plato353

I find it amazing that this saga is still rolling on and on. Just face it the NLE is in a mess and has virtually no credibility worldwide with leakages and confused nurses not knowing whats going on. This scandal can be equalled to a member of the public walking into the NLE offices and buying a nursing degree of the shelf with no scrutiny what so ever. I say it bluntley. Oh yes nurses have been caught and you cant get away with faking it as a nurse in the USA. No matter how MUCH you romantise the fact of desperatley trying to work in the USA your reglatory body needs to built form the foundations up. I would sincerely lobby US prospective employers and direct them to this website and view the chaos that exists. Question is are they willing to hire nurse under a cloud of scrutiny i would sincerely not otherwise the brunt of being sued is to huge. Any organisation worth it salt has a transparent system of check and balances inplace not a (cheque recieved through a backhand and a sizeable bank balance of )a corrupt official. I do hope this thread will sieze to exist on misinformation and authentic sources being displayed that states the truth. Its like someone shouting fire in a crowded market place and yet no smoke can be seen as everybody is running like mad trying to find out from each other whats going on without checking ones own involvement If you have cheated you should not get a visa and re take. Heavan forbid a patient life might be at stake Plato 353

I guess as history has been known to show that a scandal uncovered is evidence of a prolonged problem. Its blatently evident that the PNA has not got there house in order and nurses are suffering. I guess people should make their voices heard should other nurses future be in jeopardy.Clearly what could be evident with the above scandal is your goverment involvement. Maybe they could have pulled the plug on nurses migrating to the USA( just my conspiracy theory on things) by throwing a cheating caviat in all of this. If i was a USA recruiter i would take note of this situation and proceed with great caution in employing nurses from the Phillipines.An orginisation with a tainted reputation( such as the PNA) will have to work double hard to regain international respect. No matter how many local laws are passed to rectify the situation. The stakes in nursing are very high in western countries especially in the UK,USA AUSTARALIA NEW ZEALAND and SOUTH AFRICA etc....litigation being one of them We employ an adaptaion program system in the UK where foreign graduates have to undergo a six month scrutiny of proficiency in all areas especially language skills. I would be a great advocate of this.Passing an nclex exam is just the start. Cultural work adaptation takes place over a sustainable long period I am saying these words and hope nurses het a fair share in the USA originating from the phillipines. Plato 353:mortarboard:

I have been reading this blog with intrest and i might say i do find it strange. I guess the rumor mongering wont sieze as has been described by Suzanne. Enlighten me folks with so many Pinoys desperate to enter the US market fraudulant actions in the sense of cheating by some candidates during exams (alleged) and the PRC boards integrity being brought into question is just appalling. My concern would be for those nurses who have slipped through and find themselves in units across the USA having committed these alleged acts prior to this fiasco unfolding. What i havent seen in this thread is people voicing concerns over those whos standard of nursing might be dubious through cheating. I have worked with someone in the uk who ended up not being a registered nurse after all from the middle east. Believe me i am not discriminating in any way .It made me double check every nursing action twice whilst being on shift with that person.Believe me you will get caught out I guess if the PRC is not transparent in its vetting and execution of its duites ie exam monitoring then it does deserve a stain on its reputation. Subsequently nurses will suffer as a result and so be it. I can say this comfortably having trained in south africa and there is constant verification between other commonweath countries of our education standard.its a shame that innocent ones should be cought up in this PLATO 353 "If you work hard you wll be rewarded in proportion to what you put in,..... if you try to take short cuts you will be cut short......" the Reverend RUN formerly of RUN DMC

