blackcomb1 you seem to have a very awful and unhappy time with fraser health. Would you mind telling us which hospital did you work with and which area?

If you said that there were few occasions that you were on your own as people been off sick and no agency cover, that's the normal occurence in NHS or in the trust that I worked anyway. In UK a lot nurses has been off sick for months and a lot of them has not been punished. I know that there are genuine people who's been sick but in the trust that I worked I knew that there are a few who are playing with the system and in fact some are in management position.

We appreciate so much for sharing your experience but first hand experience would tell us if you were right.

Firstly I feel it better I don't tell you which of the hospitals it was, as one of you has already applied and I don't want to put you off all that. As to first hand experience, you can go and find that out for yourself, first hand too. I am simply feeding back my own experience and what I have seen. There is only one nurse I am aware of who is happy but he is in a different area of the hospital with better colleagues and manager, I met some of them. The rest of us there were not, due to e.g. bad attitudes you were working with, or just being told to get on with it with lack of support, and judged on top of that. Also one other nurse who started before I did was off sick permanently due to a back injury as they made her lift a patient, when she challenged it as we do in the UK she felt bullied to do so. I said they can do that to me all they like I still won't put my back out for anyone. I used a different tactic as I admit sometimes it was 'challenging' and not good when overhead hoists were over every bed, hardly no excuse to 'lift' was there, it was laziness really. I would act fast if I felt over powered, and just call out for more nurse to 'can you come and help us move this client up the bed please!' before the one I was with could argue. I'd get more hands basically, as there was no way I was lifting anyone up the bed and putting myself out of work as a result of a back injury, especially someone heavier than me. I still refuse to lift by the way, I do continue to educate others about using hoists etc however.

Secondly, it would make me as bad as them (unprofessional) for bad mouthing another culture, which I am not going to do as it was not the culture, it was certain personalities and people, as it tends to be the case; who felt they deserved more for being from here already (just the impression I got) that and jealous of the fact you are in that job and had the experience we do in the UK, as moving around different jobs is a new thing here, a lot have tended to stay in the same post for years, which as we know is not a good thing either, and causes some to mark territory kind of thing, instead of being accepting. One did not say or speak to me for about a month on starting, others were very friendly. That did not give me a good impression, as did being told on day one about a guy who left and returned to the UK after 6 months for not fitting in, very bad thing to do to someone new on day one I felt. Not professional at all. Instead of addressing that the manager chose to ignore it, and that again was something I'd notice.

One other thing I noticed at another hospital is all the British nurses are working on one ward and the manager is British too, what is that about??
Anyway, I had feedback from one of them that she has had challenges challenging things herself (that Manager).

Anyway, "Good luck" and just be aware, do your work, don't copy the bad examples, and if you find it anything like the above, remember you can just go after your year contract and get a better job with better people and better attitudes

P.S. I also hear where you are coming from re. the NHS and people playing sick when not, I knew one who did that as she bonded to me for some unknown reason, and I used to give her a hard time about it, when she said she was going to leave, I said good idea! you are costing them money anyway, if you aren't going to work but can go out shopping when you are so called sick, then better to be fair and leave permanently don't you think. The manager used to ask me to call her to see if she was coming into work today??
I never knew of Managers doing that mind you, not the better ones I worked for, but I have no doubt it happened. Stick to working in the teaching hospitals I'd say, they were always better and because they are teaching hospitals they tend to set a better example, on the whole.
Here though it is more difficult as there is no one above to take off the stress of dealing with e.g. distressed relatives while you are busy getting on with the ward and other important things, here you just told to get on with it and you could not even find the manager (not here sorry, just that job I was with) so maybe that one was playing off sick?, who knows. It was more hard than the NHS in 'some' ways that is all I will say, I noticed a lack of support.

It looks like you're talking almost same hospital that I'm working in UK. No manager and if no staff cover we're told just get on with our job.

I don't think it would easy for us to understand you, unless you give more details on your claims such as which area did you work with? Is it a general ward? what's the nurseatient ratio? Is it a multicultural or staffing from different nationalities? Is there a communication or language barrier? These are some of the few common problems you encounter coming to a new place and country. Perhaps a more specific info. would be ideal.

What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:

H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
and
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But ,

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And,

B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

AND, look how far ass kissing will take you.

A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty, that While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, its the Bullshit and Ass kissing that will put you over the top.

Hey I worked the NHS full time 6 yrs and not a day off sick, so I know the NHS..
I also worked agencies on top around various NHS trusts and private.

But basically, or so they'd use as an excuse anyhow, cultural differences, but I don't wholly accept that, some people are just more 'difficult' than others. There are a lot of similarities with nursing here and in the UK so the culture differences excuse, did not really do it for me. Plus if that were the case you'd have problems everywhere you worked and with everyone, which again has not been the case.
Depending on dependency etc, It varied and was 1-2 or 1-6 or 1-8. Or 1-14 (if staff chose to go sick and you were told to get on with it).\

No real multicultural differences unlike London, which as you know is probably the most multicultural city in the world, and having worked there too.

Here it is more Canadians, and Brits, and not as many Phillipine nurses compared to what you see in the UK trusts. Certainly no language barrier as they have to speak English to work in the hospitals here.

Hope that helps..

Heh! Sadly this is also very true.. and not just in our profession I might add..

NHS has lost a very valuable member of staff then in your case!

In many cases to those who left that had enough of the lack of support of staffing and the poor pay.

Received my LMO today and I am a very happy man.

yay - well done :0)

Congrats!

Great News!!! Snowy BC is calling!!!

Hi kiwilass. I've never had chance to register my children to any schools yet. Do you think we should be alright? We are just too busy right now tidying up our house and EA coming round to our house for valuation and hoping to put it in the market next week.

DF - you cant register them til you are physically here - unless its private school and then I am not sure . ..L)

As long as you apply for your catchment school (boundaries are shown on each school's website) they HAVE to take you. Don't worry.