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Do you follow Continental Travelnurse on Facebook? It's a great way to stay on top of all the news, photos and fun our nurses and Continental Travelnurse family share with each other. Like coverage of our nurses in local papers like the Cambridge News and some lovely photos by nurses exploring their new neighborhoods.  So what are you waiting for? Follow us on Facebook now!


For more info on Continental Travelnurse, check out our website. 

CONTINENTAL TRAVELNURSE TAKES TO THE SKY

Here at Continental Travelnurse, we're constantly amazed by the great experiences our nurses have both on and off the job. They use their valuable skills to help others and travel the world at the same time. On the job, they save lives. On weekends and holidays, they are just as motivated to have fun and explore, be it the UK, neighboring countries...or the skies.

Our friend Marcini from the Philippines takes the cake this week for coolest gig: he used his off day to fly as an observer with the Royal London Air Ambulance. That's right, he was in a  helicopter, high over London, rushing to scenes where medical help was desperately needed. Why isn't this a TV show? :)

Here's Marcini telling us about his adventure, what he calls a dream come true.

"It's sooooooooooooo cool!! It was just an amazing experience.  Although i did some mede-vacs before with the army when I was requested to accompany a patient, with the RAA I actually helped them with the patient on scene. I would love to do this again.

"We started at 0630 then right after buying breakfast and orientation with the safety procedures we had our first call: a man fallen in scaffolding, body twisted when we got there. We stabilized him and he was lucky.

"The majority of our calls for the day were injuries from falls. One man fell from a roof and didn't make it -- he passed away on scene with a massive head injury and multiple rib fractures. A road traffic accident guy had an open fracture on his shoulder so we have to reduce it and put a splint on him after anesthetizing him. One was a 60 year-old man who also fell from a roof.

"London is so small when travelling by air!! The last call we had was when the aircraft needed to be back in the airfield because it was getting dark -- aircraft like this are allowed only during daylight in London) and we were brought back to Royal London by "blues" or police. Our three minutes of flight time home was equivalent to thirty minutes by car.

"So that's it. My adventure for a day with the HEMS team. It was awesome!! Even running with thirty kgs of trauma pack, looooonnng coveralls, bagels we bought at 0640 that were eaten at 1400, and cold weather. (It's freezing cold at the helipad!)

"My next adventure may be in Southampton. I was invited by a doctor whom i met in the Philippines, to visit them and see what they do and some courses they have.

"Take care,

Marcini

A Day Trip To London

At Continental Travelnurse, it's hard to forget how accessible all parts of the UK and indeed Western Europe are to our travel nurses. We can't forget because our nurses are constantly taking day trips and weekend jaunts to here, there and everywhere. The latest example? Kathleen Cruz and April Palacios! They've been in the UK for about a month from the Philippines and are having a blast. Here's a shot of the two of them in London recently and having fun. They're using their highly valued skills at the East Surrey hospital in Redhill!

If you want to join the Continental Travelnurse family and see the UK and Europe while being well paid for your nursing ability, check out our website and contact us today!

Did Continental Travelnurse Set A World Record?

We're not sure if we set a world record, but it sure felt like we hit our personal best recently. How? By welcoming dozens of new nurses into the UK all at once. Here are two shots of us meeting a clutch of them at Heathrow before they headed off to their new homes in Cambridge.

Now it's not exactly Where's Waldo, so you only get a few bonus points for spotting our super star recruiter Lina from Sweden amidst all these talented people in the second photo. It was a fun and exciting challenge to make sure everything ran smoothly for our new nurses. Happily our Cambridge Welcoming Team was up to the task, especially Mwana our housing coordinator extraordinaire! With all hands on deck, it came off smoothly. Our real satisfaction will be watching them have an exciting time as they excel at their work, make friends and explore the UK and Europe.

