million dollar question

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  • Specializes in MSc in Anesthetics.

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carol2311

15 Posts

is life in the US better than that of the UK? ie weather, affordability,wages lifestyle etc etc. come on all you that have made the leap give us your honest opnion???:D

is it a yeah:yeah: or a neah!!!!!!!!!:crying2:

Money-wise, the income is definitely better here. But it is swallowed up by so many monthly bills like mortgage, car loans, medical bills, health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, auto insurance, home insurance, accidental death insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, professional , travel insurance, dismemberment insurance, home renters insurance etc. Goodness! For a time... I was so scared to get out of the house:eek: !

Nursing working conditions are better in a lot of aspects like you have responsible Techs (Nurse Assistants) who does the VS (or OBS), Accuchecks (or BMs), I+Os (the PO + the PUs), the wounds, the feedings, the hygiene care, the transfers. My nurse manager here never ever asked me to mop the floor and disinfect the cabinets and the beds. US nurses deal with more serious issues like critical lab results, abnormal findings in the special procedures + XRs, the arrhythmias, the medications, pumps, monitors, pt educ and especially DOCUMENTATION which is a pleasure to do bec it's all computerised (but then again it depends on what system the hospital is using).

Weather-wise and with natural disasters, hmmm... that's a pretty tricky matter... the US has wild fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods.

Life-style... except for the huge houses, the Brits have better lifestyle. They have more fun. They travel around the world more. After work, they go to the pubs and unwind with their colleagues. They have longer holidays. America is all work and no play. :sniff: :o

madwife2002, BSN, RN

26 Articles; 4,777 Posts

Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

You know what I miss the most my wonderful child minder in the UK who gave my dh and myself freedom to go out alone. For 10 months we havent been able to go and do anything adult together. We have such a wonderful marriage and I miss US sometimes.

This week I found a 16 year old baby sitter so we are going out with some friends for a meal on friday. I have never left my child with a baby sitter in 5 years so this is a new experience for us. I never needed to my childminder was like her Grandma and would have her overnight.

When I got here people where offering me their babysitters but they were 11-12 yrs old and I wasnt happy with that.

Now my close friends who have been staying with us are moving into their own house soon and have promised dd to come and stay-On that night I am going to rediscover US, just in case she is a beast and they never invite her back:chuckle

geordiegirl2

101 Posts

For me its hard to say whether its better or not its just different, its great the sun shines al year round, bigger house, better salary, have a good social life and my kids are settled but Madwives right you miss 'your own people' really, though being British here gets you a lot of attention here and I have a lot of really good American friends.

The first year is hard you miss everything you knew really as everything is so different, for me not knowing how things worked, like healthcare, insurance =etc made me feel very insecure but you learn and get used to it.

I too miss decent bread, indian take away and decent Sat night TV( we're nearly always out now on a Sat anyway) but still but life is good.

As for the nursing I miss the autonomy of home but the staffing levels etc are better, though i'm not sure you see the same level of commitment here but i'm sure that varies.

madwife2002, BSN, RN

26 Articles; 4,777 Posts

Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.
For me its hard to say whether its better or not its just different, its great the sun shines al year round, bigger house, better salary, have a good social life and my kids are settled but Madwives right you miss 'your own people' really, though being British here gets you a lot of attention here and I have a lot of really good American friends.

The first year is hard you miss everything you knew really as everything is so different, for me not knowing how things worked, like healthcare, insurance =etc made me feel very insecure but you learn and get used to it.

I too miss decent bread, indian take away and decent Sat night TV( we're nearly always out now on a Sat anyway) but still but life is good.

As for the nursing I miss the autonomy of home but the staffing levels etc are better, though i'm not sure you see the same level of commitment here but i'm sure that varies.

Yeah I think you hit the nail on the head it's not better it's just different.

english_nurse

1,146 Posts

Specializes in renal,peritoneal dialysis, medicine.

after reading all this i really feel the need to whine about my shift last night.

Got to work to find out that there was just going to be me (RN) and a HCA who to be honest is fantastic but usually we also have another RN. This was for 18 patients, one was actuely ill with a raging sepsis having rigors and in actue pain, two others were having overnight peritioneal dialysis, one of whom had drainage problems so his machine shouted all night. 3 of the other patients were bedbound, 2 hourly turns, and two others were very confused, one acutely so, having pabrinex due to being self detox.

so i work all night, my feet dont touch the ground, no break and im completely knackered, the morning drug round didnt look as if it would ever end!!! i was looking forward to the early staff arriving and me being able to go home, the shift starts at 7am and by 6:55 only the bank RGN has turned up, am a little confused, then dead on 7am a bank hca turns up, so, who do i hand over to as really it should be whoever is in charge for the shift, anyway he turns up at 7.20 am, wet hair, no sorry im late ( i finish myself at 7.30). By then i was feeling really hacked off, all i wanted to do was go home so i asked him where the bl**dy hell hes been, turns out he felt he had to have a shower before he came to work but didnt get up until 6.30 am! he said ihe didnt think it would matter that he was late as there would be other staff there. i said if he felt he needed a shower he should have got out of bed a bit earlier, as now i am going to be late leaving myself which means my husband will also be late for work as he waits for me to get home in the morning, so our children wont be on their own.

