uk nurses who have come to the usa

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I am in the usvi, and have been here nearly a year, maybe all the nurses who have posted their news about immigration, can now post about the differences in the us hospitals. I dont think that american doctors and nurses fully understand where we come from, and the working environment of the nhs, its only when we get here that we can understand the differences. I am sure that stateside hospitals are different even from here. and that they also vary from state to state, but maybe nurses who are waiting to come will be able to pick up some tips and know more than us what to expect.

christine....from wales to scotland to united states virgin islands, and then to the states, in january.

Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

This is a good thread...I wish there had been something like it when I emigrated back in 2003. I haven't visited this site for a long time but just poked my nose in. I just celebrated my 2 year anniversary here in the USA and so far everything's working out fine. I had a difficult time adjusting and it's not been easy, but finally it's coming together. I came over with OGP and to be honest, I and all the other people I came over with, view OGP as a bunch of liars and chancers who use and abuse you. I ended up quitting and leaving just 8 months into my contract after I got sick of all their empty promises. The only good thing that came out of it is that I have a green card and am here. Best advice I can give you is don't believe a word they tell you, and ask lots of questions. Question everything and ask other people like myself who have been there and done that. Hold out for what you want. OGP totally have the ability to reschedule your embassy interview. I should know...they did it for me 3 times because they couldn't find me a job! Don't accept the first thing if that's not what you want.

I waited 2 years from start to finish, including joining OGP, doing the NCLEX and waiting for the visa. I requested the East Coast over and over again and was told that most likely I'd be able to get there. When the time came I was offered jobs in Nebraska, Southern Texas (virtually Mexico) and Arizona....totally nowhere near where I wanted to be. My partner was on the East Coast and I was stuck on the West Coast. Cut a long story short...we lived apart and I moved to Arizona. The hospitals they put you in are mostly small for-profit ones with a very different way of doing things compared to the UK. I was horrified at many of the practises...no doctors, telephone orders, excessive paperwork etc. Finally I was offered a transfer to Pennsylvania, but thank god I decided to go and see it before I accepted. It was a slum town and there was no way I was living there. That's when I quit. OGP pay crappy wages...$24/hr with no differential for nights. I was earning £20 an hour in the UK as agency ICU....I took a big drop in wages and struggled for a while. My car insurance was $300 a month and the car loan was $250 a month. I had precious little left, and had a mortgage in the UK to pay so I worked overtime every week. I was working 5-6 12 hour shifts a week to survive. Originally I was quoted $3000 for 6 months insurance!!! That was on a UK license...do your driving test as soon as you can.

Now I work for a University State Hospital...much better quality care and standards but you're still taken for a ride. No holidays worth speaking of and you can barely get time off when you need it, high nurse patient ratios (3 patients in the ICU!!!) plus we were often mandated to work when the unit was short staffed. They tried to mandate me to work a 16 hour shift the day I was supposed to go home to England for a vacation so I refused. I quit shortly after that and now only work Per Diem (agency) for the same hospital. That way I am in charge of my own time but I get no benefits and have no health insurance. I earn nearly $40 an hour now and life is better. I still pay $300 a month car insurance though! I have had quotes from everyone and have a perfect driving record. I have 2 credit cards, a new car, and a rental agreement and am looking for a house.

Cut a long story short...it's NOT the same as England. The work ethic is different and you have to be aware of so much more and take petty rules much more seriously. I don't want to put a downer on things but you must be realistic. Get through the contract period and then negotiate for what you want. I could go on and on about how frustrating I find the health system here but I've gone on long enough already. I love living here, I love the USA and the freedom it gives me but I miss the NHS so badly! I really enjoyed my job in the UK and I miss it. There's so much paperwork and criteria to fulfil, and they accept any old crap into the ICU. I must say I find a lot of it quite backward, but in other respects there are good things too so I don't want to sound totally negative. I'm just sounding off to people who understand.

Anyway...good luck to you all. If anyone has any questions about anything, particularly in Arizona or Connecticut, feel free to PM me or just post here. I will do my best to answer your questions.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

Would you recommend buying yourself out of a contract and how much did it cost you?

OGP were good to me from the UK and it only took 10 months from NClex to contract, they are no good over here you are left on your own. Which is fine for me as I came very prepared.

My car insurance is not as high as yours and we only got our AZ licence last week-what car do you drive?

Do you not like living over here or is the work that gets you down? Work can be s**t in every country I have had some really awful jobs back home.

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Specializes in Critical Care and ED.
Would you recommend buying yourself out of a contract and how much did it cost you?

OGP were good to me from the UK and it only took 10 months from NClex to contract, they are no good over here you are left on your own. Which is fine for me as I came very prepared.

My car insurance is not as high as yours and we only got our AZ licence last week-what car do you drive?

Do you not like living over here or is the work that gets you down? Work can be s**t in every country I have had some really awful jobs back home.

I didn't buy myself out of a contract...I just left. I didn't pay them anything. They were also useless to me when I got to the USA...they kind of leave you on your own. I drove a Ford Focus which is one of the cheapest insurance brackets and I was quoted very high prices from all the major insurance companies. The $3000 one was quoted to me by a company recommended by International Autosource and that was the reason I decided not to use them in the end. I just bought a car when I got here. I love living here but I miss the NHS. I don't like the way the American health care system is set up. Nurses are treated poorly and we're not secure like we were back home. The workload is greater and so are the demands made on us and there is absolutely no protection from the union like in England. In the UK the unions are strong and they really protect you. You have no rights or power here. I'm staying though, so I have to accept it. I just miss the days of 1:1 nursing in the ICU.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.
I didn't buy myself out of a contract...I just left. I didn't pay them anything. They were also useless to me when I got to the USA...they kind of leave you on your own. I drove a Ford Focus which is one of the cheapest insurance brackets and I was quoted very high prices from all the major insurance companies. The $3000 one was quoted to me by a company recommended by International Autosource and that was the reason I decided not to use them in the end. I just bought a car when I got here. I love living here but I miss the NHS. I don't like the way the American health care system is set up. Nurses are treated poorly and we're not secure like we were back home. The workload is greater and so are the demands made on us and there is absolutely no protection from the union like in England. In the UK the unions are strong and they really protect you. You have no rights or power here. I'm staying though, so I have to accept it. I just miss the days of 1:1 nursing in the ICU.

I thought you had to pay money to OGP if you broke your contract? AZ where I live is supposed to be the highest in the country. Like I said earlier the NHS has changed over the last couple of years.

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Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

They tell you that you have to pay, but I have known several nurses who have not and they do not pursue it. They're just bullies.

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I must be one of the few nurses who likes OGP... my contact is in fort lauderdale and they have always kept in touch, my wages have been good and I have never been so well off, I knew that I had an 18 month contract to complete so I just got on with it, and now have only 2 more weeks to go. I am now going with a different travel agency as ogp does not pay as well as others, and now I can choose where and who to work for.

as for the hospital....its an island hospital with all the problems that come with it, and as you say, british nurses are a lot more autonomous, we hardly make any nursing decisions, they are made by doctors, who sometimes dont even stop long enough to find out whats going on with their patient.

and I also think that sometimes the american nursing system is backwards in some ways compared to the NHS.but its the way that they do it and you just have to go with the flow.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.
I must be one of the few nurses who likes OGP... my contact is in fort lauderdale and they have always kept in touch, my wages have been good and I have never been so well off, I knew that I had an 18 month contract to complete so I just got on with it, and now have only 2 more weeks to go. I am now going with a different travel agency as ogp does not pay as well as others, and now I can choose where and who to work for.

as for the hospital....its an island hospital with all the problems that come with it, and as you say, british nurses are a lot more autonomous, we hardly make any nursing decisions, they are made by doctors, who sometimes dont even stop long enough to find out whats going on with their patient.

and I also think that sometimes the american nursing system is backwards in some ways compared to the NHS.but its the way that they do it and you just have to go with the flow.

I havent had a problem with OGP but have found them very disorganised since being here. I have a daily fax to send with information that could have been done all at once. They asked me to meet up with them at St JO's so I went 3 hours out of my time-they never turned up. The next day they said they thought I lived in Tuscon and they were at St Jo's there!!!!!!!!!! only 200 miles away. I have been left to my devices, we have done everything ourselves. The rep we saw on one day and he took me to BLS. They are very friendly and helpful on the phone but they are so far away there is not a lot they can do and you cant pop over to see them.

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Due to arrive in texas early Feb 06, my agency does not provide medical cover untill I have worked for them for 90 days. I know that UK bought travel insurance won't be any good because we will be permanent residents. Does anyone know of any schemes etc that we can use to cover us for the 90 days or do we just cross our fingers and hope for the best?

K

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Due to arrive in texas early Feb 06, my agency does not provide medical cover untill I have worked for them for 90 days. I know that UK bought travel insurance won't be any good because we will be permanent residents. Does anyone know of any schemes etc that we can use to cover us for the 90 days or do we just cross our fingers and hope for the best?

K

I did come across a company that did this sort of cover will have a look round and see if I can find it again

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Due to arrive in texas early Feb 06, my agency does not provide medical cover untill I have worked for them for 90 days. I know that UK bought travel insurance won't be any good because we will be permanent residents. Does anyone know of any schemes etc that we can use to cover us for the 90 days or do we just cross our fingers and hope for the best?

K

the agency should have given you cover from day one especially coming from the uk, ask them if they will put you on the insurance, if you pay for the 90 day cover and that way you will still be with the same health insurance once they start to pay for it for you.

you have to pay for co-dependtants when you get it anyway.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

Insurance is a big problem here. You get quoted for renters house insurance on the net and when they phone to make last min checks the premiums go up 300% because you have no credit history. We got quoted $169 on line but the end figure was over $500 because we have no history. Everything is conected to credit checks.

Mobile phones if you want a contract deal then for a company like Verizon they want $400 deposit refundable after a year for each line. We opted for a family deal and they wanted $800 deposit, not many people have that kind of money.

You can understand a deposit but $800.

OGP want $500 for medical insurance cover for the family per month!! You have no choice because I have been told you need to be here for a year before they will consider giving you medical insurance. I do have a company working on this I will keep you informed on what I discover.

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Hi all,

Just my tuppence-worth.

I have a mobile with cingular.I did not pay a deposit at all and my contact is $39.99 per month.Car insurance is expensive compared to the UK.I paid $600 for 6 months insurance.I have a new Ford Focus.

My OGP rep was excellent but I know I was lucky.The rep has only been here 1 year and has not forgotten how it feels to be new.

Hopefully things will settle down for you soon,

Janet

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