Wanting to Work in the UK

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Hello all,

I have seen all internet address for starting off the long paper work especially the NMC. Are there any easier ways to go about this? I am very confused as to how to go about starting. I am a Canadian trained Rn and I am presently working inthe US.

Would you recommend any companies to work with or any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks and hope this

Specializes in RN.

I have heard it's not worth bothering to try to go work in the UK-Rn's are treated so badly.

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Specializes in ER.

Is that true???

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
I have heard it's not worth bothering to try to go work in the UK-Rn's are treated so badly.

I would disagree with this comment. I have worked in the UK NHS for 20 years and a few hospitals. Yes things have changed and staff shortages have happened but have never been badly treated.

Yes I have on a few occassions thought about leaving and even moving abroad but that was more due to me not the system.

Yes the system is going through some problems at the moment but I feel that it is more due to higher management than working on the wards

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Specializes in Multiple.
I would disagree with this comment. I have worked in the UK NHS for 20 years and a few hospitals. Yes things have changed and staff shortages have happened but have never been badly treated.

:yeahthat:

As a nurse in the UK it seems from reading the threads on allnurses that we actually in some ways are better treated than nurses in the USA. UK employment laws give us more protection than we realise, with some of the benefits that having unions have brought us - working time regs, work-life balance and our social security system etc etc. You often hear on this board of nurses being fired - rarely do you hear of it in the UK. Our partnership working in the UK with staffside and management working together has brought us a lot of good working practices and you rarely hear of nurses being badly treated...

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.
:yeahthat:

As a nurse in the UK it seems from reading the threads on allnurses that we actually in some ways are better treated than nurses in the USA. UK employment laws give us more protection than we realise, with some of the benefits that having unions have brought us - working time regs, work-life balance and our social security system etc etc. You often hear on this board of nurses being fired - rarely do you hear of it in the UK. Our partnership working in the UK with staffside and management working together has brought us a lot of good working practices and you rarely hear of nurses being badly treated...

:yeahthat: You almost have to commit murder to get sacked from the NHS.

Nice to see Nurses sticking up for our health care system for a change.

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Specializes in District Nurse /Accident and Emergency.

i was just browsing through the threads ... and i didnt want to add more insult to injury but in all honesty i just want to share my testimony.

at one point the demand for nursing here in the uk were so great that recruitment officers have to travel miles in asia and eastern europe to fill in the post. . .now the tides have change! i never thought nursing as an unsecured job. i ve seen my friends . .specialist nurses, sisters from specialitst acute care now moving to the us or the middle east . .theres was this fear of the unknown. well im not at all pesimistic in fact i believe in the system. i have pursued most initiatives that we are asked to do from the primary cares point of view. and now in the middle of my mba . .im really disappointed that the job i was aiming for may seize to exists!

to any of you who wishes to pursue nursing career in another country . .one thing that you need to take into account . . .is timing and luck on your side! they may not be quantifiable but in this world of uncertainty and doubt . .they are part of the essential ingredient!

goodluck whoever you are:innerconf

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It's a shame for those of us interested in UK nursing at some point. 10 years ago it was almost as common for Canadians to go to the UK to work as to the US. Now, with lower wages and increased red tape it is a much less attractive option. I really think I would like to work there one day, but it is hard to imagine starting practically from scratch.

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Specializes in District Nurse /Accident and Emergency.

right first of all to fergus . . .yeah i understand where your coming from about starting from the buttom when you move from one country after the other . .moreso if its a first world country (us) to another first world country (uk). however there are loads of countries one can go to . . .take the middle east for instance (dubai), where lifestyles are different from that of the us or the uk. they are aware of this so to compensate they offer good packages like paid accommodation, private medical insurance, food are supplied and every 6 months they pay for you airfare to go home to your country. so if saving is what you have in mind . .dubai is the place to go to.

this is my concern if i did decide to move to the us . .i am so used to doing management stuff, interviewing staff, staff development, getting involved with guidelines and others. which can be totally different from hands on clinical. the only thing that would work in my favour is that, nursing there in the us is seen as a proper professional where the society look high at you and respect you . . .this is reflected in your pay. and i think thats one thing thats is lacking in my career. my patients/clients or my service users do appreciate the hard work that we do . .but sometimes i wish all this hard work will be well compensated financially . . .sad to say . .it doesnt!

sorry to go on about this:chuckle

for madwife 2002,

i dont think we are being treated beeter here than our us counterparts.

i have work in both the primary and acute care . .form the onset of my training in 1992 up to the present . . i dont see us getting protected by law nor the law at least trying to protect our future. i have met overseas nurses (filipinos, africans, australians) who unergone adaptation course and pass with fyling coulors. the filipinos is particular are the most dedicated hard working nurses i ve ever known. i have seen them working in nursing homes, intensive therapy unit and a& e . .all it takes for someone to visit this areas and witness who works the hardests . .in fact ask the patiens and they will tell you. right lets talk about promotion! two candidates one overseas nurse who are now a fully pledge rgn for 2 years and one newly qualified nurse . .to be exact qualified for 6 months . . .who do you think gets the job?

the new policy on equality and diversity which is now a prerequisite to all nhs staff aims to tackle this . . .so the system are aware that this is going on. oh well if that is fair system . .i dont think i wanna find out what they mean by being unfair:d

i guess one day i can right something about my nhs experienced . .im an active member of the union and the bme group so i have witness and heard things that still up to this day made me realise that nursing is not just treating yor patients or curing the sick . . .its a political as well as a theatrical arena!

my apologise for going on about this:rotfl:

all the best to everyone

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Hi Vince,

Unfortunately I have a dog, so Dubai is off limits. Maybe in 15 years when my dog is gone...

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

Dear Vince23,

How do you know that nurses are not treated any different? Have you worked in both countries? I have and I can assure you it is as different as chalk and cheese. You say you are used to doing management things, then you must be on a decent wage. The wages might seem better in this country but you definatly do not get the perks of the Uk, re vacation time and sick time. Your contract is cancelled here if you are off sick more than 12 weeks and it doesnt matter why.

We are called nurses in both countries and we look after pts and thats where the similarity stops.

I have met more 'male' nurses working over here in the US from the UK who struggle. In the UK you are encouraged to question care and practice, and we utilise research into every aspect of our working life, it does not happen here. Dr's give orders and nurses carry them out.

You do settle but it takes a good period of time, most of the female RN's who are married to male RN's have told stories of their husbands wanted to jump on planes and return to UK in the first year!

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/right-work-state-160469.html

the above link helps to understand my comments below

This is an interesting thread. It talks about the right to work states, we in the Uk would have no understanding of this as the rules which govern our working lives are the same all over the UK. That is not the case here in the US. You can be hired and fired here much more easily.

The NHS whilst having many flaws does protect the rights of their employees, now here if you objected about pay and conditions the way we do and are encouraged to do-I reckon you'd be sacked. It would make you run scared to report what you know is wrong because you could very well loose your job. I really dont believe the US nurses have the right to freedom of speech like we do in the UK. I have seen in the UK nurses complain, and even argue with senior managers whilst on duty yet they still keep their job, I cant imagine that happening here. There is of course the correct way to deal with certain situations, but you dont have the flexibility and freedom as you do in UK.

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I'd be careful about generalising about such a large country. Are there hospitals where nurses just carry out orders without any independent thought? Sure. Not where I've worked though. It doesn't describe my experience in several hospitals in California and Washington.

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