Sorry to hear about you situation Chassie 2 i hope your future endeavors will be more sucessfull. Allow me to say this is what i term as dedication making you poor( can be financial emtional etc) . I have always advocated to being an agent for change should the situation allow you to do that.(dont mean to be patronising) Allow me to share chaps. I come from South Africa and have work in the depts of poverty. That does not get me down i am a christian believer and i think there will change for the good one day. The question why the USA. I work for a private company in the UK that does alot of rehab programs in Zambia ( buliding creches and soup clinics for kids etc). We travel out twice a year to Luanda for charity work. Our company has a head office in the USA(not going to mention where). My aim God willing is to finish my contract at my chosen hosp in California and do lobbying from within the USA. There are alot of multinationals over there that get huge tax incentives for various donations that they make especially with Africa on the agenda. As the Americans say you have to network.I view this as my chosen path in life coupled with teaching and my other half shares in this passion. I guess i am not after the large SUV and swimming pools those do come in handy at some point but not my main focus. I am not anti NHS i just feel that the goodwill of many of my former coll are being eroded and that saddens me. I still believe in the fundamentals of nursing. I have stepped out of that frenzy and gotten hold of myself. PLATO 353 " to get fullfllment out of life try and change your job every 10 years...." sailor turned MD 2001

Thanks Nursemonique 21 i could not RECALL Gibbs in time so much emotion.I guess pre Alzheimers and taking life with a pinch of salt:monkeydance: is having an undesired effect Keep up the spirit lol Nursemonique 21 I am with you Nubes on our esteemed coll Mabel uk, shows the profound essence of nursing care still exist in in a remote corner of the UK where my car sat navigation has no signal.We should applaud this self gratifying dedication. NOT To all you young aspiring nurses who have reached all there developmental milestones as kids this is clearly not the way to get on the Queens honours list. Feeling and doing good in your job is recognised by your coll without you having to look over your shoulder on who is going to compliment next. In Africa my ancestors did not have to beat their drums the loudest too be heard. plato 353 " MODESTY IS THE VIRTUE OF KINGS ....., CARRY A BIG STICK AND SPEAK SOFTLY....." Sir Alan Paton CRY MY BELOVED COUNTRY 1948

A hearty shout out to all realist that have left or who are about to to leave the nhs. Its not " running it down.... or crediting the managers..."(:uhoh3:is someone on a retainer here) according to the honarable Mable uk but in my view we are using Johns cycle of reflection. So what if the grass is not greener on the other side. Last time i checked there is a huge amount of vegetation in the US,Canada ,Australia etc. Plato353 " take life with a pinch of salt a touch of lemon and a shot of tequilla:o

i could not wait to get out sooner:balloons:. Well there has been enough NHS bashing on this thread. Its a free market economy out there chaps. UK nurses you can choose where you want to work( anywhere in Australia,New Zealand, commenwealth Canada,USA etc.) Depositing good and bad experienses about the nhs on this forum should act as a learning tool in expanding your career path(ie avoiding pitfalls or grabbing new oppertunities). Currently i work in the commercial sector whilst waiting for my paper work to the USA. To nurse monique 21 dont feel disheartened by comments regarding your age and not having enough knowledge. We all started where you are at i can remember. At least you show vision in my view by being able to comprehend difficult clinical situations. I sincerely think you will make smarter decisions about choosing a working place Yes i see redundancies in the hospitals that i visit and yes there are good clinical areas. Just make yourself marketable even if it means having to work in a locations of great unfamiliarity should you choose to. Thats the way we grow in our profession.Ultimately you are tom nursing leaders. Plato 353

Suffice to say Suzanne reading a contract in detail forms only 50 percent of the overall settlement of any nurse to a new enviroment in my view. Honouring contracts is not the problem if both parties hold up there promises. What nurse finding him/herself in a new enviroment( ie culture,language,work practices etc) is going to be adept in challenging a agency with vast resources in a new country who knows the legal structures. Thats why so many nurses suffer in silence . This is a forum where nurses vent there spleens regarding these issues. Remember those phillipino nurses that were deported 2and a half years ago from Arizona.(working at a large and famous group of hospitals).Recruited on the cheap. Exploitation is rife. It happened to me in the UK as mentioned before but it was hard and i integrated. Having lived abroad for many years going through the various stages of adaptation ,assimilation and finaly integrating i am now weary of dodgy angencies. Believe me i am not agency bashing here but as we say in the UK the three major stresses are divorce,death and moving house hence my apprehension:uhoh3: Plato 353

