit to a permanent position somewhere. If you’re a new graduate and you want to talk through what’s realistic, reach out. We’ll give you a straight answer.

10. Are temporary healthcare jobs flexible?

That’s one of the main reasons healthcare professionals choose agency work. Merging Workforce offers flexible shift options — days, evenings, nights, weekends — and we try to match placements to your availability rather than asking you to fit into a predetermined schedule.

Flexibility does come with a caveat: some facilities need consistency. If you take a contract placement, you’re committing to those shifts. But within that, the ability to choose which contracts you take, and when, is a real advantage over permanent employment.

Part 3: Working Across Provinces and Locations

11. Can I work in different provinces?

Yes, with one important condition: you need to be registered with the nursing body in each province where you work. In Canada, nursing registration is provincial. An RN registered in British Columbia is not automatically licensed to practise in Alberta. The process for registering in a second province is usually faster than the initial registration, but it still takes time and involves fees.

If multi-province work interests you, it may be worth getting that sorted before you apply rather than after. Our team can help you understand what’s needed for the specific provinces where we have placements.

12. What documents are required before employment?

Standard requirements include your current nursing or healthcare aide registration, a recent criminal record check, up-to-date immunization records, a valid CPR certification, and professional references. Some facilities have additional requirements around WHMIS training, N95 mask fit testing, or facility-specific orientation documents.

Merging Workforce handles the verification and credentialing process on your behalf. We check that everything is up to date before you set foot on any floor. You don’t need to send copies to each facility individually—we handle that.

13. How long does recruitment take?

From the time you submit your resume to your first placement, the timeline depends on how quickly your documents are in order and how closely your availability matches current openings. For candidates with everything ready — registration current, references available, background check done — we can move quickly. Some people are placed within days. Others take a few weeks, especially if they have specific location or schedule preferences.

The fastest path is to have everything documented and ready when you apply.

14. How often do healthcare jobs become available?

Frequently. The demand for HCAs, LPNs, and RNs across Canada is persistent and growing. Long-term care homes constantly turn over shifts. Hospitals add float pool needs regularly. And because we serve multiple facilities across British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, new roles become available on a near-continuous basis.

If you’re in our network and available, you’ll hear from us as soon as something that fits comes up.

Part 4: Practical Logistics

15. Are travel expenses covered?

For travel placements outside your home area, travel and accommodation arrangements are typically discussed during the placement conversation. The specifics depend on the assignment, the facility, and the distance involved.

If travel support is a factor in whether a placement works for you, bring it up early in the conversation. We’d rather know upfront than have logistics derail a placement that was otherwise a good fit.

16. Can I choose my work schedule?

Within the constraints of what’s available, yes. Merging Workforce offers flexible shifts across days, evenings, nights, and weekends. When you’re onboarded, we ask about your availability and try to match accordingly. Contract placements have defined shift structures, but you choose which contracts to accept.

If your schedule is complicated, for example, you have childcare constraints, another job, or school commitments, just let us know. We understand you have a life outside work, but the more we know, the better we can match placements to your availability.

17. Can I work part-time through a staffing agency?

Yes. Part-time and casual work arrangements are available through Merging Workforce. Some healthcare professionals use agency work to top up hours alongside a permanent part-time position. Others work exclusively through the agency on a casual basis. Both are fine.

Part-time through an agency is actually quite practical: you’re not locked into a minimum hours commitment at a single facility, and you can adjust your availability as your life changes. If you go from wanting two shifts a week to four, you can simply update your availability.

18. Can staffing agencies help me relocate?

Staffing agencies can provide a significant practical advantage when you’re relocating, especially if you’re moving to a new province and don’t yet have local professional connections. Merging Workforce can connect you with facilities in your destination city and help you quickly build a professional presence in a new market.

For relocations that involve a new provincial registration, we’d encourage you to start the process early, ideally before you move. The registration timeline is outside our control, and delays there can slow down your ability to work once you arrive.

Part 5: Setting Yourself Up to Succeed

19. What certifications improve employment opportunities?

Beyond your core registration as an RN, LPN, or HCA, a few additional certifications make a real difference in how quickly you get placed and in what settings. Current CPR certification is non-negotiable, and WHMIS is standard at most facilities. For nurses, additional training in IV therapy, wound care, or dementia care significantly broadens the facilities you’re eligible for.

Palliative care training is increasingly valued in the long-term care sector. Mental health first aid helps in facilities with complex resident populations. And for anyone interested in travel placements, being comfortable with different electronic charting systems opens more placement opportunities.

None of this needs to be done before you apply. But if you’re looking at ways to increase your options, these are practical places to invest time.

20. How do I prepare for healthcare interviews?

A few things matter more than others. First, know the facility type. A long-term care interview is different from a hospital interview. If you’re applying for a placement at an LTC home, know roughly what an LTC environment involves and be ready to speak to your experience with older adults, dementia care, or end-of-life support.

Second, be honest about your experience. Overstating your skills in a healthcare interview will come out on the floor, and the consequences are real. A facility can work with a gap in your experience. They can’t work with discovering you weren’t who you said you were.

Third, come with questions. Asking about the care philosophy, the resident-to-staff ratio, or how the facility handles outbreak scenarios shows that you’re thinking about the work seriously. Those are the kinds of candidates facilities remember.

At Merging Workforce, we brief every candidate before a placement conversation with a facility. We tell you what we know about the environment, the team, and what they’re looking for. You’re not going in blind.

One More Thing

If a colleague or classmate would be a good fit for our network, Merging Workforce runs a referral program. For every qualified healthcare professional you refer who joins and completes their first placements, you earn up to CAD 300. Details are at mergingworkforce.com/referral.

If you’re ready to apply, submit your resume at mergingworkforce.com/candidates. Our team reviews every application and will reach out personally. No automated responses, no waiting weeks to hear back.

Whatever stage you’re at in your healthcare career, we’re happy to have a real conversation about what’s available and what makes sense for you.