Excellent Questions

Happy New Year fellow Nursing adventurist! Hope you all had a very merry Christmas and rang in the New Year outside of work.

I am enjoying some downtime back in Louisiana with my family but am off again next week on a 3 month road trip adventure across Australia.

I had an e-mail from a fellow nurse, Megahn asking some great questions about travel nursing. I figured they would be very helpful for some of you who are interesting in practicing in England at some point. She has agreed to let me share her questions with you. I hope they are useful!

1. What kind of housing were you provided? How many people do you live with? How far away from work do you live? Any and all housing details would be appreciated!

 

I lived in a 3 bedroom house for a year and a half. For the first year I had 3 roommates bc one room housed a couple. My housing was fine. Some better than others. Other nurse friends with this company have had up to 4 roomates in a 5 bedroom house. Keep in mind that couples are common so you could be placed with them. I lived across the river from canary wharf, great location, took 30 min to get to work, I lived right off the jubilee line. However, there is some housing out in dulwich and Wimbledon they try to place people if u aren't aware, and that takes an hour to get to work, it's not directly on a tube line. It's luck whether you get good roomates, I had a crazy one the last 3 months I was there but was lucky and had great ones before. 

 

 

 

 

2. How long can you see yourself staying in London? Do you have any desire to go to the other destinations that CTN offers?

 

CTN only has jobs in England, they have not had contracts with Scotland, northern Ireland, or wales since I started nearly 2 years ago. It's falsely Advertised on their site. London has the most jobs but they also have contracts in smaller places like Bristol, Brighton, Oxford. Keep in mind housing is different in all these places and can be more or less. In Oxford it's college dorm style housing....my friends there hated it. 

 

I've lived in London just short of two years. I love it. I do not see myself there forever though. It's amazing to travel and I love the people. I just received an offer to work for an American travel nurse agency with fantastic benefits and pay. So I may be back in the states working in April this coming year! I will keep my UK nurse registration active though because there's an excellent chance I'll miss England and want to return. Amazing thing is, once you've travel nursed abroad, you aren't scared to try anything or move anywhere. 

 

 

 

3. Do you find that you have enough time to enjoy the city or do you feel like you're working all the time? Do you think you get enough time off for traveling and going back to visit family?

I absolutely get enough time to see the city and take 3-4 day weekend trips around Europe. The workload can vary. As long as you meet the 487 hours per 13 week contract they do not care how you get it. Some days I worked three 12 hour shifts and some weeks I worked five 12 hour shifts. One fortnight I had 106 hours. That was rough. As travel nurses we aren't protected there so you just have to stand up for yourself. I also alternated days and nights which if you work the floor, is common. Sometimes I'd come off a night shift and have a day shift the very next day. 

 To me, the hard weeks were worth it and they were usually when I had a trip planned. My floor and manager were extremely flexible in giving me the days I wanted off. Not all my friends were so lucky. To escape long shifts and nights, some of my friends worked clinic jobs, usually Monday to Tuesday or Friday, 8-10 hour days. 

As far as visiting family, I see mine approximately twice a year. The Australians and kiwis go home maybe once a year or every other year depending on their funds. I've either gone between contracts or once for the birth of my niece organized 7 days off in the middle of the contract.

 

 

 

 

4. How do you like working with Continental Travelnurse? Did they make the paperwork and red tape easy to navigate or more complicated? They obviously got you placed in a pediatric unit, which I’m assuming is what you asked for. Was getting that position a problem at all?

 

Working for Continental Travelnurse has been a good experience for me. Not all my friends would agree. Like any travel company you must keep all your contracts, paperwork, and time sheets. And get very clear criteria on hours and housing and all the extra charges. They have tried to charge me unjustly but I always have my papers to show them so it works out. 

The first recruiter I had was a star and very much cared about me. She has left to take a job in the states. The one I have now has 50 nurses so she isn't around as much. Keep in mind I worked on the same floor for 5 contracts in a row. I've been asking for a peds clinic job since my second contract and they always tell me there's none but other friends a week later are placed in peds clinics. Sometimes it's easier for the company to keep you at the same job so they don't have to take the effort to locate you a new placement. I personally have asked my manager if they wanted me back so I've taken care of my contracts myself. Continental just handled the paperwork. A few nurse friends have had this experience too. 