I have no objection to staying late at work if there is stuff that needs doing that I havnt managed to do but last night I spent half my shift doing the stuff that this staff nurse didnt do on the late shift, and did all my own work with less staff, and then he was bleeding late!!

rant over

i am tired

please tell me its not going to be like this often in the usa, as it seems to happen more and more where i am from!

madwife2002, BSN, RN

26 Articles; 4,777 Posts

Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.
after reading all this i really feel the need to whine about my shift last night.

Got to work to find out that there was just going to be me (RN) and a HCA who to be honest is fantastic but usually we also have another RN. This was for 18 patients, one was actuely ill with a raging sepsis having rigors and in actue pain, two others were having overnight peritioneal dialysis, one of whom had drainage problems so his machine shouted all night. 3 of the other patients were bedbound, 2 hourly turns, and two others were very confused, one acutely so, having pabrinex due to being self detox.

so i work all night, my feet dont touch the ground, no break and im completely knackered, the morning drug round didnt look as if it would ever end!!! i was looking forward to the early staff arriving and me being able to go home, the shift starts at 7am and by 6:55 only the bank RGN has turned up, am a little confused, then dead on 7am a bank hca turns up, so, who do i hand over to as really it should be whoever is in charge for the shift, anyway he turns up at 7.20 am, wet hair, no sorry im late ( i finish myself at 7.30). By then i was feeling really hacked off, all i wanted to do was go home so i asked him where the bl**dy hell hes been, turns out he felt he had to have a shower before he came to work but didnt get up until 6.30 am! he said ihe didnt think it would matter that he was late as there would be other staff there. i said if he felt he needed a shower he should have got out of bed a bit earlier, as now i am going to be late leaving myself which means my husband will also be late for work as he waits for me to get home in the morning, so our children wont be on their own.

I have no objection to staying late at work if there is stuff that needs doing that I havnt managed to do but last night I spent half my shift doing the stuff that this staff nurse didnt do on the late shift, and did all my own work with less staff, and then he was bleeding late!!

rant over

i am tired

please tell me its not going to be like this often in the usa, as it seems to happen more and more where i am from!

NO it wont be like that :nuke:

geordiegirl2

101 Posts

after reading all this i really feel the need to whine about my shift last night.

Got to work to find out that there was just going to be me (RN) and a HCA who to be honest is fantastic but usually we also have another RN. This was for 18 patients, one was actuely ill with a raging sepsis having rigors and in actue pain, two others were having overnight peritioneal dialysis, one of whom had drainage problems so his machine shouted all night. 3 of the other patients were bedbound, 2 hourly turns, and two others were very confused, one acutely so, having pabrinex due to being self detox.

so i work all night, my feet dont touch the ground, no break and im completely knackered, the morning drug round didnt look as if it would ever end!!! i was looking forward to the early staff arriving and me being able to go home, the shift starts at 7am and by 6:55 only the bank RGN has turned up, am a little confused, then dead on 7am a bank hca turns up, so, who do i hand over to as really it should be whoever is in charge for the shift, anyway he turns up at 7.20 am, wet hair, no sorry im late ( i finish myself at 7.30). By then i was feeling really hacked off, all i wanted to do was go home so i asked him where the bl**dy hell hes been, turns out he felt he had to have a shower before he came to work but didnt get up until 6.30 am! he said ihe didnt think it would matter that he was late as there would be other staff there. i said if he felt he needed a shower he should have got out of bed a bit earlier, as now i am going to be late leaving myself which means my husband will also be late for work as he waits for me to get home in the morning, so our children wont be on their own.

I have no objection to staying late at work if there is stuff that needs doing that I havnt managed to do but last night I spent half my shift doing the stuff that this staff nurse didnt do on the late shift, and did all my own work with less staff, and then he was bleeding late!!

rant over

i am tired

please tell me its not going to be like this often in the usa, as it seems to happen more and more where i am from!

