uk nurse in italy

Published

Hello all, I'm new to the forum but hope to exchange loads of info with everyone. My post is quite specific. I have worked in the uk for 14 yrs in ITU, but now I live in Italy. I would like to meet anyone who is currently nursing here in Italy. I hope to begin work at our local hospital in September but of course this will be my first time nursing in Italy.Would love to chat, exchange info and learn lots.

I can speak and write italian so I hope this helps anyone reply.

Ciao

Anna

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi good evening.

I am Vinu (female) from India, I have 5 years exp in Cardiac OT (scrub Nurse) and I want your help to know regarding nursing job in Italy, minimum salary and perks details, any sort of abuses against nurses, and minimum living cost and accomodation cost, food etc. I have got an opportunit there and supposed to reach there with in two/three months, so before that I want your help to know above details, it will be my please to meet you in Chat room. so give me a write back.

Sincerely

Vinu

Up Vote Up Vote ×

write back

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Hello all, I'm new to the forum but hope to exchange loads of info with everyone. My post is quite specific. I have worked in the uk for 14 yrs in ITU, but now I live in Italy. I would like to meet anyone who is currently nursing here in Italy. I hope to begin work at our local hospital in September but of course this will be my first time nursing in Italy.Would love to chat, exchange info and learn lots.

I can speak and write italian so I hope this helps anyone reply.

Ciao

Anna

Hi, I am American but visit Italy often as my husband's family is from there. We were just there for 1 month and stayed with family in Rome and Sardinia.

We had to visit a large hospital in Caglieri and I did not have time to think about visiting the heart transplant unit. I am a cardiac nurse with many years experience, both with medical and surgical ICU experience. Am now just doing cardiac rehabiltation but am always interested in how Italian hospitals function.

Many years ago when my mother-in-law had open heart surgery in Rome I realized that they were at least 10 years behind especially in the equipment arena. Also I understand that nursing in Italy is not paid very well. Is that better?????

Please explain how your position and hospital function? Where is it???

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Wow, let me know how everything goes! If the change is smooth, I'd like to consider a travel assignment in Florence in a year or two because I have family there!:rolleyes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi there all, sorry it's been a while since I read the posts. Well what can I say..... smoothly isnt the owrd that immediately springs to mind but I am almost at the end of the long process and soon I hope, I will be able to work as a nurse...... yipppppeeeeeee.

I completed my degree by distance learning last September and we came to Italy in the October, consequently Ihad to wait until graduation and the issuing of the certs which was this Feb. Then despite EU agreements I had to send everyhting back to the Consulate in uk for translation and verification. The consulate were less than helpful, didn't undestand my degree and talled for 4 months. Finally at the beginning of August I could go woth all my necessary documentation to the Health Dept in Rome, which I did.

I was very impressed because it took them just one week to ok everything and send me the papers for registration. Thn I had to travel a 2hr car journey to Rieti with the kidsto the local college for registration. Here I was told to "take these two forms and wait for a bill of 200 euros in the post. When I've paid I can register (by going back in person) and in order to register a board of people will have to take a month to consider my application!! Such is Italy...... still love it though!

Luckily, I went job hunting early in the year and have been offered a couple of posts but now I have to wait until at least October before I can take any of them. At least I have job waiting for me. Otherwise life over here is great.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ciao Anna,

My name is Kiersta and I am a Canadian Nurse. My fiance is Italian and we are planning to move to Italy. I would like to continue nursing, but am affraid that I will face many barriers. First, I do not speak or write Italian well AT ALL! Are there english speaking hospitals in Italy? Do you know if they have hired Canadian/American nurses? I understand I possess a graduate degree in nursing, but am not sure of the european equivilant. If you have any suggestions of who/where I should go to for info I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you.

Kiersta

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi there Kiersta, sorry it's taken me a while to reply but here I am now!

