purple rain

having ben qualified 18months I have just applied for an E grade. I work in ITU and was persuaded by my senior mentor to go for it. I am sure it will be a good move for me but I doubt it will mean a lot in OZ!!!!has anyone got any tips for me...I wish this one was over the phone!!!!

tracey.d

No advice but can wish you luck. Tried to give karma but it said I have to spread it around first!

Robbo2

Go for it and best of luck to you! The experience will help you in Oz surely, even if they don't recognise the pay increase. My hubby is currently a G grade here in the UK but is only going to a level one post in Brisbane as that's all they would offer. Hopefully he'll be upgraded when they see his wealth of knowledge and experience in action.

Silverdragon102

go for it...... the only advice I would say is give it your best shot. Good luck

kelman

Hi Jackie,
i wish you good luck, just keep calm and think about the questions. the questions will probably relate to what you are already doing and questions about being a supervisor and mentor for junior staff and students.Read the job description and the job specification it usually tells you on there what they will expect from you. Hope this helps if i can give you anymore advice let me know.
Dawn

lynnlovessun

Good luck with the interview s/nurse! Take a big deep breath and go for it - they wouldn't of put you forward if they didn't think you could do it would they.

On a different note with Agenda for change D & E grades will be on the same band anyway - I was so proud when I got my E Grade in community last March but am very disheatened that we will be all lumped on to the same band as a newly qualified nurse - anyone else feel this way? I believe that community staff nurses (DN support) are going to be put on band 4 which is the lowest band for a RGN - unfair when you consider that we work on our own unsupported for large parts of the day and that we manage the caseload in the absence of the team leader G grade (or H grade in my case!)

Sorry to put a downer on things but makes you wonder if being an E grade will mean anything in a few months?!

Glad we are off to Oz as the system here is getting me down - its unfair that my 4 years as a qualified nurse aren't recognised until I go off and do some fancy degree.

God what have I started now!!!!!

Lynn

tracey.d

Hi Lynn,
I have found that resentment is growing on our unit due to AFC. Many of the current D grades are doing the same work as an E. They would normally be on an E by now but there is a jobs freeze so have been told that they can't have one. Also when agenda for change comes in they can't move up the ladder unless a post becomes available. There isn't a lot of movement off our unit as it is a great place to work. It would mean the girls applying to other areas which they don't want to do. It seems very unfair. The girls are now saying that it's putting them off doing a degree etc. as they feel that it wont be recognised. Like you I'm glad to be getting out of it. My form went in the bin

Tayberry

Hey, good luck with your interview!! You will be fine. Just remain calm, as Kelman said. If you mentor didn't think you were capable, she wouldn't be encouraging you to go for it. Listen, the interviewers are not there to trick you or catch you out. Having interviewed on many an occasion, it can be quite nerve-wrecking for the actual interviewer. A good interviewer will want to bring out the best in you. Additionally, it's not always just down to what happens on the day, your references and prior experience goes a long way.

I also wanted to add a couple of things about my experience of nursing abroad. I've been in NZ now for a year (returning back to the UK in July though). Now, without sounding patronising, I think if you are a D or E grade, you will cope ok wherever you end up. The problem for me is that I'm a G grade District Nursing Sister (11 years post reg experience, 1 honours degree, 1 post-grad specialist practitioner degree, 1 post-grad diploma and dual qualified-this all counted for nothing-the Level 4 Kiwi nurses don't have half of this). It's been just so frustrating to practice in the way I did in the UK. I was going to complain about the fact I have been working as a level 3 nurse in NZ, but then I saw Robbo2's post about her husband going down to a level 1 in OZ :scared: Quite frankly, I've not nothing to complain about. Robbo, I really hope your hubby copes with this drop. I certainly haven't and it's the main reason I'm returning home. I no longer have the autonomy I had, cant undertake my nurse prescribing, no longer in charge of a caseload, no multidisciplinary collaborations with the GP's and the rest of the primary/secondary health care teams and I have to answer to a "charge nurse" who has never done a day's work in the community in her life. What's worse is that she is from Leeds and has not once asked me how I've coped with the dramatic change to my role. Even though she has never worked in the community, she's bound to have a rough idea what DN's do. Oh, sorry about this rant...just getting things off my chest!!!

Look, despite the fact in terms of clinical development, this has got to have been THE ultimate worst move I've ever made. However, I have gained so much in terms of personal development and the most important thing is, I've learned about a wide variety of cultures, most of whom I'll never meet in my life again. So, for that reason alone, I don't regret doing the move but I can't stay here as I'm getting more and more clinically deskilled as each day passes.

I really wish everyone well with their intended moves. It's a great experience. It doesn't matter what way things turn out because you will never lose and it looks great on a CV!! All the very best of wishes, Tayberry

purple rain

Thanks for all the replys folks. We have just been assimilated to AFC, looks like if I do get my E grade it's only approx £500 a year more than I get now!!!!!oh well just think of the status!!!!!!

christine2000

[QUOTE=lynnlovessun]Good luck with the interview s/nurse! Take a big deep breath and go for it - they wouldn't of put you forward if they didn't think you could do it would they.

On a different note with Agenda for change D & E grades will be on the same band anyway - I was so proud when I got my E Grade in community last March but am very disheatened that we will be all lumped on to the same band as a newly qualified nurse - anyone else feel this way? I believe that community staff nurses (DN support) are going to be put on band 4 which is the lowest band for a RGN - unfair when you consider that we work on our own unsupported for large parts of the day and that we manage the caseload in the absence of the team leader G grade (or H grade in my case!)

Sorry to put a downer on things but makes you wonder if being an E grade will mean anything in a few months?!

Glad we are off to Oz as the system here is getting me down - its unfair that
I was given a D grade prior to my conversion from E.N to R.N my collegues are on C grades. How can nurses of twenty years experience be put in the same banding 5 with nurses who have none. It is so unfair Can't wait to finish this degree and file for my P.R in Australia, should have done it years ago.Keep smiling and look forward to sun and beach and lots of Frustrated

DIMO8

I am currently an F grade an ITU and have yet to be banded, our D and E grades have got a band 5 so we are likly to get a 6. Has everyone heard of the KSF ( knowledge and skills framewoek) that we will have to work with too....basically its a skills and competency framework split into core dimensions......that will be used in conjunction with appraisals. It certainly has caused alot of uneasyness with our unit along with being told that we have to rotate to HDU ....i am hoping it gets better

Anyway good luck with your E grade application......i have some E grade interview questions if you are interested...i had my E for 6 years but basically thet asked alot a clinical questions.....so brush up!!

purple rain

If you could e mail me them that would be great
[email protected]

DIMO8

I have them in the loft....with all my other memorabila

we are away this weekend so as soon as i get back i will get hubby to get the box down....would that be ok

purple rain

lovely, thank you

davepoole

Hi

off topic a bit but as i understand it all nurses are in band 5, thats d to f, while g to I are band 6-7.

I work in AE, im an e grade, on about half way through band 5, newly qualified D's at the bottom and F's at the top of band 5.

we had a problem in our dept, in that for AFC the skill of suturing puts you in band 6, many of the E grades suture, so out dept has taken that skill from us saying it is no longer in our job description. they argued they would have to pay all 15 e grades the same pay as f or g grades.

I do think they have made AfC extremely confusing to make people not fight against it, the whole process of agreeing job description seems very difficult, im just going along with it and looking forward to leaving at the end of the year like a rat leaving a sinking ship.

dave