wasabirush

I'm not sure there is a "typical" day - but a neonatal nurse can be admitting, continuing care of or discharging babies. Attending complex deliveries, expected or unexpected. Pre-op/post op care. Preceptoring nursing students & new neonatal staff; working in a multidisciplinary team with respiratory/occupational/physio therapists, pharmacists, surgical/cardiology teams, dieticians, palliative care team/pain management... & many others depending on the baby's condition. Things can definitely take an emotional toll on a daily basis & it's very personal how one neonatal nurse copes compared to another. But like any field of nursing, it's important that a way of coping is found. Our psychologist offers staff support & an team culture of debriefing is encouraged, as well as staff social events to help with morale. Providing family support ranging from teaching breast feeding to helping pick up the pieces to parents in crisis to giving a baby to a father to hold/kangeroo care for the first time or supporting parents with end of life care for their baby & family. I don't think *anything* in my nursing education, except maybe a little bit of psych, prepared me for dealing with parents of neonates.

Fentanyl & Sux to tube, morphine to sedate, midaz infusions. Vec infusions or intermittent pancuronium. In a previous NICU I worked in, they used the same to tube, morphine or fentanyl infusions, midaz infusions, panc bolus', no vec.

We don't where I work either, sounds interesting... I've read that some units are doing FaceTime or Skype with baby/parents, which might be a better in between option? Would be curious to hear more about it.

Make sure *you* have prepared questions to ask during the interview. Questions you ask will also tell the interviewer a lot about you too. Particularly their orientation program & education, continued support & education, how they progress staff in the NICU... just for example. Your Med/Surg & OR experience will only add to your NICU time & give you somewhat of a base to build on, especially with things like aseptic technique, attention to detail, if the NICU is also a surgical NICU, then you can apply concepts of OR experience to NICU, but obviously it'll be on a much smaller scale with different surgical aspects.

CTN were extremely efficient from the time I enquired to their company to getting my registration with the NMC. CTN did ALL of the chasing with the NMC for me & gave me very specific direction to help me with all of the NMC roadblocks to overcome, otherwise I would've had to do it all on my own overseas (while not impossible, it would have been even MORE time consuming than it was). From the time of application to registration it took 12 months. I was with CTN for two contracts (six months) in one hospital, did not require their housing & 3 months in ended up applying for a staff position (i.e. NHS employee) where I worked because it made much more sense for my situation (I wasn't actually "travel nursing" per se & was wanting to stay in London indefinitely). This is was about 5 years ago & since then there has been several changes with the NMC and how they're screening overseas nurses... I'd assume, as a company, CTN would have all the up to date information about this.

I'm not a fan of Crocs at all, but the Matron herself told me that people wear Crocs on the unit I'll be working on. I suppose some Crocs have styles that are fully covered? Maybe...maybe not. I'll look out for Merrells, thanks, I forgot about that great brand! thanks to you both.

I've been looking online, but was wondering if anyone had any good tips for finding & buying nursing shoes in the UK. I've particularly been looking for labels Dansko or Crocs, provided the entire foot is covered. Thanks!

The ONP program is pass/fail. You get a workbook with readings & assignments which the final test of 50 questions is based on. You need 30/50 to pass, if I remember rightly. I'm referring to the Bournemouth course as I'm unsure if it is the same across the country, but I imagine it would be. The educator said by completing the workbook, you'll be ready for the test & generally people do pass. The ones who fail are the ones who make no or little attempt with the readings & assignments. So far the ONP is as you said, an introduction to UK nursing, laws & the health care here. Travel continental does not facilitate any expenses such as your accommodation or even the ONP course itself before you start working. It's a VERY good idea to have yourself financially covered before you arrive to the UK in case you get some unexpected delays & have rent, bills, etc. Or of course if you know someone who lives in the UK & may put you up! You also need internet access for the ONP course. Of course there is no guarantee for work, but if you have a two year contract with your hospital, try to do some specialty nursing if it interests you, such as OR or Neonatal ICU which currently are both on the nursing shortage list here in the UK. I believe the NMC requires at least one year of nursing experience post your nursing schooling before application.

The weather has been really mild & sunny lately. It was super sunny yesterday down in Bournemouth which made for an extremely pleasant visit! After the course I had a walk down to the sea to say hello & do some photography. Even though the ONP is a bit of a pain, it's still the lesser evil I think & better than I expected. Really easygoing, down to earth educator leading the program. I'm living in London, it took about two hours via train down to Bournemouth. The train system here is really good, and as I love to travel by train, I quite enjoyed it... except the getting up so darn early. Are you following up with the NMC yourself, or are you going with an agency who'll help out? Just be sure to chase the NMC with phone calls... the post is dreadfully slow, one missing signature or incorrect form (as it happened to me last summer...) cost me 2 months of time. So far so good living in the UK, although I've only been here 3 months, I think I'll get a better handle on things once I start working...

