JD1990

Hi everyone,

I'm close to giving up and thought I'd reach one more branch out to you all.
I'm 27, single RGN (adult branch) qualified since 2012 specialising in urological oncology.

I've been on this forum for quite a while and I still can't get my head around how this would be possible for me. I've seen agencies online offering sponsorship but they need an RN license - since project 2000 ALL uk nurses are only trained in one out of all the specialities (adult/child/mental health/learning disibility) unless they choose to go back to uni to train again in another branch (very time consuming and expensive)

The NCLEX looks hard for someone that only works in an adult setting and the path to take it is long and complex, then after that getting a job over there whilst living in the UK looks impossible.

Should I give up my dream of going to the USA? I've trawled online and there's literally no guidance on this which I find strange. I'd even be willing to go there and do something different but would like to stick to my profession.

Anyone got any tips, or advice? this is my last shot. I'd even consider canada but would prefer the USA.

JD x

GeoffM

I haven't really kept up with the nursing visa situation but it used to be the case that a nurse in the UK wasn't going to get a visa for the US ("retrogression"), especially for relatively new graduates.

I'm not sure why you think NCLEX is a long and complex path. My wife had to provide transcripts from her university showing experience in the relevant modules, obviously had to study for the NCLEX itself, but took it and passed first time. It took about 8 months but she wasn't rushing it - in fact IIRC the main delay was the California Board of Nursing being significantly understaffed to process the application. But it was straightforward processing, not complex.

Nurse wages are far higher in the US than the UK but the work is harder and longer according to my wife. ICU, for example, here in California is 2 patients per nurse; the UK it's 1:1; other states don't even have a maximum; so a couple of needy patients can involve a lot of back and forth between them, plus extremely demanding relatives.

Be very wary about agencies, often in Florida, that claim they can get you a visa. They can take your money for sure but beyond that...?

tom169

There has been one nurse BE user move here in the last year. I think it was O'Grady Peyton that was used.

The NCLEX is a hard test to pass, but like anything, you can study specifically for it.

Nutmegger

OP, I'd suggest searching for posts by Silverdragon102, who has a lot of expertise re nursing in the US and has posted some helpful info.

Silverdragon102

Hi

US nurses are general trained you need to ensure your transcripts show both clinical and theory hours in Paeds, Obstetrics, Mental Health and Adult. Each state has their own requirements but all require the clinical and theory hours. It isn’t easy but if you can meet requirements the hardest thing is to find a employer

Silverdragon102

Just to add Canada also requires general trained only differences the provinces have their own assessments and usually requires extra courses and lots of $$

sarasota chic

Hi JD1990 I moved to the USA last May 2017 I’m an RN and went through O’Grady Peyton if you have any questions I’ll be more than happy to answer them.

HandmadeRN

ddsrph

GeoffM

My wife has received sign-on bonuses. One was paid every 6 months and you had to hold the same position, or another with the same bonus offered at the same time; the other was 1 payment after a year, the second after 2 years. Heavily taxed. It's nice, of course, but the long term job is far more important than a couple of small bonuses.

The shortage of nurses does not necessarily equate to visa availability though. You'd think they should but things don't move that fast.

DebzinUS

Agreed, Usually, a sign on bonus is offered to experienced nurses. The bonuses are getting larger. Recently, a GA Medical Center with a level III NICU was offering 30k for a transport flight nurse with a min two years experience and a two-year commitment. The 10-20k is becoming more the norm for specialty and new grads are looking at the smaller 1-2K.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.co...n-bonuses.html

GeoffM

Funny really because with her previous post she effectively would have had a $5k salary cut after 2 years. But she got fed up with questionable practices that affected her job (long term insufficient staffing for ICU which had legal minimums) and left. Now she's a dialysis nurse with a lot more flexibility including setting her own start times (within wide parameters) - and better salary which we weren't expecting because the base rate was lower. More overtime pay because she is required to do 12 hour shifts normally, and overtime starts after 8 hours.

ICUnursey

Hi Confused,your first step would be getting your transcript assessed by CGFNS or a similar company.This will tell you whether the NCLEX is possible or not. Good luck

DaliaMac

Hello,
I am a new member of the website and have been having the same issue/worry for a long time. There is not much information available and the whole relocation thing sounds very daunting. How has it been for you so far?

mikelincs

You would be a lot better off to start your own thread about this, you have replied to a thread which has had no posts for a year, and many of those in the thread will either not be active any more, or need a lot more information.