Hey all, I was a member here on allnurses before and received a lot of great advice that led me to getting a job with Johns Hopkins Hospital. Back then I was in it for all the right reasons, and still feel like I am, but money has become a serious issue. . . 2 weeks before I was supposed to leave for Johns Hopkins, I was run over by a very careless, and very unisured truck driver. The bills were tremendous, and I've not worked in three years second to being bedridden for 5 months, and a host of long lasting injuries sustained in the wreck. Still, I went back to school and got a degree in Health Administration (graduated with highest honors) and already have a couple of years of Med/Surg experience as an RN. I'd like to pay off my medical /school debts, which are huge and then go into LTC. So. . . is kind of like I'm a new grad again, but I am looking to totally maximize my earnings potential by moving the WHERE EVER I CAN MAKE THE MOST MONEY IN A reasonably SAFE ENVIRONMENT. I'm single, very mobile, and have been rehabed enough to handle anything but Med/Surg again. Any suggestions. . . Are there some cities that are just paying that much more than others? Is the Middle East still worth it? I'm thinking travel nursing, but I need experience in a specialty area first right? Any suggestions? Please/thank you. . . (PS, I'm about 100% healthy again, and stopped whining about my accident before I even left my house/hospital bed I was stuck in there. . . so, I'm READY TO WORK, and I have a great attitude...) I was looking at LTC in Texas, but at $18/HR I can't even pay rent/bills! LTC is my long-term goal though. . . someday I would like to build my own nursing home that utilizes the Eden Alternative Principles. Thanks again. R.
Thanks for the info; I didn't realize there were opportunities for nurses to travel OUTSIDE the U.S.---I thought foreign nurses were all coming here....Are Saudi Arabia and other Middle eastern countries the only possibilities? Thanks again.
Hi R.,
Well, I can give you some info on working in the Middle East. I worked in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from Jan. '91 to Jan. '98, in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia from Jan. '02 to April '02 (a 3 month locum position) and again in Riyadh from Mar. '05 to Sept. '05.
I returned last September on vacation, and if my dh could have managed to keep things running smoothly at home, I definately would have returned to Riyadh.
Anyway, if you are interested King Faisal Specialty Hospital and Research Center, a very large, modern hospital in Riyadh, is looking for nurses. Western nurses need at least 2 years current experience in the area they wish to work in. Salary was ~$4,800 USD per month. Tax free.
Housing and furnishings are provided. You pay only for your food and long distance telephone. You live on the compound, so work is a short walk across compound. There are all kinds of benefits, like a free trip home after 6 months, 45+ paid vacation days per year.
The hospital compound has things like a small grocery store, bank, post office (I believe - I didn't work at this hospital, but this is the highest paying hospital in the Kingdom).There are hospital buses that take you to various shopping areas daily.
I think the recruiter I went through last time is: SA International, in Houston. You can Google them. Also Helen Zeigler in Canada recruits for both Canada and the U.S.
Good luck whatever you decide to do and I hope you find a way to make enough to pay off all those bills. Will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
As the US generally pays more for nurses than other nations, if you are going for the money, ME is the usual deal. However, technically the wage is not that good. But there are certain taxation issues that can be advantageous as well as some of the benes.
Ditto on the Middle East---in addition to the dangers, there is the reality that they do not respect women, and why would any self-respecting woman bother to go there?
flyingsolo, just curious. Have you ever lived in the Middle East? Many times folks pick up information from the Western press etc. which can be very misleading, especially when trying to understand different cultures.
I'm certainly not saying Saudi women have a perfect life, but can't tell you how many of them hugged me, saying they feel so sorry for Western women. Other cultures have to be taken in their own context.
nyforlove, I know American nurses who work in Canada, Great Britain, Australia, but it is not the same kind of arrangement you find in the Middle East. Plus you have the cost of living to take into account.
In the past, I've known Western nurses (Brits mostly) who have worked in Singapore and Brunei. The deal in Brunei was like the Middle East, in that everything was included and the money was good. Only problem I recall hearing about there was the boredom with so little to do, and the outrageous size of their insect life. Was told they have cockroaches the size of birds. OMG! I'd die on the spot.
Basically, if you're looking to make good money outside the U.S, without working too hard, and Iraq is not quite your cup of tea :uhoh21: , think Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, or Oman would be your best bets.
