Practical Nursing in the UK? Plz help

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I'm going to post this in the UK section as well.

I'm wondering if any of you can help me... Feeling kind of lost here. I'm thinking of doing a Licensed Practical Nurse qualification here in Canada. I want to move to London, UK though (I'm dual national) and trying to find out if there is an equivalent type of job there and what people who do this job are called? I feel like I've searched every website on the net looking for the answer to this question!

Are there any of you out there that can help? Have any of you gone to the UK with your LPN?

TIA, Sara

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Hello, I'm wondering if you can help me...

I'm about to go into training in Canada to become what we call a "Licensed Practical Nurse", and I'm wondering if there is an equivalent job in the UK and what it people who work in this job are called. I am trying to look up jobs online on websites such as yours to get an idea on what my earning potential would be over there, as well as what the scope of the job is, and if there are a lot of jobs available.

Description of what an LPN in Canada does:

Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) are employed in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centres, doctors' offices, clinics, occupational health units, community nursing services and private homes. Those working in B.C. must have a licence. LPNs assist registered nurses and psychiatric nurses in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating nursing care. Although they work under the direction of physicians and nurses, they also make nursing judgments, provide required care for assigned patients and are responsible for their own nursing actions.

Any help you can give me would mean the world.

Thank you,

Sara

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

LPN is the equivilant to what used to be called enrolled nurses. There are still EN around but they have not ben trained for several years and a lot have done the bridge program to convert to RN ( I did )

Unfortunately immigration has changed regarding nurses and as mentioned in previous threads employement has to be first UK then EU before employing elsewhere in the world. This has even afected nurses who already have work permits as they find they are not able to change jobs. Would suggest checking out the Nursing Times which is a UK nursing magazine and these problems have been mentioned a few times. Also hospitals are currently going through a lot of financial difficulties and laying staff off including nurses. To nurse in the UK you have to have an equivilant training to UK nurse which is just over 3 years and must be RN. Check out the NMC overseas section that will explain more

This should give you an idea as a RN what pay is like, look under band 5 http://www.rcn.org.uk/agendaforchange/payconditions/pay/pay2006.php

Hope this helps

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Silverdragon102 - Thank you so much for this information... I've been looking everywhere for it with no luck. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to me! :)

It looks like doing LPN here is better for the financial aspect of things, but I want to get back to the UK so I might give it a miss. To do your RN here is 4 years, and that's without a specialty. Plus it can be hard to get into a school.

Looks like I might have to stick with office work...:o

Thank you again for your reply.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Silverdragon102 - Thank you so much for this information... I've been looking everywhere for it with no luck. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to me! :)

It looks like doing LPN here is better for the financial aspect of things, but I want to get back to the UK so I might give it a miss. To do your RN here is 4 years, and that's without a specialty. Plus it can be hard to get into a school.

Looks like I might have to stick with office work...:o

Thank you again for your reply.

if you are from the UK there is nothing stopping you from coming back except LPN will not be recognised

Wish you well on whatever you decide.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

You will need a BSN-RN in order to work in the United Kingdom.

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Please see my posting JK7777.

There is no equivalent of LPN or LVN in UK. Most of the licensed nurses work at the level of a US LVN. The least paid are called "Care Assistants" and they hardly make a living wage. Most of their work is changing sheets and toileting patients. My advice to anyone in the nursing profession is to stay away. Yes, I'm negative, but save yourself the grief and expense of moving until you actually see what it looks like. It will be an eye opener.

good luck to you

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Specializes in med/surg.
Please see my posting JK7777.

There is no equivalent of LPN or LVN in UK. Most of the licensed nurses work at the level of a US LVN. The least paid are called "Care Assistants" and they hardly make a living wage. Most of their work is changing sheets and toileting patients. My advice to anyone in the nursing profession is to stay away. Yes, I'm negative, but save yourself the grief and expense of moving until you actually see what it looks like. It will be an eye opener.

good luck to you

I take issue with your opinion that UK RN's work at LVN level - you might but I certainly don't!

I agree with your wage comments too & I don't even disagree with you trying to warn others to stay away from the UK nursing scene but while you're at it stop putting us all down!

Your experience is obviously dreadful & I'm really sorry for that but not everywhere in the UK reflects your experience & I'd like to point that out to others reading these posts.

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.
I take issue with your opinion that UK RN's work at LVN level - you might but I certainly don't!

I agree with your wage comments too & I don't even disagree with you trying to warn others to stay away from the UK nursing scene but while you're at it stop putting us all down!

Your experience is obviously dreadful & I'm really sorry for that but not everywhere in the UK reflects your experience & I'd like to point that out to others reading these posts.

:yeahthat:

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I apologize for offending anyone.. I am not putting down UK nurses. I just had a miserable experience and I would love to have it turned around. I came in to the UK with lots of enthusiasm which was quickly squashed. I had a mentor who was very bullying and when I reported it was told I had to be more assertive. I also was told that I could not pratice skills which I had for 20 years until I had taken special courses - for example placing IV lines, NG tubing, etc. But I was never given the opportunity to take the courses because there was a waiting list and the UK nurses had priority.

I really tried my best to figure out how to get on with the system. At the end, I was told not to try because I am American and no Scotish nurse would allow themselves to be managed by an American. And so on. I don't want to use this space to rant on... it is finished now as the NHS will not renew my visa, saying there is no more nursing shortage.

The main thing is my apology. The NHS is not a person it is a company. And it is their system that needs repair.. individuals who bully or who exhibit racism in the workplace probably won't be changed and most people are not like that.. Most people are good. Again, I'm sorry for anyone who felt slighted.

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Specializes in renal,peritoneal dialysis, medicine.
Please see my posting JK7777.

There is no equivalent of LPN or LVN in UK. Most of the licensed nurses work at the level of a US LVN. The least paid are called "Care Assistants" and they hardly make a living wage. Most of their work is changing sheets and toileting patients. My advice to anyone in the nursing profession is to stay away. Yes, I'm negative, but save yourself the grief and expense of moving until you actually see what it looks like. It will be an eye opener.

good luck to you

is there an airport near to where you live?

thats my advice, after all, who the flaming heck stays doing something they hate in a system they detest, and spend their spare time running it down on a website, yes you have had an experiance which had not been nice but not every ward in every hospital is going to be the same experiance. You say your visa has now run out? are your comments posted due to bitterness that you now dont have a visa? or a genuine problem you experianced while working?

personally i would fly home and restart work in the usa, please give us hardworking, non bullying nurses who work in the nhs a break.

if anyone finds this offensive i apologise in advance

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Specializes in Spinal Cord injuries, Emergency+EMS.
You will need a BSN-RN in order to work in the United Kingdom.

you won't necessarily need a Bachelors, but the UK no longer trains second level nurses,

in temrso fthe degree thing, most UK Nurses on entry to the register don't have their Bachelors ( as ENgland and IIRC scotland still predominatly DipHE programmes- although was ahs gone all degree for new registrants) but many people finish their degree in the first few years post reg.

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