A warning to all nurses thinking of signing on with agencies that promise you the moon and stars. Out of personal experience i travelled to Visalia after being promised the hospital that i would be working for is very progressive. Being a scepitc i saved myself a lot of harm as the hopsital was situated in the middle of nowhere amoungst diary farms just off the interstate between Frisco and LA. I was not impressed. Generally i dont have a problem with cows The same happened to me in 1997 when i came to the uk i was left almost broke. Fellow nurses remember once you pass your nclex you hold control of where it is that you would like to work. Check out http://www.hospitalsoup.com and study a hospitals profile. Phone there HR department and see if they can assist you in the migration process. If you are on holiday over there arrange a visit to see the unit. Also look at http://www.medhunters.com and look at the various rn positions on display. http://www.realtor.com will give you an idea of the price of houses in the area. Look at http://www.salary.com and try the salary wizard in an area where you think you want to live. To many nurses are being left with bad experiences upon arriving in the USA. I think its about time that agencies should be given the boot or exposed for their deviant practices. I will not tie myself into a contract with an offer of working in any three states not knowing until the last minute where i am going to end up.Surley someone must have a clue. Apologies for sounding patronising but we need to learn how to negotiate ,after all nurses generate the business for these agencies. Dont sign until you have seen or done some homework on the hospital where you are going to end up.. Asking tough questions is not a sign of rudeness i view it as reassurance. it takes care of various issues such as child care etc. Plato353

My dear wife and i have pondered the idea of taking a cruise actually.Hopefully the captain will stave off the real ale or guinness :cheers: for that matter and navigate his way around these potential dangers LOL. Otherwise it will be bottoms up lol Plato353 "IF YOU WORK HARD IN LIFE YOU WILL BE REWARDED IN PROPORTION TO WHAT YOU PUT IN (IE FINANCIALLY,SPIRITUALLY OR MATERIALLY). IF YOU TAKE SHORTCUTS YOU WILL BE CUT SHORT.....".the Reverant RUN formally of RUN DMC

first things first. English nurse do get up the ladder to put a dish up ,then you will be talking health and safety issues. Yep Astra sat does broadcast in the USA but remember a uk digibox is coded to pick up uk signall no matter where you are in the world a long as the dish is facing south east 28.2. in the us they will not allow it for public broadcasting but i know a OR nurse in Arizona not saying his name who uses it. I guess where there is a will there is a way. what happened today is absolutely appaling.i travel on the roads alot for work. All airports where shut between 06h30 until now 18h30 uk time. All incoming flights between europe and uk where suspended unless the plane was in the air. Most motorways surrounding all airports where blocked. As from today you are not allowed any handluggage onboard domestic and international flights.. You will be handed a clear plastic bag at check in and the only items allowed in it are essential medication for the flight . -tissues without the wrapping on it, -ladies sanitary towels must be visible individually in the plastic bag -under no circumstances any water bottles allowed you will be provided it once you have passed security. -no liquids on you at all -reading glasses without the casing -no duty free in hand luggage -you are allowed wallets,passports keys without remote control units(for car doors) -lactating mothers must sample the milk infront of security officers once pass security screening( deplorable) - the usual screening applying as it is in the USA prior to boarding a plane. -There is a plane load of US marshall on there way here to help with body searching for planes destined for the USA to be stationed at various uk airports - they foiled the plot today and good to as well after discovering that these guys where going to use liquid devices to bring down allegedly 4 planes bound for the USA. If anyone thingks the above sounds outrages check out the bbc website.Just to summarise these guidleines have now been adopted by the US department of transport so anyone flying out of the USA will prob be subjected to the above. To hell with flying, I have decided to take the boat from Southampton to New York. Hopefully the only thing i would have to dodge is a few icebergs. Sometimes i fell i would rather be back home where i am able to deal with dangers face on guns ,knives etc. I have not adapted to mayhem from the unknown. Does not make me nervous just vigilant Plato353

to english nurse yep it will work as long as you still have your home bank accounts(.GB ONLY) for direct debits. just ask your local sat tech to face your dish 28.2 degrees east. dish size 90 cm(standard). sky broadcasts on the ASTRA satelite. its what most expats do when they move to spain as they cant follow spanish tele. failing that if you have highspeed internet try www.skype.com. you can talk for free to any person who has the same program download anywhere in the world via the internet. you basically dail a friends computer if he or she is online and chat (no typing). by investing in a web camera and computer microphone you will be able to see family members live on computer. My wife is czech and she has many long conversations with her family in real time free(taking into account time differances across europe). its not expensive just the cost of your local highspeed internet service subsription per month. Try it its fun.

