Can anyone answer my "misc" questions?

Silverdragon102, BSN · Oct 1, 2004

After I finish my supervised time period, can I work in a doctors office? Do nurses in a D's O make a lot less then in hospitals? They do in the US.
How long does it take to advance grades?

I can give my opinion on these 2 questions.

I work in a Dr's Surgery and I am paid as a F grade. Starting at £19000 a year (rough approx figure). We do get paid less than in the hospital as we do not get unsociable hours but have the added bonus of working mon-fri regular hours with every public holiday off. Duties vary from management of chronic diseases, routine bp monitoring, venupuncture, assisting GP's as required, performing routine cytology (once trained) and dressings to name a few.

At the moment for climbing up the ladder and grades it is usual to accept atleast 18 months experience on the grade before applying for promotion and usually it has to be advertised. This will probably change when Agenda for Change comes in

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HumanResourcesAndTraining/ModernisingPay/AgendaForChange/fs/en

and

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/LettersAndCirculars/DearColleagueLetters/DearColleagueLettersArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4088062&chk=jOLsV%2B

these 2 links may give you a bit more information on the changes that are coming

caramel · Oct 2, 2004

I can probably help you with one question. that being finding a hospital and somewhere to rent.

good news is,

there is a hospital in fulham called Chelsea and Westminister

Bad news is . fulham area is one of the most expensive places in london one bedroom flat/apartment could fetch you about 1500($2550 ). while a bedroom in a shared house could set you back anthing between 650 -900pounds($1105-$1530) a month if you are lucky. your best bet is to get a job with C&W and they will provide you with a nurses accomodation which i think is around 350-400pounds($525-$680) a month . they are very small and frankly not the best. but in fulham that is the best you can do.good luck london is a fab city i hope you enjoy your stay

andreamae · Oct 7, 2004

thanks for your help:) can anyone answer my other questions?

karenG · Oct 7, 2004

nurses working in Drs offices are called practice nurses. we have GP surgerys not offices! the pay is the same as in hospital but practice nurses tend to be experianced nurses ... they do a wide variety of things and dont rely on a doc telling them what to do! as a lead practice nurse, its not an option I would suggest for a newly qualified nurse unless you were moving into a practice as very junior nurse. I would suggest at least one years experiance post reg.. and thats if you are taking a junior practice nurse post. our E grade practice nurses have to have a year post reg.

I dont know what an office nurse does but practice nurses are highly skilled nurses with a wide body of knowledge, they have their own case loads, can discharge patients from it without referring to the doc, can refer to hospitals etc etc. think carefully if that is an option you want to consider.

over here as in the States, you are expected to undertake 'life long learning', career advancement can be dependant on this but is also dependant on experience. so far I reckon I have trained for about 14yrs!! and still got more to do!

also have a look at the web sites Anna suggested. lots of information there.

good luck

Karen