Nursing in the UK from America: Really that impossible?

Silverdragon102, BSN · Oct 5, 2013

Jobs are like the US at the moment and hard. The NHS is going through some rough times. Employers generally go UK, EU then rest of the world. So who knows what it will be like in a few years time. My suggestion is gain experience in a specialty area enhancing your options. Also keep an eye on the UK job shortage list to see what specialty is on there

Chisca, RN · Oct 5, 2013

They are the 5th largest employer in the world (1.7 million employees) so I wouldn't think it would be hard. Unless 1.6 million are in management.

skylark, BSN, RN · Oct 7, 2013

They are the 5th largest employer in the world (1.7 million employees) so I wouldn't think it would be hard. Unless 1.6 million are in management.

Reality check -

NHS: Nearly two thirds of nurses considering quitting as savage cuts bite - Mirror Online

Around 370,000 NHS employees are nurses, but the numbers are being cut all the time.

I work in both the UK and the US, (registry and bank), and have seem the effects of these cutbacks. Its not pretty.

Chisca, RN · Oct 7, 2013

OP stated she's looking for a job in the UK 4 years from now and alot can change in that time. The article noted that the demand for nursing care hasn't diminished just that budget problems are being dealt with by cutting the people who do the job. A change in government could easily redirect the cuts to where they need to be instead of the bedside. Or budget priorities could change. What are the demographics for nurses in the UK? In the US the average nurse is in their 50s. Alot of nurses are close to retirement and while jobs may be tight now the labor department continues to project a growing demand for nurses in the future.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Oct 7, 2013

OP stated she's looking for a job in the UK 4 years from now and alot can change in that time. The article noted that the demand for nursing care hasn't diminished just that budget problems are being dealt with by cutting the people who do the job. A change in government could easily redirect the cuts to where they need to be instead of the bedside. Or budget priorities could change. What are the demographics for nurses in the UK? In the US the average nurse is in their 50s. Alot of nurses are close to retirement and while jobs may be tight now the labor department continues to project a growing demand for nurses in the future.

Doesn't matter which government is in the NHS especially nurses get the rough end of things and I seriously doubt redirection would happen. Labour stabbed us in the back no end of times and ince the 1980's has the wards been running on very minimal staff

Just my opinion

Gem1210390 · Oct 7, 2013

They have just increased the nursing students by 6500 so I would be surprised that even in four years time the nhs would sponsor for nurses to work in uk. Currently jobs are going out and each post is receiving a high number of applicants and as with the us students are finding it hard to get work once they have finished. The government are just trying to stop any pay rise for frontline staff because the NHS can not afford to pay the increased wage. Just look in to it closer to the time things could change but at present things are getting worse.

babyNP., APRN · Oct 10, 2013

The "shortage" area where they are still hiring overseas nurses are in the NICU field mostly (although I've heard that OR RNs have also been on the shortage list, called, "theatre nurses"). I got my license in 2012 and am hoping to go over sometime next year (although only temporarily).

The trouble is getting permission to work, you need to go through the appropriate immigration channels. There are a few travel companies that help foreign nurses and in my overseas nursing class, we had folks doing NICU, OR, and ER nursing that they were able to be placed and getting a temporary visa doing agency nursing.

Keep in mind that UK nurses are paid about half of what US nurses are (well, metropolitan US nurses), so you won't be making the big $$ doing this, rather more for the experience. The social benefits are obviously much better than the US with 5 weeks of vacay time and free health care etc etc.

There's no harm in getting your license just to have it. The NMC have changed things a little bit in the last year and you now have to do some sort of a residency (although you do get paid). I think this is a good thing because all I had to do was take an essentially 3 day class with online study in between to learn about the NHS. It was definitely worth it for the knowledge, but I wish I had some experience in a hospital too.

If you're in school now, keep track of ALL of your theory and clinical hours (maybe by keeping your syallabi). That's the hardest thing in the application, IMHO, because American nursing programs don't keep big tabs on this as long as it passes the state BON's requirements.

Gem1210390 · Oct 11, 2013

Just wanted to let you know some info. I was talking to the head of our hr department at my hospital in the uk and she today stated that in a couple of years to hospital will be looking at recruiting from overseas because we don't have enough nurses. So it looks like it will not be that impossible

skylark, BSN, RN · Oct 12, 2013

Just wanted to let you know some info. I was talking to the head of our hr department at my hospital in the uk and she today stated that in a couple of years to hospital will be looking at recruiting from overseas because we don't have enough nurses. So it looks like it will not be that impossible

When they say "overseas' it generally means from Philippines, India, or within the EC.

I am not aware of any plans to recruit in the US.

Gem1210390 · Oct 12, 2013

The point I was making that if they are going to pay and sponsor from abroad if someone comes in from say America with good qualification why would they not take them.