US Nurses Wishing to Work Overseas

lauritasol · Aug 12, 2007

Silverdragon102 said:
Agencies can tell you what they want but not sure how they can guarentee work when hospitals are not using staff. I also know a lot of hosptials are using Trust professionals as their agency. I can definately say without a doubt that things are really hard for nurses currently with layoffs and newly qualified nurses finding it very hard to find work. Are you willing to relocate to the UK as I find it hard to believe that a hospital even through agency will be willing to employ a nurse who will be commuting countries to work. Hospitals are using less and less agency nurses and as far as I am aware even if you have a work permit unless you have outstanding experience you will find that work will be offered to nurses from the UK first. I take it you have completed your 20 days ONP, and if you have you have done well to find a place as I know the waiting lists are long.
I would really check out the UK forum and you will see lots of posts on the struggle nurses are having at the moment in the UK
Agency in the UK also tends to be all over the place very rarely will you be offered a set place in a set area for a set period of time and I have even know shifts get cancelled at the last minute so you don't get paid

I have checked the UK board and working overseas. That's how I found out about this travel agency. My rep has been great, so I hope that things go well. No, I'm not on my ONP yet. I just sent all my paperwork to verify my license and coursework. They said this step takes 2 months. Then I do my 20 day spell in the UK and the travel agency said they'll have a job lined up for me the day I finish. Which I hope is the case. They know I live in Germany, but are supplying a flat for me and travel money, so I plan to live there, but also come home as this is where my husband is. I plan to do 13 weeks at a time and am open to any job in the UK. They say their assignments are for 13 weeks and then you can renew or not. I researched many travel agencies, but this one seems to place the most people. I've already heard from several others on this board that are working through them and are doing well, so I hope it works out as well for me!

lauritasol · Aug 12, 2007

PS - the travel agencies are for ppl that travel. I have a friend that is traveling from the US to the UK working for them now through the agency and they are not bent out of shape that they are not living permanently in the UK. So, it seems promising.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Aug 12, 2007

If they are coming over from the US to work I would love to know how the agency is getting round immigration and getting work visas because current requirements are employ UK then EU before elsewhere in the world. Lots of nurses at the moment are not having their work permits renewed due to these requirements and find that they have to go back home

suzanne4, RN · Aug 12, 2007

lauritasol said:
Well, when I replied to Ksanda1, I was writing her as a military spouse to military spouse answering her question. I have no idea what it's like for others living overseas, just about spouses of military members living overseas as that is what I'm going through at present.
I know that my travel agency employs in England, Wales, Scottland and Ireland. I'm okay with working anywhere - I just want to work! I, like the other poster, am bored out of my mind and am just ready to work! I know their system is VERY different, BUT it is in English and I think will be fun to learn, something to do to occupy my time, and a great resume booster. I'm looking forward to it!
I've gone on the UK boards and chatted with others about their experience. That is how I found the travel agency I'm going through. They seem to be placing many ppl off this board that I have chatted with, so they seem to be having openings. I'm not saying it's a done deal, but am hoping everything goes to plan. My rep is saying I'll have a job the day after I get my license, so here's to hoping I will!!

Lesson #1 with travel nursing: The agency employs you and has you sign a contract with them. Then they need to place you. Same as it happens in the US. They send your resume out to various facilities and then the facility makes the decision as to whether or not that they will hire you. Remember that you only have one year of work experience in the US, that is not enough for most facilities in the US.

We are just trying to help you as we have helped many others here. And you will learn that what an agnecy promises in the beginning is not always what happens in the end. And most that are posting here that went as travel nurses to the UK, did that with much more experience when they started, and they also started over in the UK when there were many more positions available. All we can do is give advice here, what you do with it is another story.

But use common sense here, if a place is having lay-offs all over the country, why in the world would a facility there pay premium price for a travel nurse? Remember your salary is getting paid, plus the employees of the agency, etc. Many of us here have years of experience in the world of travel nursing as well as working overseas, and Anna has been in the UK for years as an RN. Our experience should count for something.

And I have lived all over and it has not been military. Many do because of computer jobs, etc.

suzanne4, RN · Aug 12, 2007

lauritasol said:
Ha ha! I went back and looked at the post and you are right - she never said military! I guess I just assumed since she said "assignment" and 2 years. That is why I asked her if she was at Okinawa (a military base) or some other location. I know so many ppl being stationed in Japan, I just assumed - so Ksanda1 - sorry if my post didn't even apply to you!