But it's nice to start off with this text from one of the new members of our family, Patrick.  He wrote to his recruiter: "Hello, Erin! I’m already here in Cambridge and the place is amazing. We met Rafaela, Lina and Stephanie at the airport and they brought us to each of our designated houses. I was surprised with the house. It is really BIG and our back yard is like a tennis court! Ha ha! It’s very comfortable here and the weather is great! The staff of Continental Travelnurse that we met were very dedicated in welcoming us. I feel like the luckiest man alive!"

Thanks for letting us know how great your adventure has begun, Patrick. If you want to join our family at Continental Travelnurse, use your skills to make money and see the world, go to our website today for more info or just call us!

New Nurses Welcomed At Redhill-Surrey

At Continental Travelnurse, we are always delighted to meet new nurses, welcome them to the UK and help them settle in to their new homes. The best part? It might be how pleased and happy they are with their accommodations. It might be the pleasure they get in their work and the appreciation for their skills. It might be the new friends they make right away while having an adventure in a new land. OK...it's all of these things.

Here are three new friends just arriving from the Philippines for Redhill-Surrey. They look quite chipper after a very long flight: meet Kathleen Rose Cruz, Cherily Victorio and April Palacios.

It didn't take long for them to be welcomed. Here are two of them getting to know their new neighbors and coworkers Princess Romero, Joseph Risos and Marcini Ramilo. 

If you want to join the Continental Travelnurse family, if you want to use your skills to see the world and make money while making friends, check out our main website. 

Continental Travelnurse Explores Lands End

No, no, we're not sending our Continental Travelnurses to the ends of the earth! But the women and men who take their highly valued skills as nurses and use them to see the world are an adventurous sort. Take Helena Isaksson, from Sweden. She's taking advantage of her time in the UK to explore the region -- and that took her to Lands End in Cornwall, the most westerly point in England. Helena took some gorgeous photographs as she explored towns like Penzanze where she stayed (not a pirate to be seen, alas), St Ives and Sennen, where she fell in love with the famous "First and Last House."  (That's the charming white building below.) When our nurses aren't saving lives, they're promoting tourism all over Europe! Check out some of Helena's lovely images. And if you want to see the world and get paid doing it, check out Continental Travelnurse's website for more info.

Our Nurses Get Around

Some of our nurses take "travel nursing" very literally. They don't just explore the UK and Europe: they explore the world. That's what you can do when you use the highly valued training of top-flight nurses to partner with Continental Travelnurse.  Take Yolanda Kummeneker. She's from the Philippines and Yolanda has been in the UK on assignment. Now she's using the money she earned to travel to the United States and beyond. She's in Florida (the birthplace of travel nursing, by the way!) and will see other sites before coming back to London in September for another assignment. Who knows where she'll head next as a nurse or a tourist? If this photo is any indication, maybe Mars? :) Have fun, Yolanda!

Great Photos From Priory Park

Our nurses never cease to surprise us with their talents. We should be used to it by now at Continental Travelnurse: when you work with the best, you get the best. Marcini Ramilo is from the Philippines and he's currently working at East Surrey Hospital. That puts him near Priory Park, the most beautiful and popular public space in Reigate. Check out these amazing images. Thanks for sharing, Marcini! And if you'd like to be part of an amazing and talented team that uses their in-demand skills as nurses to see the world, check out our website for Continental Travelnurse.

Continental Travelnurses Head To Poland!

Our nurses come from all over the world to work and play in the UK. But their adventurous spirit doesn't stop there. They use their homes here as a launching pad to explore the rest of the UK and Europe on day trips, weekend excursions and vacations between assignments. Philippa, Leigh and Vicki headed to Warsaw, Poland. Their story is below.

(Leigh and Philippa at the Opera House)

Dear Continental Travelnurse Friends

January in Poland - brrrr! - minus seven to twelve! and snowing when we arrived...& every day after. But it was absolutely fabulous. We stayed in an apartment in Warsaw & had a good look around. Tried traditional Polish food & of course Vodka -- for medicinal purposes only, as our tee-totaler Methodist Grandfather used to say.  

