onemoreday

I'm in Suffolk - came for my spouse's job. it was a wild time to move but I came in late January and -just- missed the mandatory hotel quarantine by like a week. Had to stay in my house for ten days but half of it was sleeping off jet lag anyways. I emailed around to recruiters about overseas nursing programmes, definitely having a mix of replies, but at least I'm getting replies? haha! I have interviewed for positions similar to nurse aides/CNAs and got two verbal offers (one private, one NHS), but no start date yet, and haven't been able to ask and follow up on those programs. You could opt out of a training program and just take the OSCE on your own? One of the NHS hospitals near me said they DO have an OSCE prep course (there's a lot of Americans in this area, plus international nurses, but they don't advertise their OSCE prep well? They're just missing out in Recruitment) but they only allow 5 students a month and they're booked until June. And that was back in late February. Also the GP thing worked out.. they emailed her and she filled out some online form. I did have to call and email the GP office like twice to make sure they responded to it. I think it went to her spam folder. ALSO ALSO the OSCE is changing in August so just be aware of that.. if you're studying the old stuff or the new stuff. I don't know the difference entirely but I figure I will be taking the new one.

confirmed! I did the FBI check and it went through fine. went through RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.

hey @app22 did you ever progress in getting with the NMC and getting work? I'd love to know! Interestingly there are a few places in Manchester that are owned by HCA UK, which is the UK branch of a big conglomerate that owns hospitals in the US. They owned two hospitals in the city I did nursing school in, and I heard the best things about one hospital and had awful experiences at the other, but one of my best friends works at that bad hospital and she loves it.

I would start here, at the NMC's website: https://www.nmc.org.uk/registration/joining-the-register/register-nurse-midwife/trained-outside-the-eueea/ they have a whole checklist and timeline. You can take the CBT in your country if you find a proctor (it's done through Pearson Vue, the same people who do the NCLEX). I already had my visa in place through my spouse, but from what I can gather from reading a lot of this forum, other forums, and Youtube, internationally trained nurses often use a recruiter to get a job and visa. If you can get a job before you come over, the job can help you with the visa. Some jobs will help pay for, or entirely pay for, the NMC registration costs in exchange for a work contract. I imagine this happens easier for nurses with experience in wanted areas. The OSCE is the in-person exam, and you will probably have to take that regardless of your experience, and that can only be done in the UK. I have heard of some nurses who were able to do everything (including get the visa, the job, and the CBT) and come over to the UK and do the OSCE. You can actually take the OSCE before the CBT, but its the most expensive part of an expensive process, so I think most people save it for last.

Hi! Maybe this is out of date for you now, but have you figured this out? I'm a US nurse that moved to the UK and am in the process now. I'd like to hear your updates! If you haven't moved yet... (or if someone is reading this looking for help like me) You can get an FBI clearance for your background check. It's called an "Identity History summary" and from what I can tell that's what the NMC wants, but I've only just sent it off, so we'll see. It does seem like the NMC wants you to have everything right away but you can go to website and start and application, save it and come back to it. You can't get very far without paying a fee and scheduling your CBT. I emailed my state board of nursing to let them know the NMC would contact them. They responded right away. BUT someone else from my same state did this two years ago and it went to their spam folder, they had to call the board and get them to find the email. My GP stopped answering my calls last year and I was so busy with school, and I figured he was so busy with Covid, that I didn't pursue it. I wish I had, bc I got a GP here in England and she has no idea what I need for this, and doesn't have any records of mine. With Covid it's hard to schedule a face-to-face assessment. I see her this week and I'll bring her everything I think js relevant. I'll let you know how it goes.

Did you ever figure this out? I'm a US nurse that's already in the UK, so I am getting an FBI clearance (Identity History) and submitting that. At some point I will probably have to do a British police clearance as well bc I've been on British soil long enough.

I'll be coming from Missouri too! thanks for sharing your info and your timeline.. I already have a visa and work visa through my spouse's job in the UK but on the other hand I'm worried about chasing down US paperwork when I'm already in the UK.

@Hilary Bates thanks for updating! It sucks you couldn't get an RN job I will be joining my spouse (DOD civillian working for USAF at Lakenheath) after graduating from nursing school in a year and a half. We did discuss me working somewhere for 6 months to a year and going through a new grad RN program- so it's still on the table, but it would mean another big chunk of time apart, living (and paying rent) in two separate places... Unlike like @Carol_NeuroRN I won't have any experience (other than CNA), but I know I will already have a work visa! Right now, it looks like an applicant might not need the 12 month experience requirement- it seems they've made a bunch of changes to try to make it easier. Maybe it's reflecting on the impact of Brexit? But things will change, and change again- this site also says in early 2020 they're changing the competency exam (scroll to the bottom): https://www.nmc.org.uk/registration/joining-the-register/register-nurse-midwife/trained-outside-the-eueea/reviewing-our-overseas-registration-process/future-changes/

So I get that healthcare isn't exactly free, since you get it taken out of your paycheck- but you can't go medically bankrupt, like you can in America? I live in the US and part of my paycheck goes into my employer-provided healthcare, but then I have to pay at point-of-service until I hit a deductible, THEN it will start covering most (a percentage) of my services. With the NHS, a bigger portion of my paycheck would go to the healthcare, but I don't have to pay per service and I don't have to meet a deductible? It seems like that'd be easier to plan for, financially.

