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Agency Nurse

How To Become A Pedriatic Nurse In The UK

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People have always turned to Google to ask about the most paging nursing field in the UK. Google has always responded by answering that Pediatric nurses earn as much as £64000+ a year and I’m certain a lot of you are intrigued. If Pediatric nursing pays that much then how does one become a pediatric nurse in the UK? Here is your answer.

What Is a pediatric nurse? 
According to the Nursing Journal, a pediatric nurse is a nurse who looks after children from birth till they turn 18 

What do pediatric nurses do? 
The specialist nurses work with children battling various diseases at different developmental stages (infancy to 18 years. They make use of soft skills like patience, empathy, and effective communication to serve and treat their patients. Pediatric nurses are usually the ones that explain to their patient’s parents the diagnosis and treatment process of their young patients. 

How does one become a pediatric nurse in the UK?
According to the NHS:

You’ll need to do a degree level qualification to be a nurse so will usually need a minimum of five GCSEs (typically including maths, English language or literature and a science subject) at grades 5/4 (C) or above or equivalent level 2 qualification, then go on to take at least two A levels (eg including a subject like human biology, psychology or sociology) or equivalent level 3 qualification such as a BTEC or apprenticeship

NHS

After that, you need to look for a job and get your NMC pin and work to build experience as you advance in your career. Alternatively, you can as a qualified nurse take a postgraduate course like a master’s in children’s nursing and start working towards gaining experience in the field.

If you are a pediatric nurse looking for agency shifts in the West Midlands, contact us at 03300300031 or send us an email at info@myshifts.work. Meanwhile, check out our other blogs on how to become an agency nurse in the UK.

Agency Shift

How To Leverage Social Media To Get More Agency Shifts

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A few weeks ago, we were telling you about agency shifts and how to become an agency nurse. Agency nursing has helped a lot of healthcare professionals be in control of their time, their schedule and their finances.

Over the last few years, agency nursing has gained popularity. 54.53% of the nurses in the NMC register do not work in the NHS. There is a huge possibility that a huge chunk of the registered nurses outside the NHS is in Agency Nursing while the rest are employed in private facilities.

The availability of agency shifts at one’s fingertips has exacerbated the need for some to switch from working in an institution permanently to being an agency nurse.

We have received enquiries about agency nursing and the availability of agency shifts should one decide to take on agency nursing full-time. In case you are wondering how to find shifts on social media here are a few tips on how to leverage social media to find agency shifts.

  1. Open a LinkedIn account and list your qualifications and most importantly your location. Also indicate that you are open to work and be specific that you are interested in temporary or part-time placements only. Make sure you are active on LinkedIn and check your messages regularly. Find agencies in your area that are hiring and apply. Be sure to keep your updated CV handy so you can easily apply for any job.
  2. Search for jobs hashtags on Twitter and Instagram for example use the following hashtags #birminghamjob, #extrashiftsdudley #agencynursing #agencynurse.
  3. Join Nurses’ recruitment groups on LinkedIn and Facebook and regularly check if agencies are not posting part-time vacancies and shifts.

We can help you get started on your agency nursing journey. If you need more information about becoming an agency nurse, call us on 03300300031 or email us info@myshifts.work

Nurse attends to patient

Nursing 101, Important Nursing Tips Everyone Should Know

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Nursing 101 is the last thing you were expecting to read on this blog right? Well, to be fair it was also the last thing we were expecting to write about until this fine morning. As an agency responsible for placing nurses in great environments where they can improve their bottom line while offering a much-needed service, we have befriended and been exposed to many a nurse.

Many health workers have moved to the UK from different parts of the globe to work in UK Hospitals and medical centres. The way things are done in the UK when it comes to patient handling and general nursing etiquette in UK is different. In some African hospitals nursing are a menace, a bunch of unapproachable people who will not hesitate to read you the riot act should they decide you badly need it even when you are a patient. Some African mothers have chilling stories of how nurses shouted, scolded or manhandled them, especially during labour.

