from Kansas City to London – Kelley

Nurse Highlights

Every American nurse in the UK has a different story. We each have our own motivations for moving abroad, legal paths we had to take, nursing roles we fill, and difficulties assimilating to a new culture. I love sharing my experiences with you, but my story is just one of many.

I’m so excited to begin this series of posts highlighting nurses from across America who have made the move to the UK. Their stories will give you a glimpse of what nursing in the UK is like while shedding light on the advantages we enjoy and the challenges we face.

If you are an American nurse in the UK and you would like to be featured please get in touch.

Read more on her blog From KC to LDN

A little bit about me

My name is Kelley, I’m originally from Kansas City, Missouri (and please don’t mention Tom Brady to me, it’s a sensitive subject). I visited London in 2020 before coronavirus took over our lives and fell in love with the city. Traveling has always been something I wanted to make more time for and, in normal times, traveling is much more affordable here than it is back home. I also would eventually like to write health care policy back in the states and thought dipping my toe in what we would all deem “socialized medicine” would be a good way to come up with ideas. In order to move, I had to acquire a tier 2 working visa which is good for three years.

Nursing in the US vs the UK

I was a surgical progressive care nurse prior to coming to the UK, but I had always wanted to work in cardiology. Luckily I found a great job in a cardiac critical care unit where I have learned so much. I never could have predicted how different nursing would be here.

I never could have predicted how different nursing would be here.

Kelley

An average day in cardiac critical care

There is no average day for me! Where I work, we are basically A&E but for the heart. Each day is different, sometimes vastly different, and it definitely keeps me on my toes. The patient turnaround is generally 2-3 days max, so it’s rare to get the same patients multiple shifts in a row. This is very different than my previous specialty.

Differences in nursing practice

It could be because I work in critical care, but I think general nursing practice is very similar. It’s the little things that make up your nursing experience that are very different… the different terminology, for one. I have told many nursing friends back home that it’s almost harder being a native English speaker because everyone assumes I know what they’re talking about when they throw around acronyms or words I have never heard of. The first few weeks I worked here, I kept a list of terms to look up when I got home each day!

Also all of the medications are generics, meaning our knowledge of brand names in the US is rendered quite useless. It’s been three months and I still routinely run into things I have to look up. It’s been humbling to go from being a charge nurse with all the answers to not knowing something as simple as what they call chucks here.

The good and the bad

First, the good, which I think gets overlooked a lot… I have absolutely LOVED working in socialized medicine and I love being a patient (so far anyway). It is such a blessing to be able to discharge a patient and know that, if they choose, they can afford their care and their medications. That is something I morally struggled with back in the US and I like going to bed each night without the guilty conscience. Patients are also, generally much more pleasant and grateful which is, in my opinion, down to how we view health care in the states versus how they view health care here. This may be more unit-specific, but I also really like how involved my managers are and how often I see them and speak to them. I like the comradery between nurses and doctors on my unit as well… we behave like a cohesive team. Doctors stand up for the nurses and vice versa. It doesn’t feel as hierarchical as it does in the States.  

It is such a blessing to be able to discharge a patient and know that, if they choose, they can afford their care and their medications.

KELLEY

The bad… let’s be clear, I hate inefficiency and the NHS is unfortunately riddled with it. For example, I hate the charting system here. We use paper drug charts but chart everything else on the computer, which is incredibly slow and inefficient when it even works. I do sometimes miss the technology we had back in the states (i.e. my dear old pal the Omnicell) but at the same time, I like that I have to use my brain a bit more when it comes to dosing meds, et cetera. I am also not a fan of the pay scale. I think it’s ridiculous that my years of experience as a nurse at home don’t count for anything here in the UK. I also sometimes resent having to pass all kinds of courses in order to do simple things like cannulating (placing an IV) which is something I did without supervision back home.

Advice

Start early! It took me 8-9 months from start to finish. Do your research… there IS information out there, you just have to know where to look. I did all of it by myself without losing money or delaying anything because I messed something up. If I can do it, so can you!

Keep the faith, it can be difficult and test your patience, but it’s worth it.

Bounce ideas off friends and family, strategize with them. It’s a process you won’t get through on  your own with your sanity intact. As such, don’t discount the importance of support from your friends and family; it’s a huge life decision!

Most importantly, stay open minded. You will be living in a different country with a different set of social and cultural norms. It’s easy to forget that in the process of getting here, as you speak the native language et cetera, but once you’re here… WOW. There’s a lot of stuff to adapt to and you will need to be flexible, otherwise you will be miserable. This experience shouldn’t just be about the job, it should be about living a different lifestyle and learning about yourself and the place and people around you. Don’t lose sight of that and you can’t go wrong.

Also enjoy Target while you can before you move… it is the ONE thing I miss more than anything about living back home!

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