i have been in the uk for about 9 years from South Africa and two years ago a friend recommended http://www.mikesradioworld.com. A brilliant internet based radio web site. I was able to cach up with what goes on in my local area where i come from and send internet messages to a fav radio station relayed live on air to friends back home especially during rugby games. I do listen to the radio station avidly and now preparing for my move to the USA i will definatley be listening to it across the pond To madwife try and log on to radio 5 live a BBC based radio station via the above weblink very informative and up to date with whats going on in Blighty might sooth the feelings of missing home which i have made mine for the past 9 years. Depending which area you come from in blighty mikesradiostation will have your area covered with a local radio station depending on the colloquial accent you favour. I am definately be bringing my satelite box with me sad as it may seem but British news and the reporting of it is slightly:idea: better than the USA having spent alot times visiting Florida and New York.I would miss the newspapers over there though I would dread listening to Fox news sorry folks but thats my opinion. Hope that helps Plato 353

alot of key workers(nurses teachers fireman) are also struggling and cant find housing and now its country wide. http://www.msn.com sad situation

what a lively forum. i would like to through my two cents/pennys in the pot. I am a jollie foreigner who has been nursing in the nhs for the past 9 years. I started working in the clinical degrading system and left prior to the introduction on AFC. what i am at odds with is the clinical banding and its implementation. in most cases does not rewarding the talents of the nurses that puts the most into his/her department. in comparison to the USA nurses should be paid higher due to the amount of years served in the proffesion provided that they meet annual educational standards that reflects directly in practice. that is still the system where i trained in south africa.although not working there now i will return one day yet i fell victim to globilisation and the the attractiveness of the USA. my passion is the sciences anatomy physiology,biochemistry etc and i believe i will be a lecturer out there as most of the babyboomer generation is about to retire.there is a critcal shortage of lecturers in essence what i am trying to say to say is nursing has let me down in the uk. i feel i have never gotten to grips with the medical model. an american lecturer friend made me think. he said over here as a nurse (in the UK) you are a go getter "nurse get me this nurse get me that......."". we have all heard those words before at one stage. i now work as a medical rep and do nursing part time and is appaling to see how my former collegues are running like blue £$$%^ flies on the unit just trying to stay afloat saddens me.i see it at various hospitals. i havent got long to go to quit before i leave for the USA as this forum initially started out. the thought of being an independant practioner again over there is what i yearn for. i want to spend time with a pateint and do a full assesments. after all Maslow is my favorite i like the holistic approach to pateint caring. i have never seen it done in 4 hours. if someone has could they please cite me the paper and in what journal plus the medline search so that i can look it up. most nures in the uk work there guts out in an abnormal system and its not going to change by a long shot.i am being realistic there is no grand utopia as every country has its downsides but at least the thrill of being independant and my decision counts is what would give me satisfaction plato353

this is a very good forum and views expressed here are for the purpose of learning i do benefit. well done to nurse paris who manage to sort out her issue . there is no perfect system anywhere you go but i have to be biased and say that in the USA where i hope to practise i will be able to dictate my enviroment there are some hospital especially my former one who dont let you do WLI for 3 weeks if you have been off sick prior and post doing on

common gyus i believe in a free market where people have the ability to choose where they want to be working and living. OGP is not the messiah when it comes to placing nurses in the USA.there are many that could be touting for your business/services take a trip to Corpus Cristi hosp in Texas say you are from the UK and you have passsed your NCLEX you might end up with a job offer. registered nurses in the USA are seen as commodities.you are able to negotiate terms with an employer not the other way round over here. yes i AM A uk nurse form south african since 1997. my agency promised me and other hopefull nurses the moon :balloons:and stars when we came here in 1997. we just exploited :crying2:by our respective agencies and moving to the USA is our next and definite step. i have left the nhs last year could not stand it. i would say however that moving abroad you have to do research and find out what it is like by networking. look around in your wards and departments at the amount of uk nurses leaving for australia.if was so bad why is it that uk nurses over there are asking there mates over here to move out there by networking the same apply for the USA. having been bitten once i would not like to make the same mistake again and thats why i say OGP is sucks because i managed to get out of a contract with them costed my 100 quid.try and do that now you willl end paying 3500 pounds if not more so bigup to freedom of choice and being informed

