US to UK transition, pls help.

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Hello everyone!

I'm a RN (BSN) here in the US and would like to come to work in the UK. I've been a medical/surgical nurse for 1.5 yrs, and planning on taking the IELTS in October. I was just curious, what kind of nursing would I get hired for in the UK? What are the different types of nursing in the UK and their scopes of practice? If I get hired as a Adult nurse, would I be able to start venipunctures, hang an IV bag, give blood, start foleys/NG tubes etc? I tried researching but can't seem to find anything about it.

Would there be any opportunities to take classes if I want to become an ICU or ER nurse?

Do you guys suggest that I look for a nursing agency to assist me to look for an employer, so that I can then apply for visa? Any recommendations?

I hope that you guys can help. So sorry, I have many questions. THANK YOU in advance! :)

Great, thank you. I hope receive nice Christmas news, then. Please keep in touch about everything. I actually wanted to PM this message to you, BabyRN, but I cannot figure out how...? Do you have to have a certain membership for that?

Well, I wanted to ask you is if there's a difference with the IELTS...I am trying to sign up and have the option to take the general training test or the academic test. Do you know what the difference is? Which test did you take?

Thanks in advance

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http://www.nmc-uk.org/Registration/Joining-the-register/Trained-outside-the-EU--EEA/International-English-Language-Testing-IELTS/

So, as I thought, they do require the academic-level. The difference is that the general level is, as the name says, general English and the academic is more complexed use of language.

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Specializes in NICU.

Okay, you can't be spoon fed everything :) time to go do some research, i.e. do searches here and go to the source--the Nursing and Midwifery Council website with registration abroad.

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Specializes in ER.

Please look into the job situation before you go any further with this.

Its desperate in the UK right now, I have worked there on and off for many years and never seen it so bad. Whole ERs are closing down, specialist nurse posts have gone, its just imploding before your eys.

And dont foget the military have cutbacks too, there are one heck of a lot of ex-military UK nurses looking for work too and there is just nothing out there.

The ER I was working in will close at the end of the year, as will two others I know of. I've opted to get out of the UK again, there is no work there, and unlikely to be any in the forseeable future. Even nurses being sponsored on the ONP are being sent home, its that bad.

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.

It's pretty grim in the UK at the moment, very few nursing jobs and services being scaled down.

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Specializes in NICU.

Yep, I agree with these ladies, it's super rough. I actually don't plan to go over for quite a few years if they allow me to have a license (after DH and I have kids) and I'm just trying to get the initial license now so that I can just have it ready when we do hope to go over. DH is a born British citizen, so I'll have the legality sorted out and I won't have to be relegated to visa numbers and sponsorships, but I dunno if I could hack it if I wasn't married to a Brit or another EU member.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
There is a travel agency called continental nurses they may be able to help you although their rates are really low, and the travel nursing is not like the states. i am a british nurse but have been working in the states for over seven years. in london we take nurses with acute care experience, no new grads, we perform all the tasks you have stated and much more. nurses in london have much more autonomy than the nurses in the states cause no one is scared of being sued.lol and in the icu the ratio with nurse to patient is 1:1.

I happen to leave an email on the website of the company you quoted to inquire on a whim and promptly received a call from a representative who gave me the low-down on the company and how they place nurses in various hospitals within the UK. It seems legit but don't know how true it is that they could place US nurses for travel assignments even in this worldwide economic crisis. I was told to go ahead and take the IELTS (required regardless of whether or not I am a native English speaker from the US, Canada, or other similar countries) and they would help me with NMC registration (which could take 6 months I was told). The pay is definitely low (compared to California that is) but I thought pay was always relative to where you are in the world. I wasn't really seriously thinking about trying the travel nurse route but thought it was interesting that they were eager to help me. Also, don't know if my ICU experience was what attracted them.

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Specializes in ER.
I happen to leave an email on the website of the company you quoted to inquire on a whim and promptly received a call from a representative who gave me the low-down on the company and how they place nurses in various hospitals within the UK. It seems legit but don't know how true it is that they could place US nurses for travel assignments even in this worldwide economic crisis. I was told to go ahead and take the IELTS (required regardless of whether or not I am a native English speaker from the US, Canada, or other similar countries) and they would help me with NMC registration (which could take 6 months I was told). The pay is definitely low (compared to California that is) but I thought pay was always relative to where you are in the world. I wasn't really seriously thinking about trying the travel nurse route but thought it was interesting that they were eager to help me. Also, don't know if my ICU experience was what attracted them.

Not sure how you can "happen to leave an email", but anyway . . .

You folks really need to look long and hard at the job situation in the UK. Its non-existent.

UK nurses are unemployed, even those with good post-reg quals. I personally know of half a dozen nurses who graduated in April and still dont have jobs. And a good few ex-military who also lost jobs in the cutbacks, they are fantastic ER nurses with trauma and field hospital experience that is second to none.

By all means throw money at IELTS and NMC registration but please be aware you probably wont find a job at the end of it.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
Not sure how you can "happen to leave an email", but anyway . . .

You folks really need to look long and hard at the job situation in the UK. Its non-existent.

UK nurses are unemployed, even those with good post-reg quals. I personally know of half a dozen nurses who graduated in April and still dont have jobs. And a good few ex-military who also lost jobs in the cutbacks, they are fantastic ER nurses with trauma and field hospital experience that is second to none.

By all means throw money at IELTS and NMC registration but please be aware you probably wont find a job at the end of it.

What I meant by "happen to leave an email" was I actually sent an email to inquire with that company out of curiosity. I was just wondering about international travel nurse options. As it is right now, I am very happy with my job in San Francisco and wouldn't switch it for any other job in the world so you have nothing to worry about me trying to "steal your jobs" there.

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Specializes in ER.

Nice sentiment, but there arent any jobs to steal anyway!!

I've already left, as have many of my former coworkers, there is simply no reason to stay anymore.

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You can say that again Skylark. Here I am, 2 Degrees, over 20yrs experience in various Nursing jobs - made redundant! Possibility of employment - ZERO (and I have Specialist experience since 1997). Looks like I shall have to retire and wait for my 'gold plated pension' in a couple of years.

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