Hi everyone, hope you are doing well. I am a US citizen graduated from nursing school on 2019 and since then I have been in ICU, I planning to move to UK in this Summer 2021. My NMC application is in process, all papers were submitted except of OSCE Exam. for a month now I have been applying for jobs on NHS jobs website with no answer, also I applied though some agencies and they receive the CV and then the don't keep me updated with my application.
I would like to ask for a contact for a good agency?
I also was thinking to book for OSCE course in UK and travel there and get my NMC PIN and apply for jobs while I am there. any advice.
The delay was mostly from closing down due to COVID, but also agencies and hospital take long time to answer or to replay, I think the process is faster in US.
After arrival, the professional development department of the hospital will start OSCE course and training, you don’t have to buy the book, we got printout and highlights from the team. I passed my OSCE from first time.
The most challenging thing in UK is having a bank account, it is much more harder than buying a gun in US, it seems like every person in every bank has their own rules and that changes everyday.
I spoke to a recruiter and they advised buying The Royal Marsden Book to review. I believe the 10th e is the latest as I looked on their website. There are a lot of good Youtube videos that review for CBT and OSCE so I will also browse those. For the CBT if you go on the Pearson Vue website you can see their practice tests and I hope to start after the holidays. @AhmadHadi suggested a website in one of his posts - ONT Global which looks pretty good also.
Whereabouts is your NMC reg status thus far? Mine is still in its initial stage so I'm not ready to take the CBT right now.
OK that’s the book I was thinking of buying after reading multiple RN blogs and their suggestions. I have the approval to take the CBT right now. I figured I’ll study Jan/Feb and take it end of Feb. I’m a practicing nurse right now with almost five years of experience so I can’t imagine I need to study more than a couple months. I have been offered a job through HCA at UCH in london and they will help me study for the OSCE.
where are you looking at working? And what’s your timeframe? I interviewed with Drake Medox and they were a good company but only work with a couple London hospitals
Thats so exciting! I’ve heard Royal Marsden Book as well. When did you apply to NMC initially? I held off on submitting my application because I don’t intend to move until late fall 2022. How did your interview process work? Thanks in advance!
OK that’s the book I was thinking of buying after reading multiple RN blogs and their suggestions. I have the approval to take the CBT right now. I figured I’ll study Jan/Feb and take it end of Feb. I’m a practicing nurse right now with almost five years of experience so I can’t imagine I need to study more than a couple months. I have been offered a job through HCA at UCH in london and they will help me study for the OSCE.
where are you looking at working? And what’s your timeframe? I interviewed with Drake Medox and they were a good company but only work with a couple London hospitals
Hello Madeline. That's brilliant! So will you start as a Band 4 initially before passing the OSCE? I can't imagine you'd need much time studying either, I'm sure it's more of a refresher really. Like Lauren said, please give us a timeline of your application. I'm interested in London, and primarily worked cardiac floors, but would love a go at A & E. Thanks for suggesting Drake, I'll def look into them. I have spoken to Continental Travel, as I was thinking of taking a travel position first, then applying directly once I'm there. Ideally I'm planning on moving Summer 22. I applied to the NMC about 2 weeks ago.
Thats so exciting! I’ve heard Royal Marsden Book as well. When did you apply to NMC initially? I held off on submitting my application because I don’t intend to move until late fall 2022. How did your interview process work? Thanks in advance!
Hello Lauren. Fall 22 seems far away, but apparently the processing takes a while, esp due to Covid. Are you planning to do L&D in the U.K? Whereabouts?
Yes I believe so. I start off at a lower salary until I pass the OSCE. My understanding is that I start being paid from the minute I land and then w/ the help of the hospital educator in my case, I will be guided through how to study and prepare for the OSCE. I am hoping this is max 2 weeks as I have experience. From there I will continue to work on the floor as a Band 5. I am hired through private care so my pay will be higher than the NHS. My goal was to be hired privately for this reason as well. (Knowing I already have a huge pay cut from the USA)
I started gathering my NMC materials (background check, transcript, etc) around Oct 15th. I applied to the NMC maybe a week after Oct 15th (it didn't take me long to gather materials). I then waited about a week or two and it was still pending on the Washington State nursing board so I called my state's Nursing board to see if they received anything to verify that I was indeed a nurse. They unfortunately misplaced teh email so they were able to confirm it that day. (I encourage you to follow up with your nursing board to look for this email to verify your license. That process took the longest (maybe 3week total).