On the other hand, I've had friends placed in jobs they didn't really want or have had to hassle their recruiter constantly for a job. Other times, you get lucky and get a recruiter that's more organized and will find you placement. There are lots of peds jobs so you won't have trouble there. I just know some places are worse to work than others. Nursing there can be real sweet, like in my case, or horrible with insane patient loads. It's best to talk with fellow nurses and get opinions on the different floors and places to work. 

The company was best for getting me over to England. But organization on my part has been a key factor in keeping it smooth. 

 

 

 

 

5. What can I expect to get paid?

 

Please keep in mind this is pay for specifically London, other cities around England pay less and the housing is more. 

As a non specialty you get paid £14/hour. Working nights you get £16/hour. Sundays are £ 18/hour. There is no overtime pay and no bonuses. It's flat out these rates. At the beginning of each 13 week assignment you get £175 for travel expenses. Holiday pay is approximately 0.75/hour completed at the end of your contract. 

If you work specialty like ICU or the OR the rate is £16/hour. 

The housing in London costs £75/week (£300/month) and they take this out of your check per fortnight. You also have to take into account that with each paycheck, approximately 20-25% of taxes will come out. 

If you are short on hours for your contract they will charge you £4 per hour your short. You can either make up these hours or pay. So if you're sick, you must pay or make them up. Also, if you live in their housing and are short hours they will charge you. You are only allowed 1 week of free housing at the end of each contract if your hours are met. If you take over than that, they can charge up to £200/week. This has happened to me and 2 of my friends. To not get charged, if you want to take more than 1 week off at the end of an assignment to travel, you must move out of the house. 

The agency won't tell you any of these things but these are all correct rates and consequences of not meeting hours. As long as you meet your hours, get everything in writing, and move out of the house for long trips, you will have a smooth and uncomplicated experience. 

Pence and Pints

Greetings from London fellow traveling nurses/ aspiring traveling nurses!

Wow what another busy week it has been! I am typing this to you all while sitting in bed with a generous glass of red wine (which I fully deserve).

I am getting loads of questions relating to costs of living in London and if traveling is feasible money wise. And the short answer is: you can make anything happen if you want it bad enough.

It is true that the cost of living in London isn't cheap and in fact can be quite stressful on the wallet. On the other hand, if you are willing to branch out and explore you will find that London can be done cheaply without sacrificing fun. Nurses are not as well paid here in comparison to the United States but we are decently paid in London is regards to other professions. Also, as a traveling nurse, we do get a higher salary along with the perks of significantly reduced cost housing compared to permanent staff. Not to mention the flexibility of working in 3 month contracts. I cannot even begin to describe the bliss of not being tied down to a place or having to fight politics that inevitably come with any permanent healthcare job after a while.

My nurse travel companions and I make our salaries work for us and are able to travel about pretty freely. In fact, we just took a weekend hike to Scafell Pike up north in the Lakes District. We had a great time and it didn't cost a fortune. Of course I am not saving much and definitely not contributing to a 401K but I am finding life enriching ways to spend my money. If I spend it on travel, I never feel a cent (or pence) is wasted. But if I spend it on clothes, I would feel guilty. I do think cider and good wine are the exceptions because I will always have spare change to grab a drink with friends!

To make my traveling work, I am a regular visitor of sites such as Travel Zoo and lastminute.com. I am on their alert lists so new deals are always popping up. These range from mini breaks away throughout Europe to great deals west end musicals and dinners. I have also recently discovered the amazing world of travel shows! I just attended a TNT travel show in Angel last week and came out of it with two amazing holidays for next year at 50% off ! Also when I travel, staying in hostels can save a whole heap of money and flying budget airlines always helps reduce costs.

In London, there are loads of free things to do. I am a regular wanderer of Borough Markets and Shoreditch. My Kiwi friend and I have made it a regular thing to go to a new area of London and try different coffee shops. Also, a lot of the museums are free and there are always events to attend! You can even find cheap pints at great pubs and you don't even have to search for them!

Now, I do also love going on a great date. I find my dating life has come alive since moving here. I always suggests going to a new wine bar, pub, restaurant, or exhibition as part of them. Not only is it a great way to meet new and interesting people but it's also a great way to come out of it with a couple of drinks and possibly dinner (sorry guys, this won't help you). But for the ladies, if you aren't attached then I say open your mind to meeting new people! I find that here my confidence has increased ten fold and I genuinely enjoy the differences in everyone I meet.

