One thing I'd wish I'd known before going to the USA......

[RGN1]

Hey all you wonderful nurses who have made the journey across the pond, or are nearly there bar the flights! I thought it might be fun/interesting/helpful if you could post something along the lines of "One thing I wish I'd done/known when going to the USA....."

It could be funny/informative or both & could encompass learning to live in the USA or work or the immigration process: whatever you think..........

You never know, it might end up as the best sticky on the site

Of course I can start it off (although I don't actually qualify as I'm not there, or even nearly yet) by saying "I wish I'd known how long it was going to take!":)

Now over to y'all..................

[RGN1]

you forgot the wheelie bin police, as in they are now bugging our wheelie bins to work out how much to charge us to take out our rubbish and who is guilty of not recycling!!

Oh man..........that too!!!! & the black boxes they want to put in our cars so they can charge us by the mile instead of a blanket road tax - with London in rush hour coming in at a whopping £1.83(or similar) a mile in places!!

Mind you we're digressing a bit from the topic but this is fun as well!!!!

[suehp]

Awww Tina, I can understand how you must be feeling...I feel lonely at times too for different reasons - it is very hard making friends here...(call me for a chat if you want I am off for a few nights now)

Apart from that I wish I had known the utility bills would be sooooo high!!! Also I wish I had known they can call you off a shift with only 2 hours notice and you have to use your vacation time up or you dont get paid for the shift.

[RGN1]

Apart from that I wish I had known the utility bills would be sooooo high!!! Also I wish I had known they can call you off a shift with only 2 hours notice and you have to use your vacation time up or you dont get paid for the shift.

Have you seen the recent prices here in the UK? Domestic fuel prices have risen by 98% in the last 6 months!!!!!!!!!!!

Not so good about the shift thing - I'll be wary of that - but NO WAY would my vacation time go - that's going to be little enough as it is!!!! Is it an agency or hospital thing??? Or both???

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

Myt last electricity bill for the month was $333

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

Awww Tina, I can understand how you must be feeling...I feel lonely at times too for different reasons - it is very hard making friends here...(call me for a chat if you want I am off for a few nights now)

Apart from that I wish I had known the utility bills would be sooooo high!!! Also I wish I had known they can call you off a shift with only 2 hours notice and you have to use your vacation time up or you dont get paid for the shift.

It is very difficult to make friends where I live too.

[suehp]

Not so good about the shift thing - I'll be wary of that - but NO WAY would my vacation time go - that's going to be little enough as it is!!!! Is it an agency or hospital thing??? Or both???

That is the same in the both places I have worked - dont know whether it is the same state wide....it is a hospital thing......when the census is low which is usually is in the summer months it is more likely for us to be called off....now we are heading for the winter months it will be rare this will happen...

[geordiegirl2]

Apart from that I wish I had known the utility bills would be sooooo high!!! Also I wish I had known they can call you off a shift with only 2 hours notice and you have to use your vacation time up or you dont get paid for the shift.

Have you seen the recent prices here in the UK? Domestic fuel prices have risen by 98% in the last 6 months!!!!!!!!!!!

Not so good about the shift thing - I'll be wary of that - but NO WAY would my vacation time go - that's going to be little enough as it is!!!! Is it an agency or hospital thing??? Or both???

In AZ its state legislation I'm not sure about the rest of the country, we we're initially told it would be worst in the summer as the population of Tucson drops then but truly last winter was quite bad as lots of travel nurses come to AZ then as the weathers good and it makes no difference to the hospital to overstaff as they can call people off!!

[english_nurse]

trouble is it extends your contract i suppose, as well as reducing your paycheck

[geordiegirl2]

trouble is it extends your contract i suppose, as well as reducing your paycheck

Thats right and when you only work 6 days per pay period then one day makes a big difference.

[english_nurse]

Thats right and when you only work 6 days per pay period then one day makes a big difference.

and i think my contract is long enough thanks lol

[RGN1]

I heard that in Florida you can make extra money (which would compensate) when the snowbirds come. A friend, who is a nurse, said she works extra during "the season" & makes plenty $$.

Our parents in Florida pay about $250 per month elelctricity (less in spring, winter & autumn) & they leave the kitchen light on all day, put all their lights on at night, cook a plenty - at least for 4 hours a day - & have no energy saving light bulbs, or low energy washing machine! Mind you there is a nuclear power station in the county!

One thing I wish I had known already was just how tedious all this paperwork was going to be & how much you have to duplicate things. It's driving me nuts!! So if you don't like paperwork then don't apply to go to the USA!!:chuckle

[letina]

I heard that in Florida you can make extra money (which would compenstae) when the snowbirds come. A friend, who is a nurse, said she works extra during "the season" & makes plenty $$.

I just worked an extra shift and got an extra $25 an hour on top of my regular hourly pay......it's called 'unscheduled bonus'......but this is only given when you are asked to come in due to low staffing levels, not when you self-schedule for overtime. You do get an enhanced hourly rate after the contracted 36 hours, but not as much as unscheduled.