Recruiters across Canada are bracing themselves for a significant uptick in jobs for nurses.

Given the health care needs of the nation's aging population and the fact a large swath of baby boomers in the workforce is expected to retire shortly, the future demand for nurses is clear. A recent report by the Ottawa-headquartered Canadian Nurses Association says Canada will have a shortfall of almost 60,000 full-time registered nurses within 12 years.

During her two decades in the recruitment industry, Christina Lord has noted a pattern in the hiring of nurses in Canada . "It is cyclical," says the Mississauga , Ont.-based division director of health care at Hays, the international recruitment specialists. "If we look at the cycle as a 'U', we're on the bottom but on the way back up, with an upswing starting to happen. We are seeing an increase in the hiring process and some brightness on the horizon."

With the predicted shortage of nurses in mind, she says it is important for everyone to be ready. "Health care organizations need to recognize this as part of their workforce planning, and it's important for candidates to prepare themselves for that upswing.

"There is going to be much more movement for nurses in all of the provinces."

Julia Cordray, recruiting director at Calgary 's Career Fox Inc., notes there is already a solid selection of jobs for nurses. "I can find 40-plus at any one time just in Alberta ," she says. "That's a healthy amount of opportunity."

The majority of jobs now available for registered nurses are in home care and long-term facilities across Canada , according to Hays. There is a particular need for nurses in senior roles, such as critical nurse specialist, clinical nurse educators, program managers and other management roles.

Cordray and Hays note that few of the staff nursing positions on their books are permanent full-time jobs. "Some nurses have to work more than one part-time job in a variety

of different roles in order to make up their earnings," says Lord. "The employment landscape has really changed over the years. No longer do nurses start with a hospital and retire from that same hospital."

Job hunters looking for positions in nursing should expect to be flexible about shift work and benefits, Cordray says. "I think it's the best attitude in today's market. You have to ask yourself, 'How bad do I want this?', because it has been weighted in favour of the employer in these difficult economic times.

"People need to stand out and give them what they are looking for," she says. "Nurses' skill sets need to be well-rounded, and adaptability is essential for future success."

This point is echoed by Eva Mendez, a senior consultant in nurse and allied health services for Health Match BC. "While we are readying ourselves for an increase in hiring, it's an extremely important time for nurses to be flexible," she says. "It's one of my biggest and repeated messages: Nurses need to cast their nets really wide and get in and get experience and skill consolidated because it is a practice-based type of profession."

A variety of job experiences is extremely useful in the long and short term, says Lord.

"It helps to qualify them in different areas and to grow their career differently than they would if they were just working as a staff nurse at the bedside in a hospital," she says. "It can be a positive experience if they take it as a positive experience."

Nurses might also need to be willing to travel to secure a job. "Nursing has always been synonymous with the opportunity of travel," says Mendez. "We really want to keep these nurses in the province, but I always tell applicants that B.C. will always be here. We need little incentive to keep people here because we are wired into this work-life balance. For some nurses, however, it can sometimes be a matter of time to find the right work opportunity here and they may need to improve other skill sets outside of the province."

There are also global opportunities to consider. Lord says the United Arab Emirates , the United States , the United Kingdom and Ireland are significant magnets for nurses seeking full-time roles.

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