UK trained ICU/ER RN. working in US, looking into work in NZ

have you thought about australia? lots of nz nurses have moved there because of better pay and lower taxation.
I would say NZ is a hybrid of US and UK - not really closer to UK but more of a mixture of both.
NZ is good for job security but conditions can be horrible (depending on where you work). Really shortstaffed - unbelievable workload in some places, horizontal violence is common. Lots of RNs have left and gone overseas and many new nurses would not have been accepted into RN nursing programs in the past. Visitors are out of control and are rude. there is still no recognition for further education in many places. Salary hasn't really gone up despite a recent pay rise. this so-called pay rise was long awaited but actually hasn't even made up for inflation. However if u like the outdoors then NZ is good

I have said this time and again in this forum, NZ is a beautiful country to visit but not to work in as an RN. I concur with the above OP on the working conditions and wages.

Why don't you do a comparison analysis of Australia and New Zealand? Do a search on wages, prices, benefits, cost of living etc and you will have a better idea regarding why so many people are leaving NZ to come to Australia.

I love NZ, it is my home, however I will never work there again.

Hello. I am a US trained RN who has lived and worked in NZ for several years. I have stayed for reasons beyond the scope of this post. I recommend you research for yourself statistics about NZ form the OECD website. Particularly, standard of living, income and cost of housing. They will speak for themselves. You will have a lower standard of living.

I agree the system is a hybrid between the English and UK sytems. The relationships are informal, but favor a medical model. If you want, you have a job for life, but being assertive, a patient advocate or more than mediocre will cause you problems: I suggest you research "Tall Poppy Syndrome." Bullying is a pretty common part of the culture here and very difficult thing to dealt with. Informal relationships/culture far outweigh the law, policy or what is fair.

Racism is openly expressed and tolerated and can be a shock to one who is not used to its open expression. Crime here is high. Violent crime is increasing. Again, see OECD stats. Crystal meth is a big problem here and called P.

The weather is great as it is rarely very hot or very cold where I live. The scenery is amazing and the lifestyle relaxed. You are always close to the water. Australia is nearby (relatively speaking) and so are many of the Pacific Islands. Great place for hiking and fishing and outdoorsy stuff. No snakes or bears or anything like that.

I am not trying to say not to come here, but do your homework. It will cost you tens of thousaands of dollars to get here and once you are earning NZD, it is a whole different storey. there are many people here that have not found NZ to be the same place it was when they came here for a holiday or two. It is well-marketed and people are very friendly on the surface, but very hard to get to know on a deeper level.

I know many British Immigrants here who have shared my experiences.

Best of luck!

Hi Hagabel. In NZ nurses do the vent with vent settings ordered by the medical staff. Vented p'ts are normally 1:1 ( that's one good thing about NZ ). Nurses start IV's . And can do arterial stabs in some ICU units though most p'ts have an arterial line - i am not aware of nurses doing arterial stabs in ER's. They wear scrubs and ICU's usually have 12 hr shifts.
Nursing has been going through a period of upheavel - NZ has stopped training enrolled nurses (LVNs). RN's mostly do a 3 year Bachelor of Nursing - as opposed to a BSN. This limits their oppportunity for further study as they can only really go on with nursing postgrad study. A lot of hospital diploma trained RN's have been allowed to do postgrad work without a bachelors - 'grandfathering' i think it's called though they don't use that term in NZ.
It would be good to check out Auckland Hospital ICU as it's the main ICU in the country. Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland has a good one too. Auckland Hospital ED has a good name.
Good luck and best wishes