Looking for a friend in the UK

expatnurse · Apr 9, 2005

I believe you would have to have at least 12 months post reg experience. Yes it is true they protect your pay and you would be paid at the grade/band you had recieved as a RN. It is mainly done as a degree I dont know if they do it at a diploma now, which wont be a problem for you as i presume you will have either a diploma or an advanced diploma when you qualify as a minimum.
There are few places offered through the country as it is generally felt that because you dont need to be a nurse to be a midwife. I think they are looking at retention and nurses have a tendency to go back to nursing after doing their midwifery. So it is expensive to train you as a nurse and then re train you as a midwife.
You would have to check with the universities, I know Southampton still do it but I am unsure about the rest of |UK. They have around 30 places each year divided into two intakes sept and jan.
I wish you well i enjoyed my training, it was very hard work because you dont get much time to meet criteria, and the direct entry studets get the full 3 yrs to get all their births ect, and their study done. We had to do 6 level 2/3 assignments as well as a final exam and 12,000 word dissertation. When you qualify you will get E grade automatically and within a year F grade or the AFG equivilent.

I know that I want at least a year experience before I consider applying. I know that the area I would want to work in is high risk cardic midwivery. Does this area exist? Thanks again for the inform. :balloons:

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2005

Units do provide high dependency units but as for cardiac I am sure there are specialist cardiac midwives but not in the trusts down on the south coast. Birmingham/ London maybe.

girlfromtx · Apr 11, 2005

Hi,
I'm a female nursing student in America and I want to work in London when I graduate. I want some life experience and an adventure. I'm single and have no children, so I have nothing keeping me in New Orleans. I am a bit nervous about moving because I know absolutely no one in England. I am looking for someone to chat with about England, nursing and anything else. Here is some information about myself: I'm 22 years old, I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. I want to work in pediatrics when I graduate (May 2006).
Thanks to anyone who responds, I really appreciate it.

You sound just like me! I also graduate in May 2006 also. This has been my dream for about 5 years to move to England after school. So you know the legalities of it? I think it's getting down to crunch time, I need to start looking into it, b/c I think it takes a long time to process applications or whatever is needed. We can use each other as resources. I didn't think that there were any other students who wanted to do the same thing. I think I should've been born somewhere in the UK b/c I have always had a fascination with it.

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Apr 11, 2005

You sound just like me! I also graduate in May 2006 also. This has been my dream for about 5 years to move to England after school. So you know the legalities of it? I think it's getting down to crunch time, I need to start looking into it, b/c I think it takes a long time to process applications or whatever is needed. We can use each other as resources. I didn't think that there were any other students who wanted to do the same thing. I think I should've been born somewhere in the UK b/c I have always had a fascination with it.

I feel that way re US

expatnurse · Apr 11, 2005

You sound just like me! I also graduate in May 2006 also. This has been my dream for about 5 years to move to England after school. So you know the legalities of it? I think it's getting down to crunch time, I need to start looking into it, b/c I think it takes a long time to process applications or whatever is needed. We can use each other as resources. I didn't think that there were any other students who wanted to do the same thing. I think I should've been born somewhere in the UK b/c I have always had a fascination with it.

Hi I am glad to meet you. Hope you are able to get to UK soon. What part of Texas are you from. My husband was raised there. Look forward to hearing from you. What are of nursing are you working in now. Any tips on learning drugs and studying for NCLEX? :)