Thank you for noticing that. Assumptions are not always the fact in case. Any most that have posted on this forum for working overseas, are not military wives at all.

suzanne4, RN · Aug 12, 2007

lauritasol said:
I have checked the UK board and working overseas. That's how I found out about this travel agency. My rep has been great, so I hope that things go well. No, I'm not on my ONP yet. I just sent all my paperwork to verify my license and coursework. They said this step takes 2 months. Then I do my 20 day spell in the UK and the travel agency said they'll have a job lined up for me the day I finish. Which I hope is the case. They know I live in Germany, but are supplying a flat for me and travel money, so I plan to live there, but also come home as this is where my husband is. I plan to do 13 weeks at a time and am open to any job in the UK. They say their assignments are for 13 weeks and then you can renew or not. I researched many travel agencies, but this one seems to place the most people. I've already heard from several others on this board that are working through them and are doing well, so I hope it works out as well for me!

I have been a travel nurse or agency nurse for most of my very long career. And from my experience, with you having only one year of experience it is going to be hard to have a hospital actually select you. The amount of actual work experience is extremely important, and even in the US, you will find it hard to have a better facility ok you for work there. Most wish to see at least two years of experience. Does not matter what the agency promises, it is up to the facility that will employ you. The agency has no control over that. And that is what we are trying to get you to understand.

And your friends that are working for that agency, how much actual experience do they have? Suspect that it is more than one year.

And I have been a Moderator on the UK forum since its inception, so I am very familiar with how they do things there, as well as what they are currently doing. Anna is also a Moderator on this forum, and I will put up our experience against anything that you are hearing as being more than truthful, but is also what is actually happening. And if you have noticed, there is an increase in nurses that are migrating to the US from there, because of scarcity of work there. Not all are doing it just for the fun of it. Uprooting families to move them to new countries, and not knowing what they will find.

Please do not believe everything that a recruiter promises you, first rule of travel nursing. If it is not written in your contract, then it does not exist.

And you have a visa to work in the EU; you still are not a citizen of the EU, and they will always get priority over you. Something ekse to the rules of wishing to work out of the US.

lauritasol · Aug 12, 2007

Thank you all for your input. I have more than one year experience - I've been working in L&D since 1/2005, so that makes it almost 3 years. The other poster earlier has less than a year.

When I initially moved here I started searching here to find information about working in Germany/Netherlands. Many people pointed me to the UK and my travel agency. Some people on that forum also said that there was a scarcity of jobs due to Tony Blair and budget cuts, but after someone came on and basically ended the thread with negativity, several other members contacted me by email/pm to say that they go through said agency and are liking it. I contacted the agency and asked all the questions regarding no jobs, working as a L&D nurse (they only use midwives in the UK and wasn't sure where else I could work), budget cuts, etc. Of course, they said that there was a shortage, but that they have many placements now and that b/c of my level 1 high risk experience I could go into scrubbing in the OR or go to the PACU.

So, I've started the process and am getting ready to go for the 20 day ONP as soon as I am notified by the NMC. I'd think if the travel agency wasn't going to make any money off of me, they wouldn't put me up in a flat for free for those 20 days.

I've already paid my fee to the NMC and so I am going to follow it through. We'll see if I work or not in the end. I hope that I will as I am dying of boredom in Germany. And I am encouraged to know that my other e-friends on here and my friend from the States have all found employment through them and have only good things to say. So... here's to hoping I will also find placement!

Thanks again for all of your wise advice!

suzanne4, RN · Aug 13, 2007

The other nurse actually just went over after taking her boards, so she does not have a year of experience. Somewhere in one of your posts, you spoke of one year of experience.

January, 2005, and that is just 2 1/2 years. And if you subtract the orientation that you had before you were on your own, you also need to take that into consideration. And just so that you are aware, Labor and Delivery is considered a high risk area in the US, as well as most other countries. And most of the hospitals in the US will not even consider employing a travel nurse if they do not have at least five years of experience. This goes for PICU, and NICU, as well.

And not sure if you have just noticed that quite a few nurses in the past two weeks or so have gotten their visas not renewed by the British government and they were brought over more than four years ago. So that will be playing a part as well.

But there were also many things that you could have done in Germany that did not require a nursing license for there. As long as you have a visa to work there, then there are many things that you could have done. And woudl not require you going thru what you are doing.

