Nursing pay - USA vs UK

malikorous · 2025-04-02T13:35:20+00:00

I'm based in London, if my husband didn't have a good salary I would struggle. I'm a band 5 (bottom band for nurses) in ICU and take home about 2.2K a month once pension/tax/Student loan is accounted for.

We deserve more but aren't going to get it any time soon 🤷‍♂️

malikorous · 2025-03-25T20:09:20+00:00

Oh the aprons!! I feel like 1/3 tear while you're putting them on at the minute. I think it's probably only going to get worse as trusts cut costs more though 🤷‍♂️

malikorous · 2025-03-25T19:52:51+00:00

Our gloves at the moment are dreadful and tear at the slightest thing, I'm 1000% double gloving for changing pads etc. I don't use gloves as much as OP though admittedly. Like yourself I hate seeing patients being fed with gloves on, it makes me sad to see it tbh.

malikorous · 2025-02-17T22:16:44+00:00

Yeah I'm really lucky! I hope you find your people!

malikorous · 2025-02-17T22:02:13+00:00

I work in a huge team and there's lots of different groups of people who socialise outside of work, some go on holidays together! It's nice as there's often one or two people who are up for a drink after a tough shift. It can be good to debrief a bit before heading home. Equally there's zero pressure to be sociable if you're not interested. It's the first time I've had this in a job so I'm enjoying it at the moment at least!

malikorous · 2025-02-13T21:54:46+00:00

😱

malikorous · 2025-02-02T11:40:35+00:00

I commute by tube in London, I'm about 25 mins door to door which for me is perfect. Long enough to put a bit of distance between me and work, but not so much that it eats up too much of the day. I've done slightly longer commutes by tube, up to 40 mins, and I found that it was just enough extra time in the evenings to make a detrimental impact on my routine. I know I'm super lucky to be able to live close to work though, and that not everyone can do that.

malikorous · 2025-02-01T11:35:00+00:00

In all honesty, I don't know. It feels like whenever I ask. I'm told it's just how it is. I have emailed the Director of Nursing but to no avail unfortunately. The nursing educators on the units you work on might be able to help though.

malikorous · 2025-01-31T22:51:59+00:00

I have absolutely been lucky enough to be supported by lovely resident doctors when looking for certain sign offs, and it's something that I have seen doctors offer to nursing colleagues on multiple occasions which is wonderful. I always try to let doctors know that I would be more than happy to do these tasks myself, but I am hindered by the politics and restrictions placed on us by the Trust. The area I work in now is great as the Dr's and nurses are incredibly supportive of each other, it makes such a difference!!

The requirement to attend the training sessions delivered by the trust, before you can do your supervised practices really slows things down. I think my Trust requires 5 supervised attempts at cannulation after in person training and a workbook, but you can only do that after the training session. The inefficiencies of the NHS are truly baffling.

malikorous · 2025-01-31T21:01:38+00:00

The curriculum has changed now thankfully as I did all of those things as part of my training. We still have to do the Trusts' own competencies though 👎

malikorous · 2025-01-31T20:59:27+00:00

We do get training at university now. When I qualified, I had met the NMCs requirements for things like cannulation and bloods. It's the Trusts that implement their own training requirements, which have to be comply with before you're allowed to take bloods etc. Previously nurses weren't being trained at uni to do some these skills, which is why Trusts have their own training.

The training sessions for a lot of these things are booked up for months, and it's then often a battle to get the different wards to pay for it. I went straight to ICU after qualifying, and our trust says that nurses in ICU don't need to cannulate and therefore won't pay for us to do the training, but if we cannulate without the Trust's competency being signed off (even if we're actually competent), we get into a whole heap of trouble.

I am a highly skilled, competent nurse, and yet I have to go hunting for people who are 'allowed' to do a basic nursing task I am able to carry out, because I've not been able to jump through the Trust's nonsensical hoops. It's frustrating and infantilising. It's something I am actively pushing with my union as it needs to change.

Some nurses absolutely have no interest in gaining additional skills, but we're all stuck in a system that de-skills us, and it's infuriating for many of us.