i posted some info on this website over a year ago on OGP. i cant believe the amount of people been taken for a ride with OGP. fact they placed nurses in the worst hospitals in Arizona where US nurses dont want to work. the Banner group especially.you will be left to your own devices i am in constant contact with an english colleque of mine who i worked with in the uk. alot of UK nurses left the Banner hospital group in ITU and the OR. ASK ogp why these nurses left in 2004 jan 9 phillipino nurses were deported from a Banner hospital beacuse they could not get on in that hospital and no support provided (REMEMBER!!!! THERE MIGHT BE ALOT OF EXCITEMENT IN WANTING TO GO TO THE USA BUT HERES A FEW TIPS ON CHECKING OUT YOUR NEW MANNER) -www.freeguideusa.com-this site gives you insight on places to live and work - i went to visalia in california to go and check out a hospital the brochure was nice when i came there on my fact finding mission it was in the middle of nowhere not nice the above webbo will also tell you about crime per capita -www.realtor.com -gives you housing prices a must website to visit chaps www.21stcenturynurse.com click on the US flag and check out the hospital profile www.mapquest.com a us version of AA routeplanner UK if you want to travel between cities in the USA accurate mileage and a grid map of the area be alert alot of US hospitals are now gearing up to visit the uk and germany to recruit nurses. top tip you can do it on your own.just do alot of research on the place remember what your parents said forwarned is forarmed. you can contact HR departments and find out if they provide direct employment. ask for proof if they have moved uk nurses to there facilty and what cost you will have to pay if they will fund the move and what contract is on offer. if you like the deal sign it.Bewarned contracts in the USA are legal and binding.and you must honour it.some hospitals will arrange a visit if you go there on holiday also try medhunters.com my wife and i are going to check out another hospital as part of our holiday. if you guys do decide to go have a few questions ready for the person showing you around the place. if there are any english nurses there arrange to meet with them.some hospitals are very open and friendly and will provide you with a guided tour. hope thats a start guys

have had the result of a d dimer test it will rule out dvt.you mention your mother is on all american diet(junk food) discontinue that source and progressively change it.less salt intake and watch that blood pressure another reason could be claudication worth checking the risk factors:rolleyes: hope that helps plato 353

i dont want to be bashing the uk nurses as i am a foreignnurse myself who sought to leave the nhs. i feel that the culture in my profession over here is reactive and not proactive.we will swallow all the garbage that some one with no medical knowledge tells uswhat to do. were are never going to get ourself out of this problem and start thinking like autonomous practioners. we have the training,knowledge and the patient intercation to make effective decisions on how to deliver safe care. not someone with a degree in management at a tender age telling me how reach targets and cut corners. they should be better off working at a fast food joint.:angryfire think about the gaurdian newspaper 2003 cmae up with the facts their are 198000 beds in the nhs and 210 000 managers.at an average national salary of 35 000 or more 73.5 mil. dont blame agency nurses plato353

i think you might have extacted the wrong section.it did state that green card does not change at all your status.the issue i am adressing the freedom you have if you do it yourself like i did my going out to cali and negotiating with a hospitall myself.they do appreciate it. the website sited in the paragraph gives you an idea of where to look and what to expect. hence the fact that i am not silverdragon but plato353