It certainly won't be like that from a staffing point of view.

cariad

628 Posts

okay, its my third night in work with more or less the same group of patients, a couple have been discharged and have been replaced by new ones. the first night was a very crazy totally stressful night. an angry ca patient who is mad at the world because he is now end stage due to the fact that he couldnt afford to pay for his radiation treatment so he didnt get any. a post op biker who wasnt wearing a helmet....they dont have to over here, a lady with an ng and tpn.....she was easy. another post-op, and a guy who is still here, and has slowly been making me lose my sanity. he has had an exploratory lap, bilateral chest drains which are now out, and stab wounds which are stapled and major pain issues. not a medical problem but someone who needs to help themselves to get better, he has been lying in bed while the relatives harrass the nurses for all sorts of drugs for him and treat him like hes paralysed. tried to educate him as to mobilising, but to no avail. hes now on oral pain meds and will go home tomorrow. but this is the difference between the uk and the us.

you dont have many patients but you do have a lot of things to do for your group of patients. lots of meds to give and iv stuff to hang, and lots of documentation.

Silverdragon102, BSN

1 Article; 39,477 Posts

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
after reading all this i really feel the need to whine about my shift last night.

Got to work to find out that there was just going to be me (RN) and a HCA who to be honest is fantastic but usually we also have another RN. This was for 18 patients, one was actuely ill with a raging sepsis having rigors and in actue pain, two others were having overnight peritioneal dialysis, one of whom had drainage problems so his machine shouted all night. 3 of the other patients were bedbound, 2 hourly turns, and two others were very confused, one acutely so, having pabrinex due to being self detox.

so i work all night, my feet dont touch the ground, no break and im completely knackered, the morning drug round didnt look as if it would ever end!!! i was looking forward to the early staff arriving and me being able to go home, the shift starts at 7am and by 6:55 only the bank RGN has turned up, am a little confused, then dead on 7am a bank hca turns up, so, who do i hand over to as really it should be whoever is in charge for the shift, anyway he turns up at 7.20 am, wet hair, no sorry im late ( i finish myself at 7.30). By then i was feeling really hacked off, all i wanted to do was go home so i asked him where the bl**dy hell hes been, turns out he felt he had to have a shower before he came to work but didnt get up until 6.30 am! he said ihe didnt think it would matter that he was late as there would be other staff there. i said if he felt he needed a shower he should have got out of bed a bit earlier, as now i am going to be late leaving myself which means my husband will also be late for work as he waits for me to get home in the morning, so our children wont be on their own.

I have no objection to staying late at work if there is stuff that needs doing that I havnt managed to do but last night I spent half my shift doing the stuff that this staff nurse didnt do on the late shift, and did all my own work with less staff, and then he was bleeding late!!

rant over

i am tired

please tell me its not going to be like this often in the usa, as it seems to happen more and more where i am from!

This was one of the reasons I was glad to go into practice nursing.... The difference I worked on a medical admission unit and turnover was greater, stress higher with management on your backs for transferring patients out into NO beds :confused: so they could get patients in A&E into a bed

I thiink this question is all down to expectations and reasons why people move for us thats Mr Wales ( OG to his friends) and myself its about travel and the experience that brings as we have both lived and worked aboard before. As for compairing the usa and UK nursing environments that is unrealstic as they differ so much look at me I am a midwife going to work in L&D what madness they are worlds apart and poor Mr W is going back to the bedside after all these years- what I trying to say is life is what you make where ever you may be we want to make our sunny.......

curlysin

98 Posts

Specializes in MSc in Anesthetics.
This was one of the reasons I was glad to go into practice nursing.... The difference I worked on a medical admission unit and turnover was greater, stress higher with management on your backs for transferring patients out into NO beds :confused: so they could get patients in A&E into a bed

dido i work on the acute medical admissions unit and i hear you girl!!!!!!! i was in charge last night we had 12 admissions and 4 tranfers while all you get is bad manners from the wards the patients are meant to be on anyway when trying to move them. my question to them is why become a nurse if the first question you ask is is this patient independent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire the majority of patients that came in where grossely unstable on 28 bedded unit we where an rgn down which they plan on doing from now on as they are in sooooo much debt. we are coping barely buts thats becuz we all work so hrad anyway we just pull together whne the going gets tougher. but why should WE and OUR PATIENTS have to suffer becuz the person holding the purse strings made a major boo boo!!!:angryfire

thanks guys for all your replys. yeah im not sure what i expect to find, but ill tell you this much the NHS is crumbling and the agenda for change has shafted nurses even further. the weathers crap here, the moneys crap, the cost of living continues to rise with no increase in wages to match inflation, northern ireland has little to offer you on a day off and i mean nothing, a nurse here is jack of all trades cleaner, porter, i hate to say it at times a doctor!!!!! hehehe you know what imean, a physio, and ot, a social worker you name it we do it and for what!!!!!!! ill just have to wait and see eh the saying may be true the grass appears greener on the other side but hey at least ill have tried the other side:D

english_nurse

1,146 Posts

Specializes in renal,peritoneal dialysis, medicine.

no grass where im going just desert and rocks

oh and a few cacti

:D

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