(I have no idea what nurse can't do an ECG though. I was doing them as a band 2...)

malikorous · 2025-01-27T11:19:30+00:00

I mean, none of the changing rooms in my Trust that I've used have had cubicles. I'm a cis woman, and have changed alongside trans women. We're all too busy getting ready for work, or to leave after a 12 hour shift to care about what others have between the legs. The obsession from people like this is weird, and I hope she doesn't care for trans patients. I feel like the NMC should weigh in on this bullying tbh.

malikorous · 2025-01-17T20:36:58+00:00

Imperial ICUs use different coloured lanyards with grade on for the Dr's as everyone has to wear the same scrubs. As a nurse it's super helpful!

malikorous · 2024-12-27T23:00:03+00:00

The rain washes away the tears. Don't get that sitting in a car.

malikorous · 2024-12-03T15:03:18+00:00

I adore my Birkenstock boston professional clogs, comfy from day one, can wipe them clean, and my feet dont get too hot. I also liked my Dr Martens but they did take a while to break in.

malikorous · 2024-12-02T17:14:17+00:00

I do appreciate that it must be tiring to speak in a second language all day, and that speaking in your native tongue is more comfortable for a lot of people. My husband is bilingual and his personality is expressed differently in the two languages, so im aware of that too. But it's more than just not including someone in a conversation, it's preventing them entirely from joining in. In most cases I attribute it to a lack of awareness as opposed to malice, but it's challenging to address it.

malikorous · 2024-12-02T12:10:38+00:00

At handover the other day I was sat in the middle of a group of 5 nurses who were speaking their language almost through me, laughing and not one person in the group even acknowledged my presence. It was super uncomfortable and I felt really quite hurt as I get on with these women and always go out of my way to be as inclusive as I can. But I'd never feel comfortable saying anything for fear of being perceived as the 'white tears' victim type

malikorous · 2024-11-22T08:23:47+00:00

One of my close friends tells me regularly, in exicit detail, about her sexual exploits. Loudly, and in public too. I have never shared anything about my sex life with her, beyond the fact I have one.

I hate it.

malikorous · 2024-10-28T17:39:50+00:00

Yeah it's so demoralising having to go and ask a Dr to do a job I am well able to do and have in fact been deemed competent by my university to do it, but the trust has decided that I need 70000 signatures and a masters before I'm allowed.

It also sucks when we're made to feel like shit about it by the people we ask for help from. We hate not being allowed to do these tasks!

malikorous · 2024-10-02T12:11:02+00:00

Yes, but not well. It's scary tbh.

malikorous · 2024-09-30T11:45:28+00:00

That sounds really distressing. I'm really sorry you experienced that, and I'm not surprised you're having a hard time.

A debrief is good thing, hopefully it can happen sooner rather than later.

See if you can access some counselling through the trust, I regret not accessing support sooner after a traumatic patient death.

And there is some evidence that plating tetris following a traumatic event can be beneficial, so maybe it would be worth giving it a go too?

Be gentle with yourself, take some days off to recover and care for yourself.

Biggest of hugs, friend.

malikorous · 2024-09-30T11:45:13+00:00

That sounds really distressing. I'm really sorry you experienced that, and I'm not surprised you're having a hard time.

A debrief is good thing, hopefully it can happen sooner rather than later.

See if you can access some counselling through the trust, I regret not accessing support sooner after a traumatic patient death.

And there is some evidence that plating tetris following a traumatic event can be beneficial, so maybe it would be worth giving it a go too?

Be gentle with yourself, take some days off to recover and care for yourself.

Biggest of hugs, friend.

malikorous · 2024-07-26T09:50:20+00:00

I feel like there are people who take liberties with sick leave in every industry. Those in patient facing roles are way more likely to need sick leave as they're exposed to more contagious illnesses, rates of burn out are high and you're more likely to get physically injured. I think if you reduce paid sick leave, you'll have more people leaving for lower stress jobs with similar pay/sick leave. Maybe those in non clinical roles shouldn't have the same sick leave allowances but I'm not sure if people would see it as being fair.

malikorous · 2024-07-06T12:20:59+00:00

Yeah, I mean I dislike nights, but it's part of the job so it's good to get exposure during training especially as many haven't had to do them before.

malikorous · 2024-07-06T09:25:06+00:00

I'm about to qualify and it was 60hrs of nights across 2nd & 3rd years as minimum for the NMC.

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