I am following this thread closely because I will be moving to the UK from the US in about a year and a half! But I'll be coming as a new grad ? My spouse was offered a US government job in Suffolk and they'll be moving there this week. I had already gotten into nursing school... so I'm finishing my schooling here. I didn't want to put off my degree even more (I already had, for a few years) and figured I could get better work with an RN-BSN than my CNA certificate. thanks @kaitfinder for your super thorough response and timeline. Hope you keep us updated @jenna_m with your progress.

Did you manage? I would say talk to your manager or whoever does the schedule. Your manager probably hired you and knew you'd be in school, lots of CNAs are. Your coworker is not your boss.

Not related but I drove through Sioux Falls once and stopped for a meal and I thought the town was so cute! I would go back. Related, I also just got in to a ABSN that's 18 months.

I've used one of those vein finders in tatted skin and it's helpful but only gets you so far, especially if the tattoo is very patterned. It doesn't give you much in terms of depth. Definitely try to feel for the vein. Feel the bounce. And be confident: obviously this is someone who has no fear of needles!

It's hard to say if one is truly better than the other. I would think working while in school is good, and paying as you go- no debt carried over means no interest. But I have not been able to work and focus on school and actually have all the money to pay it off as I go. So for me, it's better to get into a better job as quickly as possible, to be earning more sooner.

Preach it lillith26! I got my bachelor's in biology, thinking all I wanted to do was research. Overloaded myself to take high level science courses and ended up struggling with my GPA. Realized academia, what I had been preparing to do for 4+ years, was not for me. Left the country, came back. Started a master's. Was taking two trains and a bus at night into the city and Was living beyond my means with what I called "all the drive but no direction". Dropped out of that and moved back in with my mom (who had moved across the country) to get my life in order. The director of the Masters program told me to look into nursing. Started taking pre-reqs, have an absolutely miserable class experience, get involved with what turned out to be an abusive relationship that sucked up all my time and money. Told myself I was just putting a pause on school so I could work and get in-state tuition... Didn't go back to school until I walked out on my abusive boyfriend. Was working two jobs and school and not sure I'd get into the nursing program.. got married, moved across the country, started CNA work, loved it, really ignited my interest in nursing, I applied to two schools, didn't get in to school. TWICE. Seriously, I was pretty sure I could handle school but the application was KILLING ME. (At this point I also had to order transcripts from like 5 different schools across the country. Why are they not cumulative?!? I also had to dig up syllabi and course descriptions of some.) I've now worked as a CNA four years in three different hospitals and a nursing home. My resume is PATCHY. But I got in!! I actually used my convuluted path to nursing in my interviews, and you could too. I have worked, worked and worked, to get in to nursing school. I have retaken classes. I have taken all the extra learning I could at the hospital, participated, volunteered with other nurses, picked my coworkers brains about nursing. We arent people who decided to go into nursing on a whim. We didn't just watch too much General Hospital or whatever. Patient care is something we are passionate about. Yes you might have bad grades from your youth, but you are a very different person now. I'm more mature and more stable both in my finances and my relationship. I'm just that much more ready for school. It might be easy to rag on yourself but know that everyone comes to where they are from a different path and if you can emphasize what you have learned from your past, how your journey has actually made you a stronger and more unique candidate, it could actually help.

I have my first bachelor's also. My ABSN program is also connected to a 4year college (Graceland University) and the admissions counselor even told me to look into getting the pre-reqs from a community college, since it'd be so much cheaper. I was able to CLEP two of my classes, saving a bundle. I took 3 through online courses and I found a proctor that would do it free in one state, and when I moved, a proctor at the library that was supposed to charge me but we just hit it off and I guess she waived the fee! Now I'm taking my last two in-person ( one is College algebra! I like my math to be face to face) and I think it's funny that my tuition for these two classes, broken up into a payment plan over four months, is actually less than my federal loan monthly payment (which is now deferred since I'm taking classes part time). So. It takes some finagling and I'll have debt down the road. Seconded on the looking for scholarship money. The state AORN might have some you can apply for, or let you know about little-known scholarships.

I have been a CNA for near four years at 3 different hospitals (moved a lot for my spouse) and it was a lot at first! But you will get better with time, I promise. I put the cuff on them and the pulse ox on opposite side but I wait to get the temp (if it's oral and not infrared/temporal). Why? Because people often reach up for the thermometer probe,knocking off the pulsox or messing up the cuff. I use this time to count their breaths, smile at them, poke something on the machine so I look official... Whatever. then when the cuff is done I take the oral temp. It also helps me to have a good paper chart of my patients. I've done it two ways: rows and columns or fold the paper into 8ths & each pt gets a box:, with room #, pt initials, code status, and then boxes to check off like "AM vital, PM vital, AC, HS, note for am report" so I can keep that in my pocket and whip it out quickly to see who needs sugars, who needs vitals, etc. Also try to come up with a mnemonic for when you leave a room so you don't forget things. I've heard four Ps: Position (are they a tq2, is the bed low and locked) Potty (have they peed, do you need to empty a Foley, do they have water) Pain (did they ask you to ask the nurse for meds? Did you forget to remove the hot pack under their back?) Possession (can they reach their call light, their glasses?) Also I think your experience as a CNA, even if it's short, even if you feel like you are flubbing it, will help you SO MUCH as a nurse. I could definitely tell which new nurses had never been aides before. They would hover in the doorway, hesitate to touch the patient, they would stand there and not know what to do with their hands- you will have already crossed that hurdle!! And the aides will love you for empathizing with them. I was ready to help any nurse who I heard say "the CNAs work hard!" But one nursing student/aide/extern type we had, working as an aide but with a nurse, was literally heard to say "I'm not here to do aide work." Um. Well all us CNAs heard about that and nevvvvver helped her. We didn't jeapordize a patient, of course, but we couldnt help but avoid her. And her first weeks alone? She was DROWNING.

I used it, plus the CLEP study book, and passed my Intro to Psych and Intro to Sociology clep courses!! And I only had like.. two months to study, while working full time. It was a godsend. A Green-send. Admittedly I do have my BA in biology so I was no stranger to college coursework and exams.

I agree with what's been said here already. It depends on the program. But I think your experience in special ed will be a great boon.

I'm sorry no one responded! I'm moving to Kansas City MO in about six months and I've never lived there before. How did you find the transition? Did you manage to avoid a seedy neighborhood?

Did you end up talking to a recruiter? I'd love to hear what, if anything, you were offered since you already started school but you have a year and a half to go.

I'm glad you started this Amy, I'm in a similar boat! I'm 30, been a CNA for a few years, did my BA in biology and just got into an ABSN that starts in June 2019. Good for you getting into GW, my cousin went there (for accounting) and I went to a conference there (I grew up in Maryland), it seems like a top notch school! I have been considering the military for years and years but never quite took the leap. Now I'm in a better position to join, plus I could really use the help while I'm in school and can't work full time. I have already started emailing and calling recruiters, now that I've gotten in. I'm looking at both Navy and Air Force active duty, it'll ultimately come down to what gives me the better benefit and what recruiter is in better touch, I think. I live in the Midwest, so I'm really not spoiled for choice for health recruiters out here :/

I used to think I'd want to do a bunch of days in a row (like five to seven) and then have a really long weekend (then I could go out of town!). But when I tried that, I found it was really really hard to keep up and my tiredness just grew and grew as each shift passed. Nothing got done at home, I could barely keep my scrubs washed, I was eating lots of junk food because I had no time to prep or cook. So, maybe try easing up on your schedule? I find it so much easier physically and psychologically to be able to "rest and reset".

That seems like wayyyyyyyyy too much. Cleaning your manager's offices?? They can empty their own trash if they don't want to hire a janitorial! Admittedly I work in a hospital, so our staffing is much more full. But both shifts empty trash bags, tidy up, break down boxes, etc. The only real difference I can think of is that night shift really, really stocks the floor- because the person from the warehouse who restocks the utility room only comes in the morning, so you want to "use it up" so that they'll refill you faster. I agree with "Been there, done that": brush up that resume! Your prior experience will go a long way. Ask around with aides in your area to see what facilities share those sentiments.

I LOVE working nights. I don't have kids, not in school, etc. Hubby works days, which means I hardly see him, but at the same time, I get the house to myself! Plus someone is nearly always home if something is wrong with our pets, if errands need to be run, deliveries have to be signed for, etc. One thing I dread about going back to days is I don't find the nurses as helpful. I work with a WONDERFUL team, I do, but the day nurses are often so busy, they don't really think about what you're doing. They'll tell you "I told patient X you would go help him with ___ at some point and I see you're in the middle of something but also patient Y needs to be cleaned up, he's covered in stool and a two person max assist, and then when you get the time will you ______" - & when they walk away to sit down, you want to respond with "In the time it told you to explain that to me, you could have done it, and if you know your patient is a two person assist why are you walking away? There's only one of me!" On our floor, for 19 patients we'll have three nurses and one aide. We're supposed to have more staff if we go above 19, and it's pretty common to get admits at all hours, but it's pretty rare they have an extra CNA to send us in the middle of the night. It may seem like there's less to do but there's also a lot less staff to do it. Night shift is quieter, BUT I'm always busting a move- no patient is off the floor for surgery or dialysis, no PT or OT is there, and there's usually less visitors and nothing to watch on TV so now the patient is bored and anxious and lonely and has no one but you. If mother/baby is really what you want to do, I would go for it- soon enough, with more experience, you could move to the shift you want. If a day shift spot opens up, they're gonna hand that to their current night shift CNA who they know wants a day shift, vs some aide from tele they've never worked with.