We even went to the Warsaw Opera & saw a famous Polish opera - "The Haunted Manor" - romance & comedy with strong patriotic undertones. It was written in the 19th century & became very popular with the locals - the Russians, in control at the time, even went as far as to ban it at one stage. Thank goodness for subtitles! The costumes, music & dance was superb & it really was a fun thing to do.

The saddest thing we did was a day trip to the Auschwitz-Berkenau extermination camp.We took a train from Warsaw to Krakow. OMG what a heartbreaking visit. Those poor people living in those conditions & so brutally treated & then murdered. An estimated 1.1-1.6 million of them here alone.

All those piles of spectacles, shoes, prostheses, suitcases.... And it was a bleak bleak day, very cold, very windy, grey sky.

Afterwards, we picked up a walking tour of Krakow, the former capital of Poland, & got to see a lot of the town's famous landmarks. I found the Polish people very friendly & the Polish men gorgeous! Obviously this is where I've been going wrong!

Kind Regards

Philippa

Annual Ice-Skating Party!

Continental Travelnurse had its annual ice skating party in London for our staff and the great nurses based close enough to join us! It was on the 16th of January and new nurses joined some of our terrific talent that has been with us for a while. We enjoyed nibbles and a drink or two, along with stories about our adventures as travel nurses. Thanks to everyone who came for the fun!

Climb Every Mountain!

Two of our nurses went for a walkabout: Haley and Megan are in London at St. Thomas. On an afternoon off, they hiked up Parliament Hill and shared the photo with us. Looking good!

Red Cross Appeal For Philippines

At Continental Travelnurse, our nurses are our family and right now our family is hurting. Here's one of many moving notes we've received from one of the talented and qualified nurses we met while conducting interviews in the Philippines. Please help by donating to the Red Cross in the UK or directly to the Red Cross in the Philippines.

Hello! I never thought I'd be able to email you again after all we've been through. The super typhoon hit Tacloban City with pinpoint accuracy completely destroying our houses, buildings and more. You've heard the news on CNN and other channels; we were there literally during those times
looking for our relatives, loved ones and potable water. After days of heavy rain, wind, food shortage and rampage of crimes Ms. Jazzle and I were able to arrive here with her family at Cebu City safely earlier this 8am. My parents and other siblings are still at Tacloban City.
Thank you for all your prayers; we do appreciate them. Please continue doing so for we are in dire need of them for the death toll is rising everyday. We also thank you for the UK's help -- some of which reached me first hand. Bottled water quenched my thirst and your biscuits were truly crucial during those early days.
By the way, my hospital was also flooded out for it was near the coast. A lot of patients have died and Bethany is temporarily closed. I believe there is still hope amidst all this. Like Ms. Jazzle, I have a job interview this 21st November. I will apply for other hospitals in Manila and follow-up my other applications too while doing reviews for my IELTS.
We thank God for giving us this second life.  Ms. Jazzle and I are still hoping we will be able to fulfill our dreams of working with Continental Travelnurse.
Once again, thank you for the prayers. More power!
Sincerely;
Roque
Emergency room nurse

Remember, you can donate to the Red Cross UK or the Red Cross Philippines by clicking on their names and following the directions. It's a great way to assist others and not feel helpless in the face of a natural disaster.

Cruise Up The Thames Party!

Continental Travelnurse invited one and all to come to London and travel up the Thames on a River Light cruise recently. Here are some great photos and a recap from Lina, one of our terrific recruiters. If you want to join the Continental Travelnurse family and use your skills to travel to Europe and combine work with pleasure, contact us now.