In some communities, this has been normalised because people see it as a necessary evil because they believe sometimes mothers in labour are not serious and sometimes if they are not pushed the birth might have a fatal end. While those societies turn a blind eye to such, the same is not the case in the UK. Should one desire to be a good nurse, and last in their career till retirement then they need this Nursing 101 unofficial guide:

  1. If possible find a senior nurse to mentor you unofficially or officially, and observe how they serve their patients, and how they interact with others.
  2. Acquaint yourself with UK Nursing laws, and always stay up to date on that front.
  3. Do not be a bore, yes you read that correctly, do not be a nuisance to fellow workers and even to patients. Do not constantly complain, do not talk about people behind their backs and try to be cordial with all people, patients and co-workers alike.
  4. Hope for the best but expect the worst, people come from different backgrounds and they have different personalities. They will have some traits that will probably not sit well with you. Be objective and always expect the worst even when you are hoping for the best. This will help you to not snap or react in a way that will sanction disciplinary action from your superiors.
  5. Try and maintain a healthy work-life balance and always prioritise your health. Given the availability of extra shifts and all, it’s easy to get carried away and work extra hard blurring the lines between work and personal life. By all means, find a way to separate the two.
  6. Do not forget Nursing etiquette rules.
  7. Be efficient, establish a routine and always make sure you prioritise important things on your list of important tasks for the day or week or month.

Well, these nursing 101 tips will help those that are coming to work in the UK as nurses and those that are already working in the UK. Check out our other employment tips on our blog.

If you are a nurse based in the West Midlands in need of extra shifts in your local area call us on 03300300031 or send us an email at info@myshifts.work we offer great rates.

Women In Health Care

Celebrating Great Women In Health Care

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This week on Tuesday, the world shall commemorate International Women’s Day, celebrating women and the multi-faceted capes they wear each day. According to official statistics from last year, approximately 77.6% of NHS employees are women. While there is no available research on why women are dominating the NHS employ, we can only speculate from outside and say, women, have to an extent become the backbone of the NHS. Official Statistics say:

  • 140 500 or 47% of doctors in the UK are female,
  • 303 000+ or 88.6% of NHS nurses are women,
  • 7866+ or 42.5% of NHS Ambulance stuff are women,
  • 133 670+ or 77.6% on NHS technical, therapeutic and scientific staff are women,
  • 12 700 of Dentists in the UK are female
  • 55% of phamacists in the UK are women
  • 62% of NHS managers are female
  • 80% of care assistants in the UK are female.

As the world celebrates women in their different and various capacities as mothers, sisters, aunts, inlaws, daughters, grandmothers, nieces, friends, colleagues, we also take the time to salute the women in health care who minister to us when we are not well.

To the women in Health care, our message for the Internationational Women’s Day 2022 is simple: Wear your capes with pride, you clearly are our societies’ backbone

If you wish to start working on your Health and Care Work Visa to the UK, check these frequently asked questions on the subject.

Widwife attedning to an expactant mother

3 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Being A Midwife In The UK

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Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the UK government to recruit more medical professionals, a lot of interest in proficient medical professions in the UK has been generated. Many are wondering I’m sure how one can become a midwife in the UK, and some might be wondering what a midwife is. By definition, a midwife is a professional who provides care, support and in some instances advice to expecting mothers during their pregnancy and during labour and during the postnatal period and is responsible for the health of the baby and the mother during the baby’s infancy.

How does one become a midwife in the UK, you may be wondering, according to the UK government you need to have a midwife qualification obtained through studying part-time or full time at a credible university. One can go to University and study midwifery or practising nurses can take part-time courses and become qualified midwives. One needs to be registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) to practice as a midwife in the UK.

3 Things You Should Know About Being A Midwife In The UK

  1. All midwives in the UK have to renew their membership with the NMC every three years and in those three years, they should have 350 practice hours, 35 hours of continuing professional development (CPD), reflective discussion, practice-related feedback and professional indemnity arrangement.

2. Midwives can specialise and become clinical specialists in any of the following fields:

  • Home birthing
  • Antenatal screening
  • Public health and parenting education
  • labour ward supervision
  • breastfeeding advisory
  • Intensive care neonatal
  • Foetal and Ultrasound medicine

3. Practicing midwives can also become consultant midwives, they can divide their time between training and championing development in their practice and working with patients. Alternatively, midwives can go full time into training and or research with healthcare facilities and or universities.

Midwives from outside the UK who want to go and work in the UK must apply for the Health and Care Worker VISA if they meet the requirements stipulated by the UK government.

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