I was never afraid though I do understand others concerns. My family used to call all upset because they heard some story on MSN or such, and we'd be just fine with no clue about what they'd heard. Just an individual thing whether you like working overseas or not. I wouldn't go there just for the money.
Nurses in the US earn an average of 50k a year, and that is over 4k a month. You should be getting a LOT more than that to take the risk of living in Saudi Arabia, where you cannot go outside the compound without a black ankle-length cover-up, can get literally hit with sticks if your ankle shows, cannot drive, and can be, get this, EXECUTED for having sex with one not your husband--also you will be arrested for adultery if you are in the same vehicle with another male unless you are "chaperoned." They bury their women, even princesses, in a hole in the desert: they put the dead woman in the trunk of the car and drive out into the desert and dig a hole and dump her in. Would you REALLY want to contribute to the health of a country that treats all of its women like THAT? Read the Princess books. Now if you are a male, well, you might have a great time there.
Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
I don't understand why we are still discussing the wisdom of going to the Middle East purely in cultural terms. I can understand why many nurses would consider the idea of experiencing a different part of the world exciting and an opportunity to expand their personal horizons. However, there is a war (and another one brewing) in the region. Lots of us take these government issued travel advisories seriously. For that, and only that reason, I still say ixnay on S.A.
I totally agree: some of us are more "political" than others, and would deliberately not share our careers and skills with a country whose treatment of people we did not support. Others can call it learning about another culture. It's all in how you look at it. I feel that the extra money, to me, is not worth being there, knowing you are, really, a second class citizen. Being buried in a hole in the desert is not my idea of respect. But, that is my opinion. As for the original idea of where to make a lot of money, I still think there is good money in working more, and traveling. And, just an idea, avoiding small towns.
Nurses in the US earn an average of 50k a year, and that is over 4k a month.
You have some of your facts mixed up as far as women in Saudi Arabia, but no point in going into that. You are certainly entitled to your opinions and Lord knows, no one is dragged overseas to work in chains.
Only thing I will point out is that although an RN in the country can easily earn $50,000 a year, the IRS takes out a healthy chunk of it. I know 30% of my salary is taken in taxes. The $4,800. a month paid in Riyadh is totally tax free. And all your living expenses are paid (apt., utilities, local phone etc) so it does make quite a difference.
Now, Mercy, I think you make an excellent point in us returning to trying to help the OP find a way of making big bucks as quickly as possible.
Thanks for the info. on opportunities for US nurses to work abroad---maybe we should start a new thread or rename this one...My primary interest would not be the money, but the cultural experience, but I'm guessing that places like Paris, Rome, and Madrid aren't looking for US nurses...Re: Saudia Arabia's treatment of women, going to work there and HELP women patients and trying to make a difference can be a way of perhaps bringing about positive change and certainly facilitate cultural awareness on both sides of the equation, but it's a purely personal viewpoint for each individual to make...I liked the earlier post re: the Saudi Arabians embracing the US nurse (well, figuratively, at least) and saying that the typical Saudi Arabian likes Americans as opposed to the most visible component that has engaged in terrorist acts....
What I wrote was not opinion, but directly from my husband who lived in Riyadh for seven years. The part about burying the women in a hole in a desert came from the book PRINCESS. My daughters both visited him there and just hated what they felt was a lack of culture. The money, however, was good, and they do provide living expenses; that is why people become expatriots--for the money. I would never state opinion without labeling it as my opinion. Perhaps my husband and daughters "had their facts mixed up."
OK, there are too many human beings that like to kill Americans over there.
Thank God that I have not run into any of those human beings! I am an American, living and working in Saudi Arabia. I have been here for two years now. I absolutely love it, and only wish I would have come sooner. Quite honestly, I feel very safe here, in fact in the two years here I have never felt threatened at all.
The Middle East may NOT be the right place for everyone. There are a lot of Americans that come here with a goal in mind--one or two years of tax free earnings and they plan to go home. 5-10 years later they are still here!
I hope I have not offended anyone. This is my first post to the boards...I just had to respond.
nyforlove
319 Posts
Thanks for the info; I didn't realize there were opportunities for nurses to travel OUTSIDE the U.S.---I thought foreign nurses were all coming here....Are Saudi Arabia and other Middle eastern countries the only possibilities? Thanks again.