"Despite a windy evening, many of our Travelnurses joined us on our River light boat cruise on the 11^th of October. It was a beautiful cruise on the Thames! As the sun went down and the lights came on, you could see London’s riverside landmarks at their glittering best.  We cruised by the London Eye, the Tower of London, the skyscrapers at Canary Wharf up to Tower Bridge. With a glass of bubbly and canapés in hand, we started the night off with getting to know each other by playing “Celebrity Heads”. The lucky winners in this competition were Anna Forester and Greg Hays. We continued the night listening to a selection of jazz and chill-out pop songs from a live performer on the boat. Thank you so much everybody who joined us on this great cruise; it was really good to see so many familiar and new faces!"  -- Lina

Thanks, Lina! Sounds like a wonderful time was had by one and all. 

Urgent Plea To Tell Gov't Importance Of Overseas Nurses

Everyone, this is a detailed but urgent message. Please take a few minutes to read it and act now.

To All Concerned:

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has launched a consultation on new standards they have proposed for registration of nurses trained outside the European Economic Area (EEA). New standards that aim to streamline the process, avoid wasteful and expensive bureaucracy and most importantly of all ensure nurses practicing in the UK maintain the high standards the NMC expects and patients deserve is welcome.

Keep in mind, before regulations that went into effect in 2007-2009 that included the requirement that nurses come to the UK and take a pointless 20 day course before being approved to work, the UK welcomed more than 2000 nurses a year. That number plummeted to less than 400 immediately and has never recovered. This is why it’s essential we speak out now. We need to create a system that maintains our standards without unnecessarily deterring qualified nurses from working in the UK.

However, the two alternate plans they suggest are flawed and add to waste, expense and bureaucracy. We urge you to read their proposals online, read our opinion and weigh in with your comments to the NMC. Now is the time when you can have the most significant impact in the formulation of policy and regulations that will affect you, your work and the health care quality in the UK for many years to come.

The NMC has two proposals. The first option includes an English exam, three years of university training, a board exam and an in-country clinical exam. The second option includes all of those elements plus a period of supervised practice.

Here’s our opinion; we urge you to share yours with the NMC.  Links to their website and further information can be found at the bottom.

*As mandated by the EU, overseas nurses must have a minimum of a three-year degree in nursing.

*Nurses must demonstrate competency in English; we fully support this. The NMC says all overseas nurses must take an English competency exam. We believe those nurses who have earned their degree in an English-speaking institution should be considered competent. It is a waste of time and money – for example -- to ask an Australian nurse to take an English proficiency exam. Keep in mind, all nurses will be taking a board exam in English.

*We recommend overseas nurses who did not earn their degree at an English-speaking institution take an English language exam. However, the one and only test approved by the NMC has standards set so high that most English-speaking, born and bred subjects of the UK would fail it. The NMC requires a minimum of 7 (which is the equivalent to a Masters degree) in all four areas of testing. We recommend either a minimum of 6.0 in the four categories or a 6.5 overall as a reasonable standard. This would not constitute “lowering” standards but setting them at an appropriate, high level.

*The NMC says nurses who meet the training and English competency standards will be given a board exam in their home country to demonstrate competency in nursing, including a clinical testing component. We fully agree; this practice is in place in other countries and is effective. The board exam should be robust and include critical thinking and clinical scenarios. Since this test is administered in English, it’s also a de facto English language competency exam.

*The NMC proposes a separate exam on clinical testing to be done in the UK after nurses arrive but before they’re cleared to practice. We strongly disagree. This is wasteful, hugely expensive for the NMC, time-consuming, an operational nightmare and would be made unnecessary by a properly designed board exam that was thorough and robust.

*The NMC proposes a period of  “supervised practice” – a period of many months where nurses are forced to work below their skill level and hospitals must squander precious man-hours and money. We strongly disagree. “Supervised practice” is a wasteful, extremely expensive hurdle that has led to the exploitation of overseas nurses. It fulfills no purpose and does not weed out unfit nurses. Finally, “supervised practice” is a solution in search of a problem. If it served any purpose, why doesn’t the UK require its own nurses to undergo the same time-consuming and expensive process? We don’t recommend this for doing so would not improve quality in any way and would do nothing but encourage the exploitation of newly graduated UK nurses. All nurses require orientation, whether they were trained in Sheffield or Sydney; this is already provided by their employers and “supervised practice” is a redundant and wasteful extension of what already occurs at every medical institution.

