Leaving the UK for greener pastures

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  1. This is a discussion on Leaving the UK for greener pastures in Nursing in the United Kingdom, part of World Nursing ... I am interested in learning why UK nurses are seeking employment overseas--it can be anywhere,...

    by Jan 17, '04
    I am interested in learning why UK nurses are seeking employment overseas--it can be anywhere, although I am especially interested in those coming to the US. It is for an article I am writing, and I do not need to use your names. But I would like to hear your reasons for seeking employment outside of the UK, and if you have already left the UK--if your new overseas job has proven satisfactory/been a disaster/you can't wait to leave/are very happy, etc.

    Thanks!

    Roxanne
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    by roxannekkb Jan 17, '04 5:00 pm
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  3. 56 Comments so far...

  4. Jan 18, '04 by
    New enviroment has always been a big bonus for me.another reason is the COST of living for me personally .i currently live in London. south west london.one bedroom flat here is normally around £200-250,000 .renting monthly can set you back around £2000.and as you know we british nurses make very little money .train drivers make more than a senior staff nurse.Don't get me wrong i absolutely love London.it is my home ,but far too expensive.this is why i am making this very tedious relocation to California.

    Regards
    caramel
  5. Jan 19, '04 by
    I am going to Florida (hoping to be there by the end of the year). My family & I love the way of life there (we have been going there 3-4 times a year for 11 yrs now). Obviously we love the weather too! I can earn more money in Florida as an RN than I can being a Nurse Manager in a nursing Home, do less hours and still come out with more money. For me there is less patient ratio - at present it it 25:1 for me where I work - no exceptions. I could go back to the NHS, but I would not be able to get an equivalent position so easily (not that that bothers me too much), so I would have to go back to the NHS as a E grade, possibly as a D grade (doesnt bother me in the slightest ) But the drop in pay would! AND THAT DOES BOTHER ME
    Nurses pay here is rubbish and I dont think it will get that much better in the near future. I know Florida doesnt pay as high as some states but it is way better than what I get now!

    So relocation to Florida as far as I can see it has a lot going for it - weather, lifestyle, location.
  6. Jan 19, '04 by
    Originally posted by gyul
    New enviroment has always been a big bonus for me.another reason is the COST of living for me personally .i currently live in London. south west london.one bedroom flat here is normally around £200-250,000 .renting monthly can set you back around £2000.and as you know we british nurses make very little money .train drivers make more than a senior staff nurse.Don't get me wrong i absolutely love London.it is my home ,but far too expensive.this is why i am making this very tedious relocation to California.

    Regards
    caramel
    Thank you for writing. But you know, California can be quite expensive as well--especially the San Francisco Bay Area. Where in California are you going?
  7. Jan 19, '04 by
    Originally posted by SueIP
    I am going to Florida (hoping to be there by the end of the year). My family & I love the way of life there (we have been going there 3-4 times a year for 11 yrs now). Obviously we love the weather too! I can earn more money in Florida as an RN than I can being a Nurse Manager in a nursing Home, do less hours and still come out with more money. For me there is less patient ratio - at present it it 25:1 for me where I work - no exceptions. I could go back to the NHS, but I would not be able to get an equivalent position so easily (not that that bothers me too much), so I would have to go back to the NHS as a E grade, possibly as a D grade (doesnt bother me in the slightest ) But the drop in pay would! AND THAT DOES BOTHER ME
    Nurses pay here is rubbish and I dont think it will get that much better in the near future. I know Florida doesnt pay as high as some states but it is way better than what I get now!

    So relocation to Florida as far as I can see it has a lot going for it - weather, lifestyle, location.
    Hi SueIP,

    Can you explain your system a little bit...I'm not sure what E and D grade as compared to what you are earning now. Are you working outside the NHS in a private facility? Also, with that large nurse/patient ratio, I am assuming that you are working in long term care rather than a hospital?