i guess the issue of banning agency nurses has not been reflected upon. agency nurses are a last resort to boost the numbers on an adhoc basis.being overspent is not the fault of nurses and believe me if we were budget holders and overpsent we would be criminally laible for misappropiating fund as it is in the corporate world.as a nurse now working in the corporate world dont be fooled into believing that cost cutting measures is down to us as being filtered down by management to us,were are service providers.we look at a patient and treat according to regulatory guidelines. take a look around your department and see how top heavy management is then work out how they justify their positions,by creating more paper work for the poor old nurse to digest.this is the illness within the nhs. TARGETS i hate the word.what ever happened to qualitative patient care and not quantative(watching the clock).a consultant or MD as it is known in the USA told me to get my patient off the commode because she was about to breach,i said no and walked off. i have been a witness at and NMC hearing no matter how many years of experience you have they will make feel as if you have never been a nurse before. get yourself a copy of the NMC 2002/2003 quarterly brochure i think the article might be on line.the long and short of it is they wrote "nurses and management get on fine in a days work,when it goes pearshape the relationship disintegrates,....in most cases they will never back up a nurse when their is an error or an detrimental occurance to a patient" look at california and some other states opting to take the nurse patient ratio and that has been lesgislated.in Melbourne Aus its law only four patients per nurse Scotland is considering the idea.in the uk we won thats why i am moving to california. in conclusion i think you might be misguided CLAIRE as to more doctors being available to look after patients how many of them will be unemployed on the next rotation just ask around because of the change in their training. stress is now being recognised as a occupational disease. the nursing times of august 2005 puts the figure at an alarming rate.to say you can only be allowed two breaches a day is inhumane and against that patients human rights. :imbarwhat are you going to do if i have an MI say sorry sir you are about to breach and move only to enlarge my infarct heavan help us.you take the focus away from caring for a patient and your care goes out the door.ask your junior doctors if they do a complete and full assessment on every patient knowing the back of their minds they only have 4 hours to clear the deck. these kinds of working conditons if you are a nurse puts your registration at risk its not worth it.they have yet to sack a nurse or degrade his or her salary for not reaching targets. try and pull that stunt of in a court of law or at a NMC disiplinary hearing. feel free to phone nursing and midwifery council if they will entertain the thought of patient injury due to lack of care or not enough time. the chap i testified against was struck off and now work in jordania.ignorance is no excuse and to say my manager said i should do it, does not work they dont hold your registration you do!!!.its all about what you did that was safe regardless of time.:imbar plato 353

becomes invalid when you change employment.basically a contract with an american hospital is legal and binding its not like in the uk where you have a contract and them leave midway through.in the us they like to enforce contractual agreements.however there are time when you can opt out amicably sometimes there might be fee involved. i can site so many names of my friends who have been dumped in dives in arizona by ogp the idea to choos e where to work by looking your self is great ogp places nurses at the last minute at a hospital thats why you never know in advance where you are going specifically.there is an added advantage to that (planning for school ,house hunting etc). when you do get your reen card it would include the whole family and children under 21.your husband is your spouce and is covered try www.salary.com to see what a rn earns across the us hope that helps plato353

OGP are like the plaque i hate the buggers.you can diy.look at this website http://www.21stcenturynurse.com. click on the us flag go to directory. the there will be an interactive map click on hospital links there are loads of them.the website gives you a hospital profile the idea is you can contact a hospital arrange an appointment fly out and sign a deal.its what my wife and i will be doing:)thus your circumnavigate the whole process.its good if the hopsital is willing to pay for your visa and you will probably getpaid more because ogp wont skim your wages you will be paid directly by the hopsital check out the area where you would like to live http://www.realtor.com as to get a flavour of house prices. hope it helps plato353

i left the nhs and now work part time as a agency nurse.i should have done it years ago.my former co workers in the nhs are suffering.just an example i did a night shift in a&e and shifted 7 patients to the obs ward.at 4am in the morning the doctor tells the sister in charge why the bloods on patients was not done and he was very irate,this is after the bloods he had taken heamolised on this patient the patient was one hour prior to breaching(we have four hours in the uk to clear patient out of the department). the sister went mental i just stepped back and took one look and thought to myself she must be cracking up from the pressure of management. they have system should a patient be longer than 4 hours in the department a written explanation should be given as to why.i think to myself what the :angryfire is going on in this hospital.the nhs is not on its last legs its on its knees.the biggest embaressment i suffered was when i took charge of a list in the OR and whe had ran out of mops to clean the floor between cases in my theatre/OR.i come from africa and could not believe this was happening in the uk.i went of sick because i was so physically ill at what happened.