If you agree with us, it’s essential you contact the NMC and let them know right now while your voice matters most. You can email them directly below. You can cut and paste our proposals above or put them into your own words. Just make sure you influence the debate before these proposals are locked in stone and we have to live with them and their potentially damaging effects on the UK health care system for years to come.

THREE WAYS FOR YOU TO RESPOND AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD:

Email them at: consultations@nmc-uk.org

Write them to directly at:

NMC

Consultation on Overseas Competency Test

23 Portland Place

London W1B 1PZ

Take their online survey about the proposals:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWQVT5J

(This is the least satisfying because it limits you at certain key points to their flawed plans.)

The NMC Launches Consultation link:

http://www.nmc-uk.org/media/Latest-news/NMC-launches-consultation-on-strengthened-registration-process-for-applicants-from-overseas/

Now here’s the issue laid out in more depth.

THE ISSUE: Nurses are trained all over the world. The European Union has established standards for what it considers qualified training in nursing. Since every country establishes credentials in varying ways, the EU standards include requirements that many nurses in the rest of the world do not exactly match. We know from long experience that the nurses in highly developed countries have training equal to our own; indeed, the UK has recently raised its degree requirement to match the standards set before by other countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

What to do with the nurses whose training measurements invariably do not match up exactly with EU requirements?

THE NMC PROPOSED OPTIONS

As mandated by the EU, all nurses must demonstrate a minimum of a three-year degree in nursing. The NMC then states that those nurses must also pass an English competency test known as an IELTS. Those nurses that achieve these standards will then proceed to the following step.

The NMC offers two options for consideration, both of which have flaws.

Option one includes what is commonly understood as a board exam in their home country, a thorough testing of the nurse’s competence to ensure they meet the same standards expected of our entry level nurses who have just achieved their three year degree and are ready to begin working. This would be followed by a clinical testing exam in the UK.

Option two would include the board exam in their home country, the clinical testing in the UK and a lengthy period of supervised practice with standards set by the NMC.

OUR PROPOSAL

*As mandated by the EU, all nurses must have achieved a minimum of a three-year degree in nursing.

* Nurses must demonstrate competency in English; we fully support this. The NMC says all overseas nurses must take an English competency exam. We believe those nurses who have earned their degree in an English-speaking institution should be considered competent. It is a waste of time and money – for example -- to ask an Australian nurse to take an English proficiency exam. Keep in mind, all nurses will be taking a board exam in English.

* We recommend overseas nurses who did not earn their degree at an English-speaking institution take an English language exam. However, the one and only test approved by the NMC has standards set so high that most English-speaking, born and bred subjects of the UK would fail it. The NMC requires a minimum of 7 (which is the equivalent to a Masters degree) in all four areas of testing. We recommend either a minimum of 6.0 in the four categories or a 6.5 overall as a reasonable standard. This would not constitute “lowering” standards but setting them at an appropriate, high level.

* The NMC says nurses who meet the training and English competency standards will be given a board exam in their home country to demonstrate competency in nursing, including a clinical testing component. We fully agree; this practice is in place in other countries and is effective. The board exam should be robust and include critical thinking and clinical scenarios. Since this test is administered in English, it’s also a de facto English language competency exam.

* The NMC proposes a separate exam on clinical testing to be done in the UK after nurses arrive but before they’re cleared to practice. We strongly disagree. This is wasteful, hugely expensive for the NMC, time-consuming, an operational nightmare and would be made unnecessary by a properly designed board exam that was thorough and robust.

