penguinsix

Hi

You seem to have quite a bit on your plate, including:

new baby
new marriage
new career
new country
new culture

My general advice would be to take things one at a time for awhile, because any one of these changes on their own is more than enough to handle. Have the baby and get settled down to being a mom with some family help in a culture you are familiar with and the NHS to help you with health care. You can start processing the paperwork on the visa and whatnot but don't feel you need to rush right over into a new country / culture / world right off the bat.

As for some of the specific questions you raised, in a general sense the US employers value four-year university degrees for a vast majority of jobs, even those in which having a university education is not needed in any way. Chances are the folks you meet at the Starbucks in the US or working in a bookstore have university degrees because they can't find work in their field. In the world of film and television, you'll have kids who graduated from renowned films schools such at NYU and USC who will be fighting for entry level jobs in the movie industry, and in a secondary market such as Chicago you'll find many folks with more credentials and experience willing to take even the basic level jobs in the industry. Your BTEC will have very little to basically no value absent some significant experience in the industry.

As for being a midwife, you should first understand it is not as common in the US, home births are generally opposed by most of the US medical establishment, and is even illegal (to a certain extent) in some states. For example Illinois has very complex rules on midwives requiring that the nurse practitioner have an advanced nursing degree before they are allowed to deliver a baby. There is a debate underway on changing that and this story will give you a good view of some of the sentiments about midwifery that exist here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/24/us...pagewanted=all

Others who are nurses might give you better advice on whether to train there or here, and the problems that will arise in trying to transfer credentials across the pond.

p.s. as someone who works at home with kids, I'm afraid I had to question too the suggestion that he's some form of additional child care. At best he might take them to change a diaper when you need to go to the bathroom, but the idea he'll have more than a few minutes here and there throughout the day is not realistic. He's "working" just from his home location, not the office. Chances are he'll eventually end up locking the door to a bedroom for 8 hours a day.

ian-mstm

For starters, you don't need a BSN in order to be a nurse. What you do need is an RN licence - which you can get after passing the RN exams. In order to have any chance of passing the exams, you generally need to put in 2 years of study. There's no way to know, at this point in time, whether you'll need to do the whole 2 years or not... but you should plan on 2 years.

RN licenses are specific to the state in which you practice, so to find out the requirements, you'll need to look at that state's nursing board. If you want to practice in another state, you need to apply for a new license. My wife is currently licensed in 3 states.

Now to the reality of the situation... you're unlikely to get anything other than a low-paying entry-level job with just an RN license. Most RNs have a BSN, many have an MSN... and some, like my wife, have a Doctorate in nursing.

Ian

penguinsix

For what its worth, the visa isn't as simple as "the company will sponsor". The specific type of visa they apply makes a difference as to how soon you will be arriving and more importantly, whether you will have any rights to work here in the US. It also is relevant to your longer term plans, such as whether a Green Card (permanent residence) is possible in the future or whether is is not likely at all. These longer-term plans will also help in your educational plans as well.

For example, if he is on a H-1 then you would have to practice as a midwife with your own visa (hint: you will have a hard time getting that). You might find studying in the UK for an eventual career in the UK will be more valuable. If he is on an L-1 visa and you will eventually be able to work in the US, then getting a degree in the US and establishing 'connections' in the health care industry in the USA might be more valuable than going to school in the UK.

People are asking because they want to offer you the best advice they can.

ian-mstm

Your comment suggests a totally naive rose-colored approach to immigration. Respectfully, we here have seen - first hand - how enthusiastic a company can be when it comes to getting someone transfered to the US... and screw them over completely while doing it. You can not afford, either financially or emotionally, to be passive in the visa process. Never rely on the company... and be wary of the company's lawyers - they work for the company, not for you!

Ian

Noorah101

Agreed. And she still hasn't specifically said what visa he's getting. For all we know, the company is recommending him to get a B1/B2 visa!

Rene

lsmith20

Definitely the best advice I've had so far so thank you for that

I have recently decided that I'm going to be staying here until atleast the end of June, as I'm starting to think it may be wiser to study here and move, but as I'm also on an allnurses.com forum, I will definitely have to post a few more threads to see if i can get hold of the information.

Ah see now I didn't know that midwives don't really exist as in this country, because we have a years worth of general nursing study and then two years in your specialism.

Yeah we are thinking that maybe the occasional help with chilcare on busy days is going to be essential but if i can't find any employment or can't study that isn't going to be needed, as i won't be going over if there is no chance of opportunity for me out there as all I have are 7 GCSE's at grades C and above plus a BTEC which is the equivalent to 3 A-levels all at distinction level.

lsmith20

This is my problem, as I am naive because I am only 20 and being a first time mom this is all totally new to me, my partner is 12 years my senior and is quite high up in the company and as he has not made a definite decision whether to go or not, we have not been told any details on Visa's, I understand that this could mean that I might not be able to work, what I didn't understand was what my options were if I was able to study and work while I was over there.

My partner is pretty much going but if there is no options for me I'm not going to go with him until i've established myself here. We were only told about this 3 days ago and asked to make a decision so Visa's can be sorted with no even a date of when just an asap but its looking like its going to be around march time.

