Tabitha 123

Hello everyone.
Just wanted to know what the hospitals are like in comparison to U.K., how many hours is considered full time, is it still 37.5hrs? can you do long days or are there just short shifts?
Anyone working on I.C.U? Is it one to one nursing? Are you enjoying it? It doesn't look like I would find it too hard to get a job but wanted to find out how it actually is in reality before commiting to anything.
I have posted on the nursing forum as well.
Thanks for reading

Bob

No idea, but there has been a couple of threads in the past that you might be able to find to get a start, bit dated now though probably.

arbroath_abroad

im nursing a hangover, does that count?

Live for now

The hours my friend were offered in midwifery were in excess of 48 and the money not as good as the uk, part time was considered 38 hrs and no benefits. You would not find it difficult to get a job but whether it would be at the right money.......well

Cry haddock

I know people who moved over here to Nurse and left before their 3 month probabtion was up. Don't want to scare you, but she wasn't paid on time and the job was totally different to home - other nurses afraid to (and not allowed to) take the smallest decision, complete bordom - basically, a load of old balls.
There are other jobs here for nurses, that do not involve you working under such shite conditions - Airlines for example recruit medical people in droves.
Apologies to anyone who is nursing and loving it, but that is my experience.
CH

Blue Cat

check out all the major hospitals, are you single, what age etc? as someone has said full time is 48 hours per week, part time about 30. The salaries are less than the UK but it is tax free and the AH Dubai offers accomodation.

Tabitha 123

Hi everyone, thanks for your replies. I am 34, married, husband is a science teacher so able to get accomodation with that. I am a sister on a paediatric icu with 10 yrs experience, earn around £1800 per mnth after tax at the moment so anything above that would be great. Also bringing two kids one of whom will only be 18mnths old by the time we get there, so don't want to work a 48hr wk! Thats a bit scary! As they wouldn't have to pay for my accomodation then maybe I can use that to negotiate more pay?

Tigger123

Hi

I've been nursing in Dubai for a few years and have had quite a few jobs!
I think that you will find that none of the private hospitals have a specialist paediatric ICU. I'm not sure about Al Wasl but i think it deals more with neonates. Again it is a government hospital and will work you into the ground. You will have to work 48 hours a week there is no negotiation and the salary is less than what you earn now and that is including housing. If you don't mind not working in your speciality then you could always try school nursing which is good for timings, but again the pay is not good.

Bob

don't forget schools aren't cheap either....

Tabitha 123

Thanks Tigger, it is great to hear from someone on the frontline so to speak. I don't mind not working on an I.C.U. if it means I can work in a private hospital.I will be willing to just work on a paediatric ward if I have to or on a nicu. I am not willing to work 48hrs though! no way not with two kids. Are they as short of staff as the U.K.? What are the shift patterns in general?
We don't have to worry about school fees Bob as we will either have no fees or pay 10% as husband is a teacher.

Blue Cat

try www.ahdubai.com and also Emirates Airlines

Tabitha 123

Many thanks B C.

Tigger123

Tabitha most private hospitals want you to work 48 hours a week as well. The hospitals don't have paediatric wards. It's a bit like private hospitals in the UK where patients have single rooms. Hard to tell if there is a nursing shortage, but the majority of nurses are filipino or indian and their work ethic is a lot different from ours. Lets just say standards are not the same! Also the work is fairly boring not the same as I'm sure you are used to. I am also a paediatric nurse and was a charge nurse in A&E in a paediatric hospital in the UK before I moved out here. Needless to say I had no hope of finding a similar job here. There isn't a paediatric hospital. I think it says a lot for healthcare in this country when a lot of people go abroad for their treatment.

Blue Cat

what about that Rashid Paediatric Centre? and the Al Wasl is actually a Paediatric Hospital as well.

Tigger123

The problem with these centres BC is that there is no negotiation over the working hours and it is shift work. I would love to work in paeds again but it looks highly unlikely at the moment. I work in a clinic part-time at the moment as I've 4 kids (2 sets of twins) and I can't find anything else. Not quite what I had envisioned my career to be!