* The NMC proposes a period of  “supervised practice” – a period of many months where nurses are forced to work below their skill level and hospitals must squander precious man-hours and money. We strongly disagree. “Supervised practice” is a wasteful, extremely expensive hurdle that has led to the exploitation of overseas nurses. It fulfills no purpose and does not weed out unfit nurses. Finally, “supervised practice” is a solution in search of a problem. If it served any purpose, why doesn’t the UK require its own nurses to undergo the same time-consuming and expensive process? We don’t recommend this for doing so would not improve quality in any way and would do nothing but encourage the exploitation of newly graduated UK nurses. All nurses require orientation, whether they were trained in Sheffield or Sydney; this is already provided by their employers and “supervised practice” is a redundant and wasteful extension of what already occurs at every medical institution.

WHY THE NMC’S PROPOSALS ARE FLAWED, ONEROUS, AND EXPENSIVE

The Board Exam – this is a vital reform and long overdue. Other countries use a board exam to ascertain incoming nurses meet their standards. It should be rigorous and thorough and include critical thinking and clinical scenarios. Properly designed, it can and will weed out any nurses whose training has been subpar and does not meet the standards expected by highly developed nations, the NMC, the UK and the EU. We applaud the NMC and trust that this exam – which will be administered in the nurse’s home country and is a practical and reasonable step before coming to the UK – will offer the quality control we all desire and expect.

The Clinical Testing – This is proposed as a further test the nurses must take after coming to the UK and before being certified to practice. Any good board exam will incorporate clinical situations. Adding this step creates unnecessary expense and bureaucracy. Asking for it to take place in the UK creates an almost insurmountable bureaucratic hurdle.

Supervised Practice – this proposal that all nurses undergo supervised practice for a lengthy period (suggestions have ranged from six months to nine months) is unacceptable on many levels.

1.     Supervised Practice is exceptionally expensive – we estimate that if 2000 nurses a year underwent Supervised Practice, it would incur costs of tens of millions of pounds a year. All estimates say the UK will be 50,000 nurses short in just a few years time. So the number of nurses coming in and this expense this will incur would rise dramatically.

2.     Supervised Practice amounts to slave labor – fully trained nurses would be forced to work as nursing assistants for an extended period of time, far underneath the skill level for which they are trained. This is an opportunity for exploitation by unscrupulous employers.

3.     Supervised Practice does not improve quality or weed out poor nurses – Over time, we’ve seen virtually every nurse that has entered Supervised Practice has “passed” it, though saying they “passed” it implies some standards which do not exist. It is merely a professional limbo that no new UK nursing graduate is asked to undergo. It incurs huge costs in lost manpower, lost money and lost time; it has no purpose, achieves no goal, fulfills no need.

Everyone’s goal is to maintain the highest standards for health care. We should keep in mind that the standard we are asking these nurses to meet is the same standard of a new UK nursing graduate that is about to start their first day on the job.

All nurses must have a minimum of a three-year degree in nursing. All nurses must demonstrate competency in English, either by the fact that they have achieved that degree in an English-speaking setting or by passing an English exam.

All nurses meeting these requirements who do not meet the exact specifications laid out by the EEA must then take a rigorous and thorough board exam. Those that pass the exam to the NMC’s satisfaction will be certified as meeting our standards and qualified to practice in the UK.

Like every UK nurse, they will begin their jobs with an orientation,  a meds test and then be supervised until the hospital or other medical facility has used its judgment to determine they are competent to fulfill their duties. Those decisions are best made by the employer working directly with the nurse, whether that nurse was trained in Manchester or Manila.

These responsibilities of the employer would always be present. Therefore we shouldn’t fool ourselves into thinking wasteful, expensive and time-consuming testing and “supervised practice” achieve anything other than waste, expense and time-consumption.

A separate clinical test in the UK would be pointless with a properly designed board exam. It would add extraordinary expense and a bureaucratic hurdle few nurses would tackle.

Supervised practice achieves absolutely nothing, encourages exploitation of overseas workers and was created out of whole cloth without any need or express purpose. The simple fact that new UK nursing graduates are not asked to undergo nine months of “supervised practice” is enough to demonstrate its pointlessness. If it served any purpose (which it does not) then every UK nurse who enters the workforce would undergo supervised practice as well. That would achieve nothing other than to make them ripe for exploitation as well by unscrupulous employers.