I try to keep dining out to a minimum but of course splurge every now and then. What's the fun in moving to a new city and not trying the food or getting fancy once in a while? When it comes to groceries, I keep it to the essentials. I am no culinary wizard but have learned to put together cheap meals that last longer. I do find groceries are much cheaper here in comparison to the states though. It is easy to eat more fresh, less processed foods at a good price.

Those are just some of the ways I make a nurses salary work for me while still keeping hold of funds for travel. Of course everyone is different. I can only tell you what works for me. With that being said, I do need to save some money before Christmas since I will be off to Australia for a road trip! Eeeks! Countdown is on!

Back in action!

Jumbo All! (My new Swahili term I've picked up while away)

It has been a wonderful 6 weeks away but now I have returned to London with a filled passport and a lot less money. Summiting Kilimanjaro and adventuring through Africa was well worth it though.

Two weeks before returning, my agency offered me the same job I had on Beach ward before I left so I am back in action with all of my old work mates. Good thing is, my next big adventure isn't until December and my passport has officially been collected by the USA embassy in order to get an early renewal. So it looks like I will not be leaving the UK for a few weeks!

I have to say it is good to be back in London. For some reason this city keeps pulling me back in. I will be coming back to the states for a month over Christmas and I am not sure how I will handle this. On one hand it'll be good to see the family, and on the other Louisiana feels like it suffocates me. I know some of you feel the same way or you wouldn't consider moving to the UK in the first place!

One of the questions from the blog was about male nurses and how they are treated. Surprisingly on my ward there are no male nurses. I am not sure if it is the area but on my last pediatric ward in the states I only had one male nurse that I worked with. Don't worry though, they are here. Mostly in ER, ICU, and I've seen quite a few on the general surgical wards. Since I don't work with any, I am not sure exactly how they are treated or how they find it. What I can do is ask one of the guys from the agency how he finds nursing here. From an outward glance they blend right in as nurses who are getting on with their job, but I know there is no way to tell for sure until you ask.

Since I have lots more time to post (now that I'm passportless) I promise to be much better about answering any questions you have! Please ask away and I'll post back in a timely manner!

Asanti Sana! (sorry, I'm getting carried away with the Swahili)

Livin life on the Beach....

Hello again everyone! My my, I let these posts go much longer than I should! What can I say? London life is a busy one! Your comments keep me going because it feels great to know others are interested to do this same thing! I have just returned from a little 6 day get-a-way to Prague and Budapest and wow is all I have to say. Before I embark on my next advenure I'll update things for y'all......

Despite what the title suggests,  I don't actually live on the Beach but I do work on Beach ward (what they call floors or units here)...I know it's very old school. I first came to this lovely yellow ward covered in seashells for my very first interview with the ward sister (manager), Ellen. This was my very first assignment with Continental Travelnurse and Ellen wanted to see if I'd be a good fit for her area. I was so incredibly nervous but over a year later I am still kickin back on Beach ward. I am still with Continental but keep sigining 3 month contracts with this ward.

I mostly work on the peds day surgery side where we do surgeries like cleft palate repairs, tonsils, smashed fingers, tympanoplasties, etc, etc. Occasionally (like my past 4 night shifts) I work on the renal side. I am proud to say my peds ward kicks butt in kidney transplants, bladder augmentations, dialysis, nephrectomies, etc. The entire ward is so different from where I worked in Austin, Texas which was a respiratory/infectious disease unit. But hey, I am now comfortable in a whole new field of nursing.

Although  I do find this job much less challenging than my previous one from the states, it did still have it's various challenges.

The hard part:

*Losing some power/respect when coming over to England: Although nursing is trying to become more autonomous here and slightly succeeding, it is still more a traditional role. The whole "yes doctor, you are right." Don't come to nurse in England to enhance your skills....if anything you will lose skills. But really, aren't you coming mainly to travel, galavant through an amazing city (while getting paid), and meet great new people?!!

*Alternating day and night shifts: If you don't work in a clinic here and have a standard ward job with 12 hour shifts, you will have to work day and night shifts. I found this hard at first and even though I still hate night shifts, it is getting better.

*Relearning drug names and getting use to new ones. I still look up everything.

*No computer charting. All paper, sometimes disorganized and somewhat unsafe but that's the way it is...ancient. It is england after all.