The best places to get information from are the " Ministero Della Salute" in Rome which is like the Department of Health and is responsible for recognising nursing degrees and diplomas. They have a really good web site available in English... just type in on Google and it's the first that comes up.The other place is your own Canadian Nurses Association I would immagine. When we were planning the move to Italy, I contacted our registering body in the uk and they gave me loads of info. They also had to furnish me with a number of documents for the Ministero Della Salute!!I had to have a verification that my training was consistent with directive blah blah, that I was of good character and health and that I was indeed a laureate.I would warn you that everything had to be translated..... officially with a consulate stamp aswell and I had to obtain a dichiarazione in valore (valuing my degree) from the consulate in the uk (where I did the degree) Unfortunately this took 4 months! After all this I now have to be scrutinised by a comittee before I can join the register to work...... but that's Italy for ya!

In the major cities there are a lot of English speaking hospitals ie Rome and Milan. Where will you be moving to ? However it remains that a lot of your patients will be italian, most of the written documentation is in italian and I would therefore say that learning italian is a must.

All that said, please don't be put off. It's a wonderful country and I'm sure I don't need to tell you how lovely the people are and well.... the weather!!Not to mention the food, wine ,ice cream....!

Anna

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I dream of living in Italy. I am a US nurse and am interested in "picking your brain". How are the pay and working conditions?

Hi there Kiersta, sorry it's taken me a while to reply but here I am now!

The best places to get information from are the " Ministero Della Salute" in Rome which is like the Department of Health and is responsible for recognising nursing degrees and diplomas. They have a really good web site available in English... just type in on Google and it's the first that comes up.The other place is your own Canadian Nurses Association I would immagine. When we were planning the move to Italy, I contacted our registering body in the uk and they gave me loads of info. They also had to furnish me with a number of documents for the Ministero Della Salute!!I had to have a verification that my training was consistent with directive blah blah, that I was of good character and health and that I was indeed a laureate.I would warn you that everything had to be translated..... officially with a consulate stamp aswell and I had to obtain a dichiarazione in valore (valuing my degree) from the consulate in the uk (where I did the degree) Unfortunately this took 4 months! After all this I now have to be scrutinised by a comittee before I can join the register to work...... but that's Italy for ya!

In the major cities there are a lot of English speaking hospitals ie Rome and Milan. Where will you be moving to ? However it remains that a lot of your patients will be italian, most of the written documentation is in italian and I would therefore say that learning italian is a must.

All that said, please don't be put off. It's a wonderful country and I'm sure I don't need to tell you how lovely the people are and well.... the weather!!Not to mention the food, wine ,ice cream....!

Anna

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have always dreamed of living in Italy. How are the pay and working conditions? Have you looked into any advanced degree programs there?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Another option for American nurses wanting to live overseas is the US military hospitals.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi there all.... yep I know it's been an age since I visited and posted on the forum but loads has happened so I wanted to bring you up to date with " nursing in Italy".Well the comitte finally agreed that I was a safe practitioner and I got a job working as a nurse in one of the biggest hospitals in Rome. Unfortunately the agency I work for couldnot place me in ITU, so I found myself in emergency surgery. This was fine, no probs with the work, type of interventions etc, but the practice! Oh my God. I cried every night I got home. Just to tell you the worst:

The meds are written by the doctor, then the sister writes in pencil on a sheet of paper, then the nurse on the floor writes a list of the meds and often the next shift prepares the meds for the next shift. Often I saw nurses putting 3/4 drugs in one bottle of Na Cl! Patients questioned my practice when I gave them separately.We had patients on verapamil without cardiac monitoring and patients on nitrates which were disconnected ( often by the patients) to go to the loo!!!!! There were unlabelled syringes and no proof of having given a drug. We had no handover... just read a book of changes and every patient was a bed number. In every room there were 3 patients without screens or curtains and enough space to swing a small mouse. The docs did the dressings so you never got to evaluate the wounds of patients and when we washed the patients we used baby wipes and only washed their genitals! There are more things but I won't bore you.

I stuck it for 4 weeks and then said " NOOOOOOOOO!" I left just before Xmas to begin a new career in the comunity where things are better but not brill.

However, the weather is great, the kids are happy,the people are lovely and the summers are to die for so I think we'll press on!

Anna

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion