wish to work in the UK but....

[texvelvet]

I really desire to travel nurse in the UK and possibly obtain an advanced degree there but....I would have to work all the while. Is the need for nurses over there comparable to the States? Also, would I be able to work in Ireland, Scotland and Wales with the same licensure I would obtain to work in England? Thanks for any info.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Unless you have a passport from a country within the EU I suspect you will find it hard at the moment to find a employer willing to go the work permit route with you. Things are really hard employment wise like the US and hospitals are cutting back.

NMC when registered with them covers England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Southern Ireland has their own nursing body

[babyNP., APRN]

Like Silverdragon said, it's pretty difficult to get a job in the UK if you don't have an EU passport. The only shortage occupations in the UK are NICU and OR right now...

As far as the masters programs go, you should probably just contact each individual school and ask about their international requirements. You'd probably qualify for stafford graduate loans and you can check dl.ed.gov to see about each individual school.

[Fiona59]

I'm always amazed that Americans don't understand that the United Kingdom includes Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. That the Republic is a separate state..

[babyNP., APRN]

Well, it is a little confusing when you consider that during the world cup, for example, England gets its own team instead of the UK as a whole. I still don't quite get that...And I think it goes both ways...many Brits I've talked to seem to think that Hawaii is a foreign country....but I agree American schools could do with some more geography lessons.

[texvelvet]

Thanks for all of the information.

[skylark, BSN, RN]

I'm always amazed that Americans don't understand that the United Kingdom includes Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. That the Republic is a separate state..

I think confusion exist far beyond the US shores!

I know of Brits who think that Holland is a country, not a county. (The Nederlands/Netherlands is made up of several counties, including North and South Holland, but somehow people seem to think that is the country name, I guess because it contains the word 'land?)

And I've also spoken to someone in Expedia call center who thought London was in France and Paris was in England.

[skylark, BSN, RN]

Sorry OP, I guess I just hijacked your thread!

As the others have said, the job situation is dire at the moment, I have worked in the UK on and off since 1986 and never seen it so bad. A newspaper today said that one in five NHS hospitals is in such bad shape financially that they are facing closure. While that sounds dramatic, it sadly may not be too far from the truth.

So there are a lot of nurses already in the Uk whose jobs are not secure, and some whose jobs are likely to end soon. Some NHS trusts have introduced a form of redundancy, called MARS, (Mutual Agreed Resignation Scheme), where they are paying staff to leave.

I personally know of several newly qualified nurses who have been unemployed for over six months.

And don't forget there are also cutbacks to the military too, again I know of former coworkers who are going to be looking for jobs pdq, adding to the numbers of highly competent nurses looking for work.

Sorry to paint such a gloomy picture, but I guess its better to be realistic.