A few healthcare professionals on here...

https://www.theguardian.com/healthca...-nurse-uk-quit

...any opinions on this? If true it might explain why the qualification process in Canada raises the contentions that it does.

Never had any issue with nurses taking blood at NHS hospitals, but the rest of it does seem to ring true.

I sent the link to a nurse who moved from Canada to the UK. I recall her making comments exactly the reverse of those in the piece so I'll be interested in the response. I suspect that there's no conclusion to be had, it'll depend on where exactly the person worked in each country.

So your friend was Canadian, and found that when she went to the UK the nursing standard was much higher?

I don't recall a comparison of the standard just that she felt herself part of a team in London which she didn't in Toronto. She works all her waking hours now so I don't know when she might see, or comment on, my email.

I suppose there's an implied comparison in her general comment about work "much the same, more stabbings, less shootings".

I've never had a nurse in BC hospitals take my blood, always the lab assistant.

IV's on most occasions has always been the nurse though.

I could tell you about the differences for radiographers and xray technologists here.

In hospitals, if one becomes a nurse specialist in the Uk then your responsibilities are much increased, nurse endoscopists, respiratory or cardiac nurse specialists, wound care nurses etc, otherwise from what I have seen here, nurses are given more free rein and responsibilities here.

There is less BS (amazingly for Canada) with regards to hoop jumping- in the UK you would have to go on a 10 week course on say bum wiping before being allowed to do it.

In the community, the community nurses work similarly in both countries it seems to me. Obviously the GP practice nurse doesn't really exist in the main in Canada- we have a Chronic disease nurse seconded on a twice weekly basis but patients remain very suspicious of her, wanting to see us- it is a ridiculously doctor centric service here, partly due to the funding. In the UK we did work as a team , GPs, nurse practioners, emergency care practitioners (paramedics based in our clinic), practice nurses, health care assistance- it worked well.

It would make no sense for nurses to take blood JS, phlebotomists are efficient and just get the job done well without getting distracted. IVs are a different matter and you need full training as there is a lot to potentially go wrong. I would be interested to hear what working nurses have to say on the differences, they would know!

I know. Maybe I misinterpreted Shard's post.

"Never had any issue with nurses taking blood at NHS hospitals,"

I thought it was meaning nurses in UK take blood.

Typically in NHS hospitals, phlebotomists take blood, out of hours, nurses take blood, same as here basically.
I'm not sure what he means by not having an issue- in the UK we used to take blood as junior docs but that hasn't happened for years now

Well, not really sure who takes the blood or attaches the valve thing. They generally seem like nurses to me.

Interesting article- very true for the most part. I'm not sure about the perceived of lack of worth, the UK population I'm sure still really value nurses. The nurses in hospitals here do have a lot more responsibility IMO
The nurses do the IV cannulas, only the bloods if urgently needed out of hours, otherwise it is the phlebotomists with their little trolleys.

I take it the nurses always look like this to you?

I was an inpatient some years ago and was giving blood more often than I care to think. One evening a series of nurses attempted to take blood, turning the back of my hand bruised blue in the process. Finally they put out a call for a phlebotomist who arrived and she also was unsuccessful. "We'll need to get an anaesthetist" was the comment. About 20 minutes later he walked in in his scrubs, and was done in about 30 seconds. I later asked why he could do it in one stab where it took each nurse 5-6 attempts. Was told 'we get about one day's training on this whereas he probably does it multi times a day'.
I think of nurses as the true life's angels.

I've placed IVs working both in the UK and in Ontario. We never take blood out only put stuff in. Nurses have more practice on the trickier veins so we called them opif we couldn't find a vein. We were only allowed three attempts there's no limit on the number of stabs s nurse can make.

From my experience I don't agree, but I have to caveat that with the fact that I worked in a specialized area, working closely with consultants who valued our experience and we often took on specialized roles. Not only did I cannulate, I could also take blood but never did because easier to go to phlebotomist, I also took on the doctors role of being the assistant in fitting a peg tube. We were able to give IV sedation too.

I think nurses are still valued in the UK, her comments were never my experience but then again neither did I expect anything much if I said what I did. I didn't expect a clap on the back.

My experience of RN's here is they are knee deep in paperwork- no clinical skills demonstrated at all.. that I've seen..

That's surprising- are you talking about residential care nurses or those working on acute wards in hospital?