Then I started reaching out to nurse recruitment agencies. This part is tricky because each agency only works with so many hospitals within the NHS. So I sent a generic email with my Resume and CV to each agency/HR to ask which hospitals they worked with and that I was interested in working in hematology/oncology. I received most responses within a day or two.
For me personally the process hasn't been nearly as long as I had anticipated. I was offered a job in Dec and they know I don't want to start until August.
It also hasn't cost me a ton of money.
I paid for the NMC registration, CBT study practice, and will pay for the CBT.
The hospital will pay for OSCE, accomodation in London for 3month, relocation to London from Seattle. Hope this helps.
I used this website https://ontuk.co.uk/. it was very easy, I did not need any more resources.
Hello Ahmed, thanks again for that. How's it going so far? Can you please tell me more about the charting system and patient ratios. Has the role been more or less challenging that the U.S? Thank you ?
Yes I believe so. I start off at a lower salary until I pass the OSCE. My understanding is that I start being paid from the minute I land and then w/ the help of the hospital educator in my case, I will be guided through how to study and prepare for the OSCE. I am hoping this is max 2 weeks as I have experience. From there I will continue to work on the floor as a Band 5. I am hired through private care so my pay will be higher than the NHS. My goal was to be hired privately for this reason as well. (Knowing I already have a huge pay cut from the USA)
I started gathering my NMC materials (background check, transcript, etc) around Oct 15th. I applied to the NMC maybe a week after Oct 15th (it didn't take me long to gather materials). I then waited about a week or two and it was still pending on the Washington State nursing board so I called my state's Nursing board to see if they received anything to verify that I was indeed a nurse. They unfortunately misplaced teh email so they were able to confirm it that day. (I encourage you to follow up with your nursing board to look for this email to verify your license. That process took the longest (maybe 3week total).
Then I started reaching out to nurse recruitment agencies. This part is tricky because each agency only works with so many hospitals within the NHS. So I sent a generic email with my Resume and CV to each agency/HR to ask which hospitals they worked with and that I was interested in working in hematology/oncology. I received most responses within a day or two.
For me personally the process hasn't been nearly as long as I had anticipated. I was offered a job in Dec and they know I don't want to start until August.
It also hasn't cost me a ton of money.
I paid for the NMC registration, CBT study practice, and will pay for the CBT.
The hospital will pay for OSCE, accomodation in London for 3month, relocation to London from Seattle. Hope this helps.
This all sounds very straight forward and simple - that's awesome. I think that's the fastest turnaround I've read about! ?
Thank you for suggesting to call the BON - I'll definitely do that. Yes, the private salaries are higher as I've compared the NHS and private and it does make a difference. Are you currently working in HemOnc?
I'll be relocating with my family, so will not be able to utilize the housing option with the agency (single occupancy/shared housing), and I am in the process of searching for my own rental and have some time after the holidays to do that. When I spoke to Continental, they said I would have to work with them for 1 year if they pay for the OSCE (or something like that), so I'm debating on whether to just pay for it on my own. Does Drake Medox require you to work with them for a specific time frame also?
Yes I am on a HemOnc/Bone Marrow Transplant floor and I wanted to stay on a similar floor. Most of the agencies require 2-3yr commitments because they are paying for your Tier 2 Visa.
Luckily HCA is paying for my Visa and they aren't requiring a commitment because they aren't an agency. Drake required 3yr commitment
Ahmad Hadi
13 Posts
Hi,
The delay was mostly from closing down due to COVID, but also agencies and hospital take long time to answer or to replay, I think the process is faster in US.
After arrival, the professional development department of the hospital will start OSCE course and training, you don’t have to buy the book, we got printout and highlights from the team. I passed my OSCE from first time.
The most challenging thing in UK is having a bank account, it is much more harder than buying a gun in US, it seems like every person in every bank has their own rules and that changes everyday.