uk nurses who have come to the usa

suzanne4, RN · Nov 28, 2005

hi suzanne, if we end up in nevada, I will arrive with my vi drivers licence with my st croix address on it, do we have to get a nevada licence if we are only there 13 weeks or do we change the address on it eachtime we go to a different state? we were under the impression that you only needed a licence for that state if you are going to become a resident,,ie longer than 90 days. BOA said that I would need proof of address to open the account such as a utility bill, I didnt think that they would be in my name, so I pointed that out and the only suggestion that she gave me was to ask the agency to use their address and then once the account is set up I could then use a po box and internet access.
but until I can physically go into the bank with the documents then I cannot open an account from here, still lots for us to learn when we get there as to how to be a traveller and not have a permanent address. applied for an american airlines credit card as that is who we use to fly from here and was told that I was eligible but because of the inconsistent mail service here, they wont give me one till I get to the states, but that defeats the object of having it while we were still on the island. plus they dont accept a po box number either to set it up. any info from you is appreciated...thanks

Contact me by pm when you get here and I will tell you exactly what you need to do. Not sure why you are getting all of the hassles like that.

As far as driver's license, you are okay.

rob5252 · Dec 12, 2005

are you kidding!? the thing to learn about the nhs is that they are so understaffed that if you have any vague nursing skills (bedbath; ability to wear a tunic; a pulse) they'll hire you!! my advice is to contact the charge nurses on your chosen units and enquire about current vacancies (believe me, you'll have no worries). tell them when you're planning to emmigrate and what skills/experience you have. failing being able to contact anyone, send your CV (resume) to the personnel/human resources departments together with a covering letter. it won't harm you to send a copy to the charge nurse of A&E. if you have the skills and you look good on paper, i can't see why they won't snap your hand off. and why wales? you do know that it's cold, wet and terribly unsophisticated. the only decent thing is charlotte church (and that's scraping the barrel). contact me if you have any questions. where in states are you? am heading to LA (just waiting for my embassy interview and medical).

Owain Glyndwr · Dec 12, 2005

why wales? you do know that it's cold, wet and terribly unsophisticated. the only decent thing is charlotte church (and that's scraping the barrel). contact me if you have any questions).

Rob

Have to disagree in part with your comments. Cold (yes, most of the time), wet (yes, most of the time), unsophisticated (mmm, in parts but only as much as some other parts of the UK), and, above all, my main disagreement is with your view that Charlotte Church is decent - she most certainly is not.

Hope you manage to take your borderline xenophobia/racism with you to LA and survive. I have a question for you:

Why are you a complete tw*t?

Cheers

OG

jodyangel, RN · Dec 13, 2005

LOL Owain,

My hubby is welsh and the first time he went to a hospital ER and they asked him where he was from, he said the UK, and they said..Ukraine? LOL we still laugh about that.

Good luck to you!

Couldn't agree more Cariad. Would be most useful for us who will be relocating to the US in some months time. On informally visiting my proposed workplace in AZ last September, it was patently obvious that no-one from the Recruiter to the Clinical Managers had a clue about the NHS! I didn't know whether to expect them to know to or not, but you probably would have had a stab at them having some knowledge of other healthcare systems in this educated world we live in
When I mentioned the 'average' nurse patient ratio in the UK to the nurses I met, they asked me to repeat the figures several times and then picked their jaws up from the floor as they could not believe what I had said!
My wife was told by a clinical manager that there was a five year waiting list for nurses to work day shifts in a certain area....folllowed by what seemed to be a standard question to us both - 'do you work nights?'!!! Is it nights all the way for us then?!
Any help/advice/guidance/putting off from anyone who has relocated would be very much appreciated.
Apart from nursing topics such as patient assessment (chest auscultation, heart sounds etc - which, frankly, I know bugger all about and, I guess, will receive a fair bit of support in learning about - another difference in US to UK way of working) I would like to know about handy hints such as getting credit, kids going to school, buying cars and property, cost of running a swimming pool, getting onto American Idol, and what sort of gun I should buy . I would also like to know how I can stop being confused with other nationalities? One person thought we were from the Ukraine (as I said UK) and several others guessed most incorrectly at Scandinavia. I'm not that Welsh!!
Cheers
OG

jodyangel, RN · Dec 13, 2005

Well I just want to give you a Thumbs up about Wales. I've visited there and it was just lovely. My hubby is from S Wales and I can understand why you would want to work there. He does say that its much cheaper here tho and the weather is nicer, so take a raincoat!!

Hello everyone. Excellent thread (lengthy so I've not gotten through it all yet). But as I'm a US nurse looking to go to the UK, some of my own questions about the differences are coming to light (and this has been much of what I've been seeking without results until now). I hope you don't mind, I feel like I'm crashing a thread I don't belong in.
My search for employment and answers actually began with the NHS, so I'm a bit embarrassed about what I've read concerning US knowledge of other healthcare systems (I still have much to learn myself).
Questions for OG! Wales is one of my primary targets for employment. Any advice on which Welsh hospitals I might try to concentrate on? Looking mostly in the southerly regions like Gwent and Princess of Wales for example. Also, A&E is my specialty, but man it's hard to find job vacancies for it on the web. Able to shed any light on that or point me in a better direction? Any help would be grand. Thanks.

Bill_ER, BSN, RN · Dec 13, 2005

Well I chose Wales because I really enjoyed my time there. I'll take your advice on sending CV's out to see what kind of response I get. I'm also trying to weigh options in Scotland, haven't exactly been able to decide on that yet. Working on it though. I don't mind the weather though. Where I come from it's way too hot in the summer, and way way too cold in the winter, so a little rain with semi-stable temps is fine by me.

I'm from Ohio by the way. Kind of boring compared to LA, but LA's a little too "lively" for my tastes.

OG, you get my private message? Not sure if I did right in the reply.

And guys, don't get in a pissin' contest or they'll lock the thread. :smiley_ab

ms_tlc_uk · Dec 13, 2005

Can anyone pls tell me if it would be easy to apply for bank accounts/credit cards even if i don't have any assistance from an agency such as OGP? I am a Nurse, also from UK. I applied and passed the NCLEX exam on my own and now looking for an employer in the US. Also, can you recommend any good hospitals in CA? Preferably the ones who offer sign-in bonus? Any suggestions would be really appreciated. Thank you.

cariad · Dec 13, 2005

nearly all the americans that you meet will tell you that they are scottish or irish...of course they mean from over 200 hundred years ago, and they all yearn to visit, and even live over there. dont forget...no hurricanes...no tornadoes....no horrendous snowfalls. as for the welsh...well i lived there for a long time and trained there, and all my kids are welsh, i am scottish and have also lived there for some time before we came here, and everyone to their own tastes is what i say!!!!!!!!!!

cariad · Dec 13, 2005

nurses have got bank accounts even without agencys, you will be able to sort that out once you get here....credit cards are a different story, you have to earn credit here, which can be difficult when they dont give you a card to begin with...oh excuse the capitals!

can anyone pls tell me if it would be easy to apply for bank accounts/credit cards even if i don't have any assistance from an agency such as ogp? i am a nurse, also from uk. i applied and passed the nclex exam on my own and now looking for an employer in the us. also, can you recommend any good hospitals in ca? preferably the ones who offer sign-in bonus? any suggestions would be really appreciated. thank you.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Dec 13, 2005

Can anyone pls tell me if it would be easy to apply for bank accounts/credit cards even if i don't have any assistance from an agency such as OGP? I am a Nurse, also from UK. I applied and passed the NCLEX exam on my own and now looking for an employer in the US. Also, can you recommend any good hospitals in CA? Preferably the ones who offer sign-in bonus? Any suggestions would be really appreciated. Thank you.

You shouldn't have any problems opening a bank account, would suggest shop around and see what is on offer. Credit history will take a time to build up. It was suggested to me to get american express card here in the uk and I should be able to transfer it to one once I get out to the US and I have found stuff on their website which indicates that this is so :)

safewaygreenbox · Dec 13, 2005

and why wales? you do know that it's cold, wet and terribly unsophisticated. the only decent thing is charlotte church (and that's scraping the barrel). contact me if you have any questions. where in states are you? am heading to LA (just waiting for my embassy interview and medical).

No quite as sophisticated as you hey :rotfl: :rotfl:

Perhaps NOT the best person to contact if you have any questions :rolleyes: :chuckle

rob5252 · Dec 13, 2005

well matey, your unsophisticated mouth proves my point exactly. cardiff born and bred here with a sense of humour to boot. sorry OG to disappoint you. and what's with that name? :)