newrn93

I really appreciate your response. I agree regarding the strike, I wasn't particular seeking out a strike but felt it may be a short term opportunity that would allow me to test out said theory. I'm more interested in contracting myself out for assignments or rapids. What do you mean by pre-existing contract? Do you mean without you yourself having an established contract with the hospital already. How would you go about creating a contract with a hospital?? What would make a hospital accept you and your rates instead of hiring their own employee as staff? I figured that pitching a rapid or strike would make them much more likely to accept your rates/conditions.

I'm wondering how I can go about contracting myself out for a temporary travel assignment to a specific hospital. Does anyone have any information on this. There is a strike coming up at a hospital, I work at the same hospital but in a completely different region/state and they are independent from each other. After working 1 strike before I realize how important having a resource nurse is who know the charting is to the unit. I would like to highlight my charting experience and the fact that I know the ins and outs of the policy/procedures of this hospital. For those who have contracted independently, do you think this would be possible. I'd like to bill the same rate that the hospital is paying the agency for each nurse. Do you think sending an email to a manager with a thorough cover letter on who I am and how I can help and resume would garner success? Any help on the topic would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

If I am understanding you correctly it's illegal to do work even remotely from the UK? So if I had a business and traveled to the UK and worked online on a (web-site for example) for my business while physically in the UK then that's illegal? Interesting. And no problem, appreciate your candor! Funny, my current manager just casually mentioned that she worked in England for 5 years! What a coincidence! Said she worked in the ICU and that it's a 1:1 ratio there but she did everything such as the RT's job. That's pretty amazing experience if you ask me. I'm in no rush to leave, but I will continue to research to see if it's still possible at all.

Thanks for your information. I'm from Northern California, wages there are excellent compared to anywhere else in the US I believe. I've looked into tax homes and was once very interested in local travel (within California). Wanted to attempt to get out of California taxes by purchasing a home or rental home in another state and traveling back to where I'm from LOL. Probably will get myself into trouble doing that. However, as a single with no dependents and no house, California income taxes are killing me. Interesting to know that 6 months is the legal limit there! That can open up possibilities for me. House-sitting of course would be a dream but doubt its realistic for me to find a job like that lol. I will look into volunteering!

What a nightmare! And she is married to an Australian? She doesn't automatically get citizenship? lol. Perhaps travel, without the intent of working as a nurse in said country is my best bet. Then again, I don't want to run around being an illegal immigrant haha.

I certainly will! Thanks for the reference

Holy cow! You were not joking, that is expensive. I figured I'd be okay because I am used to throwing my money away on clothes LOL. And 55% pass rates...how comforting. Appreciate the realism, seems you were not joking when you said the process may not be worth it anymore. Small world! I live in LA as well and since I have my own townhouse that I rent, are almost done paying off my loans, have money going into savings, and put a generous percentage of my check into my 401k plan. Knowing that this is one of the most expensive cities, I figured it shouldn't be that far off but clearly I am mistaken. If you can do none of these things while living in London then that would definitely concern me. Interesting how the standard of living for nurses are vastly different. I appreciate your honesty about the future of work in the UK as well. I'd only want to live/work there for about 6 months though. I am beginning to think that perhaps I need to live in London but not work as a nurse? lol. Perhaps I can start an online business and satisfy my medical needs that way? Or what about private duty? But I'm sure that that is a whole different ball park. Also, anyone know of the possibility of simply going to school in the UK. Perhaps NP school out there. Doesn't going to school make it much easier to get a visa to stay in the country?

Thankyou so much! Realize I should have been hitting "quote" and not just reply.

That's very interesting and I appreciate your recommendation! I've heard of boat/ship nursing before and never really cared much for it but this is definitely an opportunity! When you say faith based im assuming you mean religious? It's cool that you'd still be able to venture into the community. Sucks about that state of nursing in the UK. I am/was set on going to London before ever considering Africa as I think it'd be much easier to travel to an area more similar to the states first. Anyone know of any possible volunteer opportunities in the UK then? OR non-volunteer opportunities in other parts of Africa? I just had an Australian patient the other night, the accents are beautiful! I've never thought of going there and don't know much about Australia but appreciate your insight. FYI I live in California and in the cities with the highest cost of living in the US. I am not concerned about cost of living IF the pay matches up. Thanks!