*Watching the doctor insert a peripheral IV. Seriously, in pediatrics we cannot insert cannulas...it is the jr doctor's job. If you work adults you may get the priviledge to cannulate.

*Mixing my own antibiotics, NCA's. PCA's, etc and getting ALL IV administered meds co-signed. It's the policy here. If anything this has made me even safer in med administration.

*Wearing a dress to work with stockings underneath. I mean really....who am I? Florence Nightingale? You can opt for the trouser and top but it's just as uncomfortable and stiff.

And now for the GOOD:

*Being the one with the accent. Families love you, the nurses are curious, and you get your America fans who willl ask you loads of questions.

*Walking across Westminster Bridge to work and have Big Ben, the houses of Parliament, and the Thames as my work view.

*Easier workload (in my opinion). I am lucky to work on a very well staffed and well run ward. If you get a bad one, it can be hell. Adult nurses here have a higher workload my friends tell me.

*2 hour sleep break when working night shifts. This is pretty universal. How did I ever work straight nights in the states without this?!!

*The amazing staff. If you are social and easy to get along with, you'll find that the staff adopt you to their ward and look after you. I have made the most amazing friends here on Beach which is why I find it hard to leave. I am even traveling with my new English friends, Jen and Lois, across Australia for 3 months in January 2014.

There are so many pro's to living and working here as a nurse. I have heard the good and bad. Even when my friends and I find something to complain about, we always agree that we would never change this experience for the world. This is my city now and I love it. Even when I get stuck in the rain and miss my bus or train. Living in London is not for everyone and if you are a diehard control freak and stuck in the ways that America does things then this is probably not the right move for you. You have to know why you are coming here and be ready for the challenges a new country and culture will throw your way. You also have to understand that we do things in nursing very differently in the states and bringing up how much better America is will NOT make you easy or enjoyable to work with (I have seen this happen to a nurse from Pennsylvania...she lasted 3 months here and went back).

I will not be posting for another 8 weeks as I am going off on my 6 week holiday! I am going on a 2 week cruise across the Greek Isles, then off to Tanzania to climb Mt Kilimanjaro, then safari, down to Zambia to discover Victoria Falls, and lastly spending a week in Cape Town, South Africa. All that travelling alone should motivate any wandering soul to hop over to England!

And Thank You for making this blog worthwhile!

Update!

I just realized there have been people who actually read this blog and I cannot believe I have let myself abandon it! It has been just over a year since my last post and what a year it has been.

The Process Part II took me to Bournemouth, England to complete a month long course required by all overseas nurses. So after all of the paperwork, waiting around, and two license fees later it was finally time to embark on the journey which officially started in April 2012.

I arrived to the windy (and rainy) south coastal town of Bournemouth on April 22, 2012. I chose to stay in a homestay type situation with a single woman named Judith and her cat, Karen. She was recommended to me by my nursing agency. It turned out to be a great situation since I had my own comfortable room and bathroom. Judith and I ended up getting along brilliantly and we still catch up on facebook every now and then. I should mention it was the wettest spring England had seen in a long time. That didn't make this place any less charming. I walked everywhere and loved going for jogs on the pier and having coffee's on the beach.

Now on to the less charming part....The Overseas Nurse Programme, as the NMC calls it, was really just a very large book, lots of writing, and lots of looking up documents on the internet and reading them. You meet in person 3 days out of the 20 days of the course and the rest is all play time and self study. At the end you turn in your completed book, take a 50 question test, and once you pass, the results get shipped off the the nursing board. It takes 4-6 weeks for them to issue a pin number (your license to practice). In that time I went home to visit the family but the friends I made went traveling. I also have to mention that you must fund your time abroad while doing this course. This was the most expensive part of my journey since I had no job. I did however manage to save money before coming over. Realistically look at saving between $3,000-4000 for this month abroad (mostly because the US dollar is drastically reduced when converted to pounds). It also depends what you want to do with all of the free time. My new friends and I ate at every restaurant in Bournemouth, explored in and around the city, and took trips to Spain, Poland, and Romania. Needless to say, I had an absolute blast.

That month was an amazing one. I was new to this country and things were finally starting to become real. I made an amazing group of friends and still am very close with all of them. We all live within 20 minutes walking distance from each other. They have become my family away from home and my favorite travel companions. Mainly because we all share the same ideals and passions for new places. The group consists of 4 New Zealanders (the Kiwi's) and 1 Aussie.  

This is really just the start! I promise to post more about the actual nursing here and all of the amazing things I have been doing in the past year!

The Process: Part I

For anyone curious as to how I have managed to get myself licensed as a registered nurse in the United Kingdom, this is the blog for you. Believe me, this was no easy task and was incredibly time consuming. I first contacted my agency in June 2011 and received notification on February 17, 2012 that I was approved to go to the UK. And my agency said I did this process "quickly".

I will take you through the steps I have gone through to help any nurse thinking about licensure in the UK or anyone even remotely curious in the process.

Step One: Contact an international travel nurse agency. My agency from the start has been Continental Travelnurse based out of London.

Step Two: Take the IELTS (aka the International English Language Test) to prove you can speak english.  Yes, I know you have an american birth certificate but according to the Brits that does not prove your literacy. There are multiple test centers around the US so you should have no trouble finding one. You are only required to take the academic version of this exam.Website: http://ielts.org/ . This will cost $185.

Step Three: Got your IELTS score back? If it is atleast a 7 or higher and you hold a Bachelor of Science  in Nursing obtained from a 4 year university then you are ready to apply for your initial nursing application from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the UK. This initial application will cost you about $220 (140 pounds) and will come out of your own pocket. The agency will contact the board and get this application sent to you in the mail (or the post as the brits would say).   

Step Four:  The first application is a breeze and only requires a few documents suchs as certified copies of your passport, birth certificate, and verification of licensure from your nursing board. Answer basic quesitons and post it back to the NMC. BOOM!

You are now halfway there!! Take a breather and we will resume the process in the next post titled, The Process: Part II. For now though I think you have earned yourself a cup of tea and a nap because the second half requires a bit more energy.           

And so it begins.....

I suppose I should begin my very first blog by saying that I am a complete stranger to this whole thing. I am not a tweeter, a journalist, or a writer of any sorts. I am simply an american nurse living in Texas who is relocating to London (yes, I mean in England). I thought it would be a great idea to document my journey for all of my family, friends, and fellow nurses.

I guess it's good to begin with a short history of my life so you can get a better picture of the crazy nurse you are about to follow. I was born and raised a true cajun girl in Lafayette, Louisiana. I stayed in my home state for college (Geaux Ragin Cajuns) and completed my Bachelor's degree in nursing in 2009. I then relocated to Austin, Texas out of sheer boredom and the need for excitement.

 Once in Austin I took a job in adult telemetry for 1 year. If anyone wants to know what a-fib and palpitations feel like, I suggest you work on one of these units straight after graduation. As painful as this experience was it has ultimately made me a better nurse, and my team was spectacular.

After that golden year was under my belt I landed the job I had wanted in nursing school.... PEDIATRICS!! I have been working at this wonderful job for 13 months now and am loving this population. And sadly, although I work at a pretty amazing hospital with the most amazing team, I began to feel restless again just 6 months after starting. This can't be it can it? I mean, I love my job, my friends, and my family is within an easy 6 hour drive away, but something is missing. I just can't quite put my finger on it. A boyfriend, you say? husband? kid? Nope, none of those are my answer. It's something else. A need to explore something completely different. Something out of my comfort zone. Something....foreign?? AH HA! That's it!

That brings us to the next question, why England? Why something so far away where everyone talks funny and no one eats barbeque or crawfish etouffee?? My family certainly thought I was insane when I first mentioned this. But if you know me, you will know I have an insatiable appetite for traveling. It has been this way since my first vacation to Florence, Italy in 2007. Since then I have been numerous places from India to Thailand to Ireland. I even spent a summer semester in college in Paris, France. I like to call myself the aimless wanderer.

I chose England because in the 3 times I have visited London, I have made wonderful friends and fell completely in love with the city. There is just no way to see this entire city and what it has to offer in just one short vacation. And let's be honest, the fact that they speak english (though incomprehensible at times) is a bonus. On the nursing perspective, I have no idea what to expect. That simple fact makes it the most exciting. This will without a doubt be the most difficult and challenging self-inflicted task I've had to face. But if you are ready and would like to follow, I will walk you through every step of my life changing process, including giving you my perspectives on adjusting to life in foreign city as an american, a nurse, and a single lady.