expatnurse · Apr 11, 2005

Alexis,
Sorry I took so long to reply I am having the worst week. I have two test, two papers, teaching and care plans due and to top it off I had the worst day in clinicals today, I actually cried! To answer your questions we had a health assessment class our second semester that taught us how to assess a patient. For the lungs we listen to hear if they are clear,crackles, wheezes, rales, wet, or bilateral.we describe if they are easy or labored. the normal lung sound is describes as clear, bilateral breath sounds present throughout the lung field. bowel sounds are assessed in all four quadrants: Right upper quad., right lower quad., left lower quad, and left upper quad. Our teacher wanted us to start in the right lower quadrant and move counter clockwise. Bowel souds are described as active, hypoactive, hyperactive, or not present. for the heart we listen for murmurs, check the apical pulse for one minute. We sometimes listen for S1, S2, S3, and S4 sounds. these are more difficult to explain and go into more detail than you probably need. As for care plans, I would email you one of mine but I don't now how to send an attachment on this message board. What we do is look at the patient's diagnosis or chief complaint and determine a nursing diagnosis of our own and come up with interventions that best suit the patient's care. We go the day before and pick up our patient information and spend several hours doing research on the patho. of the disease, revelant labs and how they affect your patient and numerous other things that they make us do, it drives me crazy doing all this work. I hope all of this helps. I'm sure with all you training you will do a great job in the states, don't worry. I'm just praying I survive, only one more year to go.
Have a great day :)
Jen

Are you still out there? how did all your tests go? fingers crossed for you. :balloons:

girlfromtx · Apr 12, 2005

I feel that way re US

Maybe we should switch places :chuckle

girlfromtx · Apr 12, 2005

Hi I am glad to meet you. Hope you are able to get to UK soon. What part of Texas are you from. My husband was raised there. Look forward to hearing from you. What are of nursing are you working in now. Any tips on learning drugs and studying for NCLEX? :)

Do ya'll take a pharmacology course there? That's where I learned my drugs, but also knowing inside and out the drug that you are giving patients, you're knowledge base really builds with that. As far as the NCLEX goes, buy an NCLEX cd-rom, and do it over and over and over again. I've heard that's what really helps, b/c then you see the same questions again and again and won't be surprised when it comes to taking the exam. Maybe try a variety of cd-roms. If you want to email me, I can give you more advice for what worked from people that I have talked to who have taken it.

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Apr 12, 2005

Do ya'll take a pharmacology course there? That's where I learned my drugs, but also knowing inside and out the drug that you are giving patients, you're knowledge base really builds with that. As far as the NCLEX goes, buy an NCLEX cd-rom, and do it over and over and over again. I've heard that's what really helps, b/c then you see the same questions again and again and won't be surprised when it comes to taking the exam. Maybe try a variety of cd-roms. If you want to email me, I can give you more advice for what worked from people that I have talked to who have taken it.

I did thousands of practice questions prior to taking NCLEX but didnt get one single question that was the same as the practice ones!!

girlfromtx · Apr 12, 2005

I did thousands of practice questions prior to taking NCLEX but didnt get one single question that was the same as the practice ones!!

wow, very interesting. Maybe I shouldn't rely on that then when it comes time to actually take the NCLEX lol.

expatnurse · Apr 12, 2005

Do ya'll take a pharmacology course there? That's where I learned my drugs, but also knowing inside and out the drug that you are giving patients, you're knowledge base really builds with that. As far as the NCLEX goes, buy an NCLEX cd-rom, and do it over and over and over again. I've heard that's what really helps, b/c then you see the same questions again and again and won't be surprised when it comes to taking the exam. Maybe try a variety of cd-roms. If you want to email me, I can give you more advice for what worked from people that I have talked to who have taken it.

No we do not take pharmacolgy or A&P separately the way we do in the USA nor do they pretest you to enter a nursing program. It is very hands on. after 5 weeks of classes you are then sent out on placements (aka work) to the wards. You are assigned mentors but the quality of the mentor varies with how much she wants to teach you or be brothered by students. I never thought I would say this but I miss the quizes and chapter tests we use to do back home. that way you know if you know it or not. The way it stands in the back of my mind I always worry. Furthermore we work full time during our training on the wards. So any reading/study you do is in your own time once you have finished your 2000 word assignment, protofolio, transition etc. Yes the name of cd roms would be useful. Look forward to hearing from you. What part of Texas do you live in? What is your email address? :balloons:

expatnurse · Apr 12, 2005

I did thousands of practice questions prior to taking NCLEX but didnt get one single question that was the same as the practice ones!!

Did you pass the NCLEX when you took it and how did you find it? Did you find it very hard since you had been trained in the UK system first? :balloons: