US nurse going to scotland. How does the nursing differ?

World International

Published

I am a Nurse From the US who will be moving to scotland next fall. can anyone explain to me some of the challenges or differences there are between nursing in the US and nursing in the UK? any random advice would be well appreciated as well. thanks alot!

Specializes in Med/Surg/Onc, LTAC.

I have absolutely nothing to offer, but kinda interested on the topic. I'd LOVE to move out of the country sometimes!

Scotland is beautiful. Are you going rural or city? Edinburgh is the most beautiful city I have ever visited. If you are going to Glasgow, good luck understanding some of the locals, especially if they are drunk. Be prepared for COLD and sometimes lots of snow in the winter.

You should post in the UK forum :)

Scotland is beautiful. Are you going rural or city? Edinburgh is the most beautiful city I have ever visited. If you are going to Glasgow, good luck understanding some of the locals, especially if they are drunk :) Be prepared for COLD and sometimes lots of snow in the winter.

Also, from personal experience- NEVER try to beat a Scottish native in a whisky drinking contest. And, haggis isn't that bad, if you're brave enough to try it!

Haha, thank you! that is truly genuine advice! I think that i'll probably end up in edinburgh, that is where my boyfriend is studying. I actually met him volunteering at a hospital in Romania. His best friend lives in glasgow and i definitly have to question about 50% of the words that come out of his mouth! the local slang is like a whole new language! thanks again for the tips....I'll be sure to turn down any whisky challenges while im there...

Specializes in NICU.

Hi there,

Welcome to Allnurses! There's a lot of great info on the boards here :)

Do you have registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council yet? Or a visa to the UK or a passport within the EU?

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Meeting NMC requirements will be the first thing to get sorted, next is a visa allowing you to work in the UK but if you have been living with your boyfriend I believe this will allow ou to get a work visa but best thing to do is make sure

No, I have not done any of this yet, as I have not yet completed my BSN here. I am a bit nurvous about meeting the requirements. I know tht since the NMC rece somently made new guidlines alot of nurses from the US have had problems working in the UK because they do not fill the 2,400 clinical hour minimum.

Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.
No, I have not done any of this yet, as I have not yet completed my BSN here. I am a bit nurvous about meeting the requirements. I know tht since the NMC rece somently made new guidlines alot of nurses from the US have had problems working in the UK because they do not fill the 2,400 clinical hour minimum.

You will need a minimum of 12 months experience to fit the NMC requirements for registration

Specializes in NICU.

Others have gotten through with much less than the required hours and one of the decision officers told me that for most US nurses, if you have at least 1,500 hours total of didactic and clinical, with more clinical than didactic, you stand a good chance of getting through.

Do you already have your ADN and are going for a BSN?

Thank you thats very encouraging :) yes, I am currently volunteering as an RN, but unfortunatly it is at a free clinic and its not full time so i'm not quite sure if that qualifies. but i do have just under a year of RN work expierience, so im almost there! I'm guessing that LPN expierience doesnt count? I'm really not in a big hurry, when I move there next fall it will only be for 9 months so it wont kill me to not be able to work as a nurse yet. I just want to know that the option to work in the UK will be available to me some day, as i will eventually move there permanently. does anyone know if getting my BSN online will affect the likelyhood of me getting accepted by the NMC? is there anything i can do to boost my chances while still early in the game? thank you all so much, you have been most helpful.

+ Add a Comment