I went with Travel Continental because a girl I worked with was with the the entire time she was living in London. Because they do 3 month placements, you're not tossed around different hospitals (in case that's not your thing!). I haven't started working yet, just started the ONP course yesterday, but Travel Continental have been really efficient in helping setting me up. I went by their office the other week, which seems like a busy, noisy place :) if you contact them, they'll send you a massive email with all the details. The 250-300 (3000 pounds per year) allowance for living is true, in case you don't want to live in a shared accommodation with 2-3 other nurses! Other financial details as of last year (not sure if anything has changed...) - travel allowance of 175 pounds per 13 week contract = 700 pounds per year; they'll reimburse your RCN at 193; holiday pay (with 4 13 week contracts = 2430 pounds...)

When finishing the ONP, there's a test of 50 multiple choice questions apparently. If I remember you need 30/50 to pass. If you complete the workbook, it's a pretty straightforward pass the instructor said. I just began the ONP course yesterday at Bournemouth. No "NCLEX" type RN exam, thank goodness!

hey Sarena33, I made it over! I travelled here alone but my boyfriend is here & I am living with him, so I'm lucky to not have initial struggles of finding a place/bills/rent, so forth... How did your IELTS go? I just started the ONP course yesterday in Bournemouth, better than expected (especially with their GORGEOUS beach) despite it being hoops to jump through (truly I'm just grateful not to have to do some kind of big RN exam to get licensed). Update!

Sarena33 - if you get some study guides for the IELTS, basically all I did were practice tests. And only the Academic practice tests (because there is a "General" level as well, but for the NMC, they require you take & pass the Academic version). It was good because it got me in the mindset to expect how the day of testing would go. I didn't study every night because I was also working 12 hour shifts, but on my days off I would do the listening component, a reading component & then the next night maybe read what they want from the "written" components & practice writing those out in the essay forms they look for. The guides will give you tips on what they look for in every section you're expected to pass, how both essays have to be a certain number of words per essay, and so on, then I'd try to do each section in the time they allowed on testing day. The oral part is the only thing I didn't prepare for. I did read the kind of things they'd ask of you, basically they don't want you to reply in short form, like "yes" or "no", they want you to elaborate on whatever they ask of you, whatever topic they give you so they can hear your spoken English & understanding of what they ask. No prob if your mother tongue is English.

I took the IELTS back in May, also as part of my NMC application. I think I gave myself about 3 weeks to prepare before taking it. I had the same warnings from Travel Continental & took them for their word. My advice is this- Learn the format of the exam & go to your local library & take out a few IELTS books with practice tests & CDs (for the listening test, will help get you used to accents & the process of the test). A girl I work with did the IELTS for the same reasons & she had a study guide at work, I briefed through it & was pained. The IELTS, for me, is the type of exam that you have to learn how to take, despite your mother tongue being English. At the language school where I took it, there were months & months of IELTS exam preparation courses offered for ESL students. All components, reading, writing, listening, oral, was all timed by the examiner in the room & you could not go over the set time for each section. The oral conversation was recorded but very simple. Like the person said above, I have ZERO clue how ESL students passed all the sections, when I was using up all my time & felt the pressure, moreso for the writing & reading sections (one of the readings was about "Business Innovations" kill me! I ran out of time) Because I ran out of time on the readings & wasn't sure about my answers in the 3rd reading section, I thought I had failed. I had to leave a few questions unanswered (when I should have at least guessed). Anyway, as you know, if you fail one section (less than 7 out of 9) you have to retake all sections on another date, fork over the $300 etc etc etc. I ended up JUST passing with exactly 7/9 for reading, oral 9/9, writing 8.5/9, listening 8.5/9 I was very relieved...

Sarena33 - Where in the UK are you thinking of going? I'm still in the beginning phase with Travel Continental & they have been very helpful with my paperwork & following up the NMC application process (still ongoing, but close to complete!) making things as smooth as possible for me. I will be moving over there towards the end of December or in January. I hear the ONP course is pretty straightforward & basically learning about the health care system in the UK. Mostly online with exception to 3 days of going down to Bournemouth for that once my application from the NMC is approved.