Wow, your insight has been very helpful. It's unfortunate that international travelling to the UK is dwindling. I'm sure the UK has per diem positioning? Maybe that'd be my best bet, however if they have to prove that they don't have anyone else qualified there then I'd think it'd be near impossible. Thanks for your rebuttal to the doctor's comments, that was giving me second guesses lol. I'm thrilled that you were able to have this opportunity and anything anyone terms as "the best decision I've made in my life," is worth pursing for me. Sucks how things were 10x easier back in the day. When you say it's insanely expensive what exactly are the expensive parts? Is it getting licensure there, getting a visa, or just cost of living that you'd consider insanely expensive? Also, if less people are going to nursing school there, where are they getting their nurses from? Other European countries?? Thanks so much again

CharleeFoxtrot, ADN FYI I am of Nigerian decent and 95% of my family currently live in Nigeria. I have been there twice and I am well aware of the dangers of Nigeria. From my parents, I was informed that the really dangerous areas are North Nigeria/muslim areas of Nigeria which I am not from and have no interest going to those areas. I think it'd be absolutely amazing to live in my place of origin and figure if my parents and countless other immigrants are able to immigrate to another country then why can't I...at least for a little. The political agenda and terrorism in Nigeria is only getting worse and worse I know but that wouldn't completely deter me from going there. Instead of visiting it'd be amazing to live there for a short period of time... for me at least (: Suppose I understand why you'd assume I know nothing about these places, as I do not know much about South Africa at least and can probably safely say that it would be even HARDER for me if I went there. Thanks for your input

Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN Thankyou so much for your helpful insight. I'm having a hard time finding any existing agencies out there but will continue to research. I do have an aunt in the medical field who works in a big hospital in Germany, however I don't think she can do much about me trying to find a job in London. I will also look into O'Grady peyton. Am I allowed to apply directly to London based hospitals as a foreigner? Well I assume once I get my qualifications/UK license I won't necessarily be a foreigner but able to work staff positions. Because I do not know if I want to live in London indefinitely, I'm not sure if the staff route will be good for me. There is agency nursing in the UK however right? Where I can sign on for 3-6 months? I meant passport not visa btw, LOL. I've heard that it is a long process, all I know is that you have to pass some kind of test, register with a board, and that you have to have your BSN? I will begin to look into that further. Thankyou about your insight on ratios and unions, definitely good to know! I was talking about this to a coworker last night and a doctor overheard me. He chimed in and quickly said that healthcare in London is horrible, and that ambulances simply line up for blocks back and that's the detriment of "socialized healthcare." He claims that everything is delayed! Any insight to how their overall healthcare system differs from the states?

Thankyou so much!

I would like to know if anyone has any information on how to become a travel nurse who works in London. I have met a large number of travel nurses in the hospital I currently work in and would like to know the steps to go about doing that. Are there any American based travel agencies that exist that will transport nurses to England? If not, how would I reach out to a London based company? I would like to pursue London first because I think it'd be a easier process and it's very diverse and big city like which is what I am used to. I have my BSN and roughly 3 years experience. I own a visa but I am aware that you would have to get a work permit and go though all that jazz with paperwork. I am aware that this process may take several months to a year and would like to do this sometime next year as I have an opportunity to move up to ICU in my current hospital (Currently telemetry). Anybody out there that has done it before? I hear the pay is horrible, but are you able to negotiate like the states? Are hospital's there union or non-union. Anyone know of ratios? Level of responsibilities? How to get sponsored? I'd probably feel more comfortable in a large teaching hospital. I would also love an information on how to nurse abroad in Africa and particularly Nigeria or South Africa. Is it possible to work in Africa from the states without it being a "volunteer/aid" kind of job? Simply wondering what my first step would be. Thanks

I've heard about nurses working for insurance companies! I just don't know exactly what they do and how much experience that they need. Do you look over charts to evaluate medical need, or pay?? If that makes sense. Would you mind elaborating on what you do and how you like working from home? I'm sure there are pros and cons to working from home. 100k is amazing! That's what I make bedside so being able to work from home and make that salary almost sounds too good to be true! Do you find the job stressful? And how many hours per week would you say that you work? Just trying to gain as much information as possible! Thanks for your insight!

I have a little bit of experience in LTC. Didn't realize that there was much room for upward motility. I think that's absolutely amazing that you were able move around, move up, and essentially create your own opportunities. I hope I can do the same! Your job sounds very interesting, I would have to develop my IV skills of course. I'd definitely consider this.

Flatline, that's absolutely amazing and I appreciate your insight! I've heard of PICC line nurses before but never knew about the world of infusion therapy. That sounds really interesting. I also love the part where you were able to bill your own rates and travel to different facilities to use your skills. How lucrative! About a year ago, I became really interested in home health nurses who worked independently and billed medicare/medical directly for their services. I've stopped my research on that, but I feel that being able to use your skills independently is amazing. How did you get your vascular access/PICC line insertion skills? Did you go back to school? Or did you learn the skills through your job? Were you originally a bedside RN, or did you already have those skills from perhaps ICU? Thanks so much

Crazy that I can't call myself a new graduate anymore; however, I am certainly not the most experienced. I've been a bedside RN for about 2 years now. I've been primarily working on a busy neuro/stroke telemetry floor, that used to be step-down (3-1) but is 4-1 now. I love acute care, but I'm ready for a change, and would love to get out of bedside as there are so many options in nursing. It has been relatively hard to figure out what I want to do. I've thought about informatics, research/clinical trials, case management, sales, inventions too! However it's hard to find out what these jobs are actually like aside from their job description. I've heard to flight nursing, entertainment nursing (sounds interesting as I live in the entertainment capital), and boat nursing and would love to hear people's experiences. I'd honestly prefer a non-salary, 3 day/12 hour a week, non bedside job, with the same pay or better than bedside! Don't know if that's possible though LOL. I have my bachelor's degree and I'm more than willing to to obtain my masters IF need be. Would love to hear from those who LOVE their job or those who feel like they have a unique, one-of a kind job. How did you get to where you are? What do you love about your job? What's you pay/hours? Also interested in hearing about those who essentially "created" a job for themselves, perhaps in the organization that they work. Thanks for your stories!