    Thanks,

    Roxanne
  8. Jan 19, '04 by
    Originally posted by roxannekkb
    Hi SueIP,

    Can you explain your system a little bit...I'm not sure what E and D grade as compared to what you are earning now. Are you working outside the NHS in a private facility? Also, with that large nurse/patient ratio, I am assuming that you are working in long term care rather than a hospital?

    Thanks,

    Roxanne
    Hi Roxanne, go to this thread to see about the grading system in the UK.

    http://allnurses.com/t53279.html

    I am a Manager of a Nursing Home, thats why there is a large nurse/patient ratio and because I have been out of the NHS for 10 yrs all I could hope to get is a D grade which pays a lot less than what I am earning now, I would possibly get an E grade if the Nurse Manager felt generous - but I would still be earning less. the job offer I have had in Florida is willing to pay me equivalent to £2.50 an hour more than what I get now without the enhancements added in...
  9. Jan 19, '04 by
    I am going to work in UCLA.i know it is expensive. but i can not see it being more expensive than london. my contract is 2yrs ,so maybe after 2yrs i might venture out to a different state.
    Thanks caramel
  10. Jan 19, '04 by
    Originally posted by caramel
    I am going to work in UCLA.i know it is expensive. but i can not see it being more expensive than london. my contract is 2yrs ,so maybe after 2yrs i might venture out to a different state.
    Thanks caramel
    Well LA is less expensive than San francisco, so that is a plus. And it probably is cheaper to live than London. But you will need a car, as there is no public transportation to speak of. If you want to get out and do stuff, having a car is the only way in LA.

    I actually worked at UCLA, but it was a while ago. What unit will you be working on?
  11. Jan 19, '04 by
    i will be working in the pediatric unit.i am not sure what to expect,is it really a rough place to live in .i am currently learning how to drive, cos i live in inner london, public transport is great.i guess i don't mind getting a car once i relocate what did u make of ucla, when were u there.they r doing huge recruitment here in london,which makes me wonder why are there not able to retain their staffs. worrying

    regards
    caramel
  12. Jan 20, '04 by
    Originally posted by caramel
    i will be working in the pediatric unit.i am not sure what to expect,is it really a rough place to live in .i am currently learning how to drive, cos i live in inner london, public transport is great.i guess i don't mind getting a car once i relocate what did u make of ucla, when were u there.they r doing huge recruitment here in london,which makes me wonder why are there not able to retain their staffs. worrying

    regards
    caramel
    UCLA is located in a really nice area, Westwood. It is next door to Beverly Hills, Brentwood--two very expensive and fancy neighborhoods, and not very far from the beach. The area is quite expensive, though, but maybe not more so than London.

    I worked there per diem quite a while ago, in 1988, so the pay would be very different. I have no idea what it was. I worked in many of the hospitals in LA, both through the registry and per diem. The absolute worst was Cedar's Sinai. UCLA was very busy and hectic, and I worked NICU and sometimes PICU. The NICU was fine, but the PICU was awful Mostly because of the staff and also the workload was too much. I left UCLA after only a few months. I would have stayed if I could just do NICU, but no, they wanted us to float.

    I don't know what working conditions are like now, but they weren't the best when I was there. It may have improved, I don't know. Sorry, I don't know anyone there anymore.

    Heavy recruitment in the UK doesn't mean its a bad place--California passed a law with mandatory nurse/patient ratios, so hospitals have to hire more staff to comply, or else shut beds. So I imagine that may be one reason why UCLA is being so agressive. California is our most populous state, and is also suffering badly from a nursing shortage, so again, this all factors into why they are recruiting.

    Hope this helps. You can check with the California Nurses Association to see if they can give you more info about UCLA
    http://www.calnurse.org/oldmainindex.html

    The California nurses association represents nurses in many hospitals, but I don't know if UCLA is unionized or not. Anyway, check out the CNA and see if they can at least tell you if there are labor problems at UCLA, or if they're unionized, or whatever.