The two proposed options by the NMC both contain major flaws. However, a board exam taken by nurses in their home country is a “best practice” instituted by other countries around the world. It is a valuable final test that can weed out nurses whose training does not meet UK standards. It is a direct and meaningful way to ascertain that nurses with training outside the EEA are competent to enter the workforce with the same certification as new UK nursing graduates.

Employers are best placed to provide the level or orientation, testing (such as the “meds” test required by all UK hospitals) and supervision necessary for EVERY nurse, whether they were trained in Stratford or Sydney.

A streamlined reform of the overseas competency test that includes a minimum of a three year degree in nursing, demonstration of competency in English (via the degree being achieved in an English speaking institution or via an English exam) and the passing of a thorough and rigorous board exam that includes critical thinking in clinical situations will achieve the essential goal of ensuring the UK’s and EEA’s high standards of training are met without inviting unnecessary bureaucracy, wasteful testing, onerous expense or the exploitation of international nurses via so-called “supervised practice.”

The NMC Launches Consultation link:

http://www.nmc-uk.org/media/Latest-news/NMC-launches-consultation-on-strengthened-registration-process-for-applicants-from-overseas/

More NMC Consultation Information link:

http://www.nmc-uk.org/Get-involved/Consultations/Overseas-competency-test/

The Full NMC “Overseas Competency Test for United Kingdom Registration” Document link:

http://www.nmc-uk.org/Documents/Consultations/2013/Overseas%20competency%20test%20for%20United%20Kingdom%20registration.pdf

Three WAYS FOR YOU TO RESPOND AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD:

Take their online survey about the proposals:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWQVT5J

(This is the least satisfying because it limits you at certain key points to their flawed plans.)

Email them at: consultations@nmc-uk.org

Write them to directly at:

NMC

Consultation on Overseas Competency Test

23 Portland Place

London W1B 1PZ

Per the NMC: If you would like further information about this consultation, or information in an alternative format, please contact Anne Trotter by email: Anne.Trotter@nmc-uk.org or telephone 020 7681 5779.

Great Feedback From Bristol

Continental Travelnurse only works with the best hospitals and medical facilities? How do we do that? By only working with the best nurses, of course! Here's some great feedback about one of our nurses in Bristol from her supervisor.

I just wanted to say that SN Erin Campbell form the Continental Travelnurse Agency, who has been working on MAU for a few months and is leaving shortly has been a pleasure to work with. 

She fit straight in, took on board the differences in our culture and made the effort to learn. MAU can be very busy, but she has risen to the challenge and is always very hard working and can be relied upon. 

I would not hesitate in her working here again, and I am sorry she is leaving us but wish her very well in her future career!

Marilyn

That's great to hear. If you want to join the top professionals at Continental Travelnurse and use your valuable skills to work and play in the UK and Europe, check out our website today. 

Goodbye Party For Heather

OK, we'll admit at Continental Travelnurse that we sometimes hate goodbyes! Of course, we're doing it all the time since nurses come from all over the world, have a great time working and playing in the UK and Europe and then head home again. If you want to join the Continental Travelnurse family, check out our website to see how your valued skills as a nurse can let you see the world!

Meanwhile, we'll wave goodbye to Heather, who had a recent goodbye potluck party in Brighton (all her friends brought a dish) and then headed back to Canada! Thanks again for all your great work, Heather! Here are pictures of her flat and the great spread.

Continental Travelnurses Conquer Mt. Kilimanjaro

At Continental Travelnurse, the only thing more impressive than the great job our nurses do day in and day out is the list of remarkable accomplishments they achieve during their vacations. Three of our nurses conquered Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain in the world! Below are some photos and a brief overview by Anna from America of what must have been an amazing journey. Thanks Anna for sharing your story!

Hello Continental Travelnurse!

I actually just returned to London this morning! It's been an amazing trip.