I'd like to create a medical invention. Either free-lance or working with a medical device company. I would only go bedside to research if the product was effective in the clinical setting or to see what products can be improved (: Ill be doing it in a few years hopefully, lol

I appreciate your insight and perspective! I'm aware of at home laser products but I'm nearly 100% positive that that won't work for me. (I'm not the most ideal candidate for treatment), so I figured that buying the specific professional laser that I want would be of most value to me. Tbh my main goal isn't to get treatments for free or to resell the machine but I'd rather have a laser machine for the same price for 6 treatments with all the different areas I want done (Lets just say a lot of hair I searched and saw that they run around $2-5k which is up there but expected. When going for my first treatment one of the RNs was telling me that shes lasered her whole body and whenever she misses a spot or hair comes back she's able to come the same day and zap it away lol. She then paused and said "We'll that's something that I can do not necessarily you guys" lmao. I'd love that freedom and figured I can just do my sister's and friends for the heck of it.

This is a random and not necessarily a nursing related question... I'm a relatively new RN and just about have a year of experience on my belt and finally realized that I can afford laser hair removal lol. I finally started, about a month ago, but realize that its super pricey just for one session. Going to the spa, I realized that there were RNs/NPs/PAs doing treatment and I thought that perhaps buying an ipl laser machine would benefit me price wise in the long wrong. Any thoughts to this? Wouldn't it be of some benefit to have a quality machine even after I have no need for it, such as reselling it etc. Moreover, since I'm an RN, wouldn't it technically be legal for me to use it on myself at least? I'm aware that many RN's are trained by their employer on how to do laser treatments; if I learn then is this plausible? Btw I work in telemetry not cosmetics

I can honestly say that I stayed late almost every day. Only the handful of times that I was with another preceptor did I go home ontime. (And this is when I finished my work/all the work on time). Almost every nurse on the unit came up to me at one point or the other to say that it is ridiculous that I am still here and that your preceptor is making you stay. SO many other people on other units said that that wasn't right and that I should do something which is why I filed a complaint. I was scared to do it at first, but everyone convinced me. Hearing what some other people made with only 1 hour of overtime upset me because I was literally working 15-16 hour days. If I left at 830 everyday that would be absolutely fine! I wouldn't be complaining or asking for overtime at all as I understand that I am here to learn, but I was staying until 10 or even 11 and exhausted for no compensation at all. Before getting another hospital job, I've been working at a SNF concurrently and my check at the SNF was more than the hospitals, and mind you my former hospital's wage is $5 higher than at this SNF. So this is pretty significant to me. All together I am starting to get a sense that this hospital uses the "honor system" to its advantage.

Isn't the incentive for people not to sue? Then again I probably signed some kind of clause that said that I can't sue. I simply did what our union representative suggested that I do. Secondly, she also said that the timestamp from charting show time times I left and honestly ANYONE can attest that I stayed ridiculously late, not that they would necessarily help me in this kind of situation. While I suppose you are right and they don't "have to listen to my complaint," it interesting that they would just ignore it, I mean the educator went around saying that "New grads don't get paid overtime."

Yes, major hospital with a MAJOR union, the same union as my recent new job. And no, you would have to find the charge nurse and tell them "that I am leaving now." or put some online note. I feel like this system simply discourages people from putting in their overtime and thus prevents the company from paying as much. I've heard many other people say that I don't wnt them to think "this" so I'm not going to find them and tell them that I am staying late...even though we all know they are. I'm almost positive that if you don't say anything to them, even if the charge's know you are staying late, that you won't get overtime

Hey guys just wanted to update you guys. SO over the past week, I've noticed that this particular nurse who has been giving me grief is being a lot nicer. She's making an effort to joke with me, and is clearly not being as antagonizing as before, even offered to show me some charting before she left, since there was an admission from the 3-11 shift that I had to finish up. I thought she finally got over it. Anyways, so it was about that time to let my manager know that I needed to go part/time or on-call because of this amazing opportunity that I received. As we were trying to figure out the schedule (which is not going good btw), I ask if everything had cleared up with the "situation." He said oh yeah that's been over with, and I hinted that I was curious about how. Instead of giving everyone raises which he someone said he was not going to do, he convinced everyone that I lied about my pay. O_O. I simply don't know what to think. While I am happy that the situation is finally resolved, I can't help but think that the manager threw me under the bus. One nurse a few days ago gave me this odd look, and can't help but think that it's bc my manager manipulated them into thinking that "This little naive girl lied about her pay." Definitely think that looks stupid on my part, but again I guess I should be happy that the matter is resolved some how someway.