Nursing students wanting to work in the US?

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Hi there everyone

Are there any nursing students out there who wish to work in the USA who have been told that they need to achieve 40-80 hours in pediatrics and psychiatric nursing before they can work in the usa? I am doing the project 2000 Diploma -Adult branch where we don't get exposure to such other branches does this mean I can never work in the usa?

Tina K

Specializes in Cardiolgy.

On my CFP we collected the necessary hours of all four branches theory, but not the placement.

If we want to work in the US, we have been advised to donate our time to courses which include paed or mental health placements. Even volunteer work will be looked at by some agencies.

I hope that helps, I haven't really thought of the US as a permenant goal... I just want to finish my training!

Whisper

Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.

Sorry I don't know the requirements but come on over the pond!

Cheers:)

Hi there whisper, yes it looks as if i may have to ask my tutor about doing some voluntary shifts here and there in the areas i need to be competent in , luckily i am only in my 2nd year so there is plenty of time...i only hope my tutor agrees!

Tina

Hi there whisper, yes it looks as if i may have to ask my tutor about doing some voluntary shifts here and there in the areas i need to be competent in , luckily i am only in my 2nd year so there is plenty of time...i only hope my tutor agrees!

Tina

Hi I can empathise, I too am wanting to work in the states, I am on my adult conversion course from RMN, I have been informed that I need to have done a paediatric placement and maternity one too.Not sure what to do, I suppose like you I will need to ask my tutor how I go about it.Not sure if she will be happy as it does not look great wanting to bugger off to states but so what, NHS sucks, I've worked in it for long enough! let us know hhow you get on about your course.
Hi I can empathise, I too am wanting to work in the states, I am on my adult conversion course from RMN, I have been informed that I need to have done a paediatric placement and maternity one too.Not sure what to do, I suppose like you I will need to ask my tutor how I go about it.Not sure if she will be happy as it does not look great wanting to bugger off to states but so what, NHS sucks, I've worked in it for long enough! let us know hhow you get on about your course.

Hi there jules,

I will let you know what my tutor says when I ask him lol I am thinking of writing him an email first to explain the situation , and well I am just gonna say to him that I want to work here for a couple of years before I go to the USA and then come back to the UK with more awareness of nursing procedures ...that way at least it seems I will be doing something useful with the skills I have learnt abroad!...I personally however don't agree with tutors getting upset if nurses want to go abroad a bit..whats wrong with wanting to see other countries? its educational and you get to learn of different cultures :)

Hi there jules,

I will let you know what my tutor says when I ask him lol I am thinking of writing him an email first to explain the situation , and well I am just gonna say to him that I want to work here for a couple of years before I go to the USA and then come back to the UK with more awareness of nursing procedures ...that way at least it seems I will be doing something useful with the skills I have learnt abroad!...I personally however don't agree with tutors getting upset if nurses want to go abroad a bit..whats wrong with wanting to see other countries? its educational and you get to learn of different cultures :)

Hi Tina!

Thanks for your quick response there. I was thinking of saying something along those lines. Pathetic isnt it?!:rotfl: Anyway let me know how you get on

I am speaking to my tutor tomorrow. I will let u know.......Good luck!

The requirement for even being accepted to sit for the CGFNS exam is that you have adequate hours, didactic as well as clinical, in pediatrics, maternal, and psych. Many programs out of the US do not include psych and this has to be done in an approved program, not just volunteering the hours. Before you start with all of the volunteering, check closer with CGFNS. Per all of their forms, handbooks, etc. it states that they must be hours in an approved school of nursing. That means that volunteer hours in a hospital do not count. When you send in your transcripts to them, it must list the actual hours for each rotatation. There is no form for documentation of hours worked or volunteered in a hospital. Check into these things first to save yourself some time. Volunteering is just not acceptable to replace nursing school hours.

halo..

im now an E grade just ..i did my training in learning disabilites .i also thinking of the states .you know i looked at the pay scale on NHS.Im not happy at all.plz tell me where i can get info about working in the states

thanx

welly

Hi I can empathise, I too am wanting to work in the states, I am on my adult conversion course from RMN, I have been informed that I need to have done a paediatric placement and maternity one too.Not sure what to do, I suppose like you I will need to ask my tutor how I go about it.Not sure if she will be happy as it does not look great wanting to bugger off to states but so what, NHS sucks, I've worked in it for long enough! let us know hhow you get on about your course.

NCLEX and CGFNS do not look at "volunteer" work to meet the requirements ofr working in the US. Both state that the required number of hours have to be completed in an approved school of nursing. The only papers that you submit with your application, for either, is your transcripts from school, and verification form your nursing council or board of nursing. The law over here says that you need to have "pfofessional nurse status" which means equivalent to a four year degree. You must have completed the full amount of hours in adult as well as pediatric medicine. Psych nursing is also a requirement. There is no way around this and I would hate to see you waste your time trying to take a shortcut that someone said would work, and it won't. Do things properly the first time and you will save yourself much time and effort.

:balloons: :)

( I work full-time in this arena, so I know what I am talking about, feel free to send a PM if you have more questions)

NCLEX and CGFNS do not look at "volunteer" work to meet the requirements ofr working in the US. Both state that the required number of hours have to be completed in an approved school of nursing. The only papers that you submit with your application, for either, is your transcripts from school, and verification form your nursing council or board of nursing. The law over here says that you need to have "pfofessional nurse status" which means equivalent to a four year degree. You must have completed the full amount of hours in adult as well as pediatric medicine. Psych nursing is also a requirement. There is no way around this and I would hate to see you waste your time trying to take a shortcut that someone said would work, and it won't. Do things properly the first time and you will save yourself much time and effort.

:balloons: :)

( I work full-time in this arena, so I know what I am talking about, feel free to send a PM if you have more questions)

Hi there :)

First of all thank you so much for helping all us UK nurses while we try to find out feet!

I just wondered if you knew how other UK nurses may have achieved the rest of the hours for practical and theory in order to get to work in the US. I am a 2nd yr student doing a BSc Adult Nursing Degree and am wondering how i will make up these hours as i cannot do them voluntarily and i havent been able to find any company that will help me to convert! I have family in Cali and really want to go live with them, infact they are the ones who have encouraged me to come this far but im not sure how i will get there once i graduate. I am hoping to visit a company called Caplan here in London to ask further questions but any help from you or other nurses who have actually made it through and are working in US would be really handy!

Thank you so much!

Best regards and Wishing everyone a fab 2010!

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Hi there :)

First of all thank you so much for helping all us UK nurses while we try to find out feet!

I just wondered if you knew how other UK nurses may have achieved the rest of the hours for practical and theory in order to get to work in the US. I am a 2nd yr student doing a BSc Adult Nursing Degree and am wondering how i will make up these hours as i cannot do them voluntarily and i havent been able to find any company that will help me to convert! I have family in Cali and really want to go live with them, infact they are the ones who have encouraged me to come this far but im not sure how i will get there once i graduate. I am hoping to visit a company called Caplan here in London to ask further questions but any help from you or other nurses who have actually made it through and are working in US would be really handy!

Thank you so much!

Best regards and Wishing everyone a fab 2010!

The theory and clinical hours have to be done through a recognised institute and I don't think many universities do this as they really are training you to work in the UK not to move abroad. Also be aware currently there is a retrogression and will take many many years to get a visa (May change but still many thousands already in the queue ahead of you). There are several UK nurses waiting for a visa and have been for a few years and still no ideas when they will be getting one.

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