Want to Leave the USA for the UK...

Nurses General Nursing

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I am an LPN currently licensed in the state of Pennsylvania and working as an Agency Nurse in Long Term Care. I have 2+ years experience doing what I do and 8+ years before that as a CNA also in LTC. I want to leave the United States for political reasons, basically I think it's stupid that I work as a Nurse and this country does not have universal heath care insurance. Also other personal disagreements on how this country handles it's domestic and foreign affairs, but that isn't the root of my discussion.

I'm inquiring on what I would have to do to move myself and my family to the UK, preferably London. I would like information on pay rates, cost of living, reciprocity of my license (I do plan on getting my RN before I take the plunge, but really should I wait until I get there first?). I feel in my heart that I can no longer feel good about myself doing what I do just to be screwed in the end when it's MY turn to be in a long term care setting as a patient. I want out of here. I'd consider Canada as well, as my second choice, but the UK is my #1 choice. Any help, pointing in the right direction, any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a bunch =)

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Good luck. I think you will find just as many problems in the United Kingdom as the United States or any other country for that matter. If humans live there, you are going to have problems.

Education is a bit different in the UK and in fact some of the requirements are a bit higher than the USA. (From my limited experience with the UK educational system.) It would do you well to do some serious research on this topic.

Canada is another option, however reciprocity will still be required. In addition, Canada is a commonwealth country like England, so moving to England may be easier with Canadian citizenship.

Seriously, I think you will find every country has good and bad points. You seem very idealistic and many passionate people are blinded and unable to see the forest through the trees. Human beings will screw things up regardless of what they call home......I am a dolphin swimming through the cosmos singing..."so long and thanks for all the fish.." uuuuoh..oops I must have drifted off.

Good luck regardless...

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My parents are from the UK. Nursing in the UK can be hellish too. Their healthcare system is in need of repair too and there is a shortage of nurses there too. Nurses payscale is not equivalent to the US, at least not compared to the RN scale. I am not sure if it would be a cut for LPN and how you would fit in given the different educational system. The cost of living in London is very high. The taxes are very high too. Try this website nursingtimes.net for more info. I don't know much about UK nursing, but enough to know it would not be for me. I don't know much about bedside nursing in Canada, but it is more like the US. I have visited Canada several times and personally, I have really liked it. I have been to UK about twenty times, but not since I was a teenager. Good luck to you.

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Specializes in SICU.

Forget going to England. You would have to have a BSN in order to qualify for a work permit. And even if you get your BSN and have a work permit you will still not be able to get a job in the UK. The rules for obtaining a job are: it has to be offered to a UK nurse first (and there are a lot looking for jobs right now), then if no qualified UK nurses want the job it has to offered to anyone from the EC. Only if there are no qualified EC nurses can they look at nurses from other countries such as the USA. As a new grad RN ther is no chance they can't find someone with your same qualifications (no experience as an RN) from all the new grads graduating in the UK.

If you really, really want to go to England you will need to get your BSN, get several years of experince and hope that the lack of job enviroment changes.

Not sure on this but I believe you also need a BSN in order to work in Canada.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

well said previous post. Very hard at the moment to get a job, I live in the UK and have moved with hubby's job and finding a nursing job is very hard, haven't seen anything advertised. Nursing students are qualifying and can't find work. Will definately need BSN to work in the UK and will post a couple of links for you to look at for the UK but you will have hoops to jump through with our governing body with no guarantee for work permit with most jobs advertised stating will not help to get work permit. I don't think getting Canadian citizenship will make any difference to working in the UK and I am sure with most EU countries requirements are the same employ someone from their own country first then EU before the rest of the world unless you have some skill which is in high demand.

pay scale approx http://www.rcn.org.uk/agendaforchange/payconditions/pay/pay2006.php nurses start as indicated band 5

jobs http://www.jobs.nhs.uk/

nmc http://www.nmc-uk.org/aSection.aspx?SectionID=17

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NHS is slowly dying.....soon or later it would have to become private in order to survive......I would advice you to come and visit London (if you could afford it live here for at least 6 months)and see what life is like here.

We have lots of social/racial problems going on that... nobody seem to address,gang culture,violent youths,highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe,immigration issues,drinking culture among teenagers and so on.

I am not trying to scare you,just sometimes life looks greener on the other side.

I think you will then appreciate much more life in USA.

But if it is your dream.......I wish you all the best.

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Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.

Back in the 70's I thought about going to the United Kingdom, to take a course that was not offered here in the U.S. I would have had to work some because I was a single parent, although my daughter would have remained here in the U.S. I was surprised by the brick wall I faced. And I had a BSN. The one thing I would have to be able to prove was the position I would take, would not take a position from a United Kingdom resident. I didn't come to the U.K.

I had a few friends that were nurses from Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. As long as they had met the education requirements, they had no problem working here.

To the U.S. citizen, I have lived and gone to school in two countries overseas. And I have traveled a great deal. Every country has its problems. I am afraid you would be trading one set of problems here, for a different set some place else.

Woody:balloons:

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