But that is your choice. Best of luck to you.

suzanne4, RN · Aug 13, 2007

And to clarify what they have told you, just because you can scrub in L and D, does not mean that you can scrub in an OR. You need to be trained in an approved OR program for that. And the PACU uses many more anesthetics than they do in your specialty and that requires specific training as well.

If the nurse can scrub in the OR, then no issue for them going and doing a case in the delivery room. But it does not work the other way around at all. Being trained for only deliveries or hysterectomies, etc., does not qualify you for the OR.

The agency can tell you what ever they want, but again the facility makes the final decision as to who they will take. And I have worked OR long enogh, as well as PACU to know what I am talking about here as well.

It is not a point of being negative, it is being honest and up front with information. The agency that you have signed with is also fairly new in the realm of travel nursing, it is not something that they have been doing for years.

suzanne4, RN · Aug 13, 2007

And this is from your post from yesterday. Knew that I had read it somewhere and was not imagining things.

I graduated a year and a half ago. That is what you wrote. If you just graduated a year and a half ago, how do you have 2 1/2 years of experience as an RN? Credit is only given for the actual RN time after you were licensed, not if you worked there as a student or LPN.

I do read everything.

lauritasol · Aug 13, 2007

Okay - so this will be my last post. These boards are for supporting and encouragement of others in our profession, however, I feel like this thread has taken on a "let's beat her down" mentality.

In my previous post I was talking about how travel agencies want more than 1 year of nursing, and I said I have more than a year. Before I learned about the UK, I applied to a travel agency in the US to work in NYC as I thought that would be the closest US city to travel to from here. I was accepted there and thus knew aobut the 1 year rule and how US travel nursing works. I was to work in L&D there, and they were going to place me in NYC without 5 years experience.

Onto the UK and nursing - I am aware that most L&Ds have some high risk, but we delivered 400+ babies a month and were the only level 1 high risk OB and NICU in the state, so we definitely saw it all. I feel I've gained a ton of experience there - more so than the typical L&D floor. We had 4 ORs and we did a variety of surgeries - not just the typical hysterectomy as you so mention. We also were trained with the general OR PACU nurses and our PACU was set up in the same fashion. We were taught to scrub for our surgeries and had to be able to do all facets of Women's Services. We weren't ever assigned to only one spot. I feel without even knowing me or my background, you are just trying to slam me in any way possible. All I've been is upbeat, positive and helpful to others - never a negative post!

Lastly, I am a RN. I want to work as a RN, not as something else in Germany. Furthermore, as I mentioned in a previous post, you cannot work here if you cannot speak German. I live on the economy (not on a military base) and I talk with my German neighbors, bakers, store owners, etc., and they all say the same thing about unemployment and foreigners working here - they can't if they can't speak the language. I've been here since May trying to figure things out... I've investigated every single option known to man. I've called every single company I can think of to work at - including US companies/governement agencies. Thus far, this seems like the best option.

I plan to call the NMC and my agency tomorrow to convey these postings and see what their take is on things. I can only go from here and hope for the best. Worst case scenario, I won't work for the time I'm here. But I'm sure I'll find something to do - like starting a family. Everything happens for a reason and as planned, so I'm just going to follow this course and see where the path takes me. I'm not going to be overrought if it doesn't work out, but if it does - it will just be the icing on the cake to be able to work while living in Europe.

Again, thanks for "trying" to help. I think your first post was helpful, but the rest was just belaboring the point. You would think being a moderator, you'd find the time to uplift other nurses not try to crush them.

So, I'll end on that. I was trying to help another poster, not receive help myself. I have my plan all sorted out, so I'm good on receiving anymore advice in regard to the UK. Thanks again!

ksanda1 · Aug 13, 2007

Thank you both for all the information. Let me clarify some more...

My husband is not working in the military but a private firm in Tokyo. However, I already researched the non-military employee jobs that Laura suggested but just the location of the place was not realistic.

Before we came, it was discussed that I could look for a job. I will follow up on a working visa thru his relocation agency as they are helping me with other necessary documents to get me settled here and will post another update. Very grateful for all the information. I really wanted to make sure that my 2 years will not hurt the start of a new career. One of my nursing friends who also graduated are having twins and is not working so I do see your point that situations do arise.

Suzanne, regarding other jobs...the prinicpal of my children 's school was quite happy when I told her I just graduated and started talking about foreign doctors etc. Is this a possibility? I am also surrounded by a number of embassies.

Again, I will follow up with another post on working visas.

Sanda