Noorah101

Your partner's employer is asking him to make a decision about working in the USA, without even letting him know what visa he'll be getting? Your partner and his employer should be talking about such details BEFORE he gets a visa...he needs to discuss a relocation package, getting it to include the cost of repatriating at the end of his term in the USA, healthcare coverage in the USA, whether the employer will apply for a green card for him....I mean, it's not as simple as "want to work in the USA?" "Yes" "OK here's your visa". Make sure your partner is asking to see the whole relocation package in writing, BEFORE he commits to getting that position or a visa...and make sure he asks what visa he's getting BEFORE signing on the dotted line.

Rene

redglade

I know its early days yet and everything is swimming around in your head...but are you saying that your partner will be going to the US regardless of your decision? I think the first decision that you and your partner need to make is whether or not you want to be a family. If you do want to be together and raise your child together then you have to decide whether the move to the US is important enough to his career that its worth your sacrifice, and you (both) will need to know exactly what his company has in mind before reaching that decision. How long do they plan for him to be in the US, what type of visa, will you be able to work/study on that visa etc etc. Can your partner support all of you if you can't work?

If you can study/work over here , there will always be options even if they aren't the ones you first thought about.

I really do appreciate that you don't want to give up on your career aspirations - but please don't underestimate how hard it will be to raise your child and maintain your relationship with an ocean between you.

Steve_

I'm not sure about Illinois, but in-state tuition rates are often available to people who are L-2, H-4, TD, etc. If you're there as a student on F-1, M-1, etc. then you have to pay international tuition rates. Given that you're outside SEVIS, I don't even think there is a check of your status in the US, you have a DL and everything anyway.

Steve_

Check the healthcare plan of the employer - #1 thing to do.

#2 thing to do is to check with universities there. And the first thing to ask is whether you are eligible for in-state tuition rates, and be aware they might be a bit thick and give you duff information on that point because they probably won't know what "L-2" means. I doubt your qualification will be recognized in the US, but the only way to check is with universities and employers there, frankly.

That's nice of them to be so helpful and supportive. What is there to do in the UK at the moment exactly? Healthcare is a growing industry in the US, it has ups and downs but long-term the trend is clearly upwards with an aging population (although I suppose as a midwife that doesn't help). Plus not being beholden to the NHS there are opportunities to make more money.

One piece of information I can give you that will provide some context - the US cracked down on foreign nurses some years ago now, the unions in the US are dead set against foreign nurses being imported from abroad. As L-2 you have open work authorization so they cannot stop you working, but you may find that colours the recognition of your qualifications.

dave2702

Well the BTEC is going to be treated at best as an "Associates Degree" but as others have pointed out will be practically worthless in the US at best will be treated as a GED (indicating you've graduated from High School).

However that might be enough to get you into a Nursing Degree programme and as others have said you'll be paying International fees

As for medical don't forget that few schemes pay100% of costs and often you will have a co-pay that can cost a fair couple of $K before you reach the maximum out of pocket expenses so with a new child you probably want to allocate at least $5K before you start getting the insurance company to pay everything.

But even worse many employers these days insist on you working for them for a few months (as much as 6) before you even qualify for Medical benefits

Silverdragon102

If you do your RN training in the US if you go back to the UK the minimum the NMC will accept is BSN. If you do your training in the UK will be over 3 years and may not be accepted in the US due to how the training is now set out. CMN in the US may not be OK for the UK and the NMC will be the best ones to ask about that. Midwives do exist in the US but the role is completely different to the UK. BTEC may or may not be accepted and you probably need to go through some form of review by a company that compares UK to US etc

BellaE

All three of my children were delivered by midwives in the US. THere are two paths to midwifery here, and variations by state. Lay midwives (the kind that are "illegal" in some jurisdictions,) do not have a college degree, and train as apprentices under an established midwife. They can only do home births, as they do not have hospital admitting privileges, nor do they work for hospitals. The gyn/obstetrics physician community has a great deal of animosity towards lay midwives, and they are quite controversial.
The other path as some here have pointed out is to become a certified nurse midwife (CNM), who has first a BSN, and then a Master's degree in midwifery. CNMs practise under the supervision of a physician (though I observed in the case of the midwives who delivered my babies, the supervision was in name only), can practise in hospitals, and may work in an ob/gyn practise alongside the physicians.

For more information in the situation in Illinois, you should read this New York Times article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/24/us...pagewanted=all

augigi

You can become an RN in the US with just an associates degree for 2 years (plus generally 2 years worth of prerequisites) BUT you won't be able to work as an RN if you move back to the UK, which i think it what you were asking. The NMC in the UK requires foreign trained nurses to have at least a 3 year degree to become registered in the UK:
http://www.nmc-uk.org/Registration/J...e-the-EU--EEA/

So yes you'd have to do a BSN if you might want to later move home and be an RN. But you'd have a whole bunch of other crap to do to in terms of paperwork forevermore, so make a good guess where your longterm work will be and study there.

To be a CNM in the US, you need a masters degree in nursing. Studying a BSN + MSN as a foreigner here is ridiculously expensive. http://www.midwife.org/index.asp?bid=29

My MSN cost me $47000 just in tuition, let alone vaccinations, books, living expenses etc. Although I've been here 4 years, work here, pay tax etc, I am classified by the university as "non resident" because I have a work visa and not a green card. Something to consider.