Case study: Career opportunities and respect cited for UK choice

Jenny Reid (26) from Kilmacow, Co Waterford, works as a nurse at the Royal Free Hospital, a major teaching hospital in Hampstead, London.

Among the differences she has noticed between life as a nurse working for the National Health Service in the UK and the Health Service Executive in Ireland are the expected issues; career opportunity, workload and pay.

However, Jenny said a major factor is the level of respect. “Could I just say that when you have a patient in the NHS a doctor will ask you what is your opinion. That never happens in Ireland where you give an opinion, and you are faced with the ‘I am the doctor’ attitude.”

In addition, Jenny said the management and senior medical staff of the Royal Free Hospital often speak of their respect for Irish nurses, with many saying Irish training for nurses is among the best.

Jenny qualified as a bachelor of science in general nursing from DIT in 2014 and, along with many in her class, took up work as an agency nurse. In January 2015, she was recruited by the NHS.

Promotion

She chose to work on a renal, surgical ward and the hospital offered to fund her for a master’s degree. She declined in favour of working in an intensive care environment. More recently she was offered promotion to a “junior sister, a charge nurse”, an offer she believes would have taken 10 years to achieve in Ireland.

Basic salary levels are much the same she said, “but the increments in the NHS are much better”. Workload is another issue. “In the NHS six patients is considered a dangerous workload, so you would never really have more than five. In Ireland you would easily have six to eight, maybe 10 in the smaller hospitals.”

Jenny said the NHS was very supportive in her move to London offering help with accommodation and rent. She has heard of the recent HSE offers to attract people back .

Is she planning to come home soon? “No.”