Me, Kathleen (from New Zealand), Erica (from New Zealand), and our architect friend from the states, Mark, chose to do the 7 day Lemosho route. It is said to be one of the more challenging but scenic. We were not disappointed. Just in our first two days of the hike, we passed through elaborate jungles filled with various different plant life and monkeys! We would hike for several hours a day with scenery changing every half day! It was like you were in a new place; nothing was ever the same. 

Our team consisted of 19 men!!! They became like family in a way, encouraging us, teaching us Swahili, and laughing at us of course. One afternoon at the last camp before the summit day, we needed to ease our stress so the Barufu games were born. We would challenge our guides, porters, and cooks to push ups, back bends, who was more flexible, and who could walk on their hands! It was my absolute favorite moment on the mountain. So priceless. 

The summit day was by far the most challenging. We woke up at 11 pm after no sleep and started our long journey to the peak. It was freezing, and we were exhausted. The only thing we could see was the little flicker of lights trailing up the mountain for miles. 

There were times I didn't think I'd make it. I ended up last, while the others pushed ahead. My guide Stanley, wiped my nose with his hanky and hand-fed me crackers and encouraged me to go on when I wanted to give up. After many hours of dark, cold hiking, we reached "Stella point" at around 6 am, near tears but so elated. Our guides danced and sang to us to keep us going. They told us we made it this far and we had to continue on to the peak. 

So Erica, Kathleen, and I reached the summit, Uhuru peak, together just before 8 am, exhausted but crying with joy. I couldn't believe I did it. It was an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and just proof that the mind can overcome the most uncomfortable situations. That and surrounding yourself with positive people who have the never-give-up attitude will get a person through nearly anything this life throws our way.

  

I return to work on Tuesday and will check my schedule. If I am not scheduled to work, I'd love to attend the October river lights cruise. I'll let you know!

-- Anna

Thanks Anna for sharing your amazing story and congrats on conquering Mt. Kilimanjaro! If you want to join Anna and other remarkable people at Continental Travelnurse, contact us today. 

A Wonderful Thank You!

We love getting great feedback from hospitals on the nurses who are part of the Continental Travelnurse family. It makes us feel good and let's us know we're making the right choices when we decide who will be a great addition to any team and a credit to our company. But even more we love to hear from the nurses who put their trust in us, travel around the globe to work with us and have a great time doing it. It's wonderful to know we've created some memories that will last a lifetime.

Here's a terrific note we just got from Dominique in Australia:

Thanks again to you and your wonderful team over the last two years. Both Rohan and I found you as our recruiter to be very supportive and great at giving advice. As an agency overall, you were very flexible with our travel plans and work needs. We couldn't have had such an amazing two years of traveling if it wasn't for you and Continental Travelnurse. Please pass on our sincere thanks and if we ever return to the UK, you will definitely be our first point of contact for work! I hope all your hard work doesn't go unnoticed and would like to say thanks again.

Thank you Dominique for taking the time to let us know what a great experience you had. 

If YOU want to see what Continental Travelnurse is all about, check out our website and call us today.

Brushing Elbows With Royalty

At Continental Travelnurse, we attract top-notch nurses with a sense of adventure -- people who want to live and explore a new city, a new country and get easy access to all of Europe. They constantly astonish us with the places they go, the people they meet and the wonderful things they do from volunteer work in far-off lands to skiing in the Alps!

But we know some of the most memorable moments will happen right on the job. That's certainly true for Maree from Australia. She's working in Oxford and not only did Prince Andrew come to her hospital to open a new chemo unit, but Maree even got to get up close and take this snap when he was giving a speech to her and other attendees!

Tiffani In Ireland

More great travel stories from our Continental Travelnurses! Tiffani shared some photos and a quick rundown of her fun adventures in Ireland.

I stayed two nights Dublin, two nights Cork, two nights Galway, and then one more night in Dublin as my flight was the next morning. In Dublin I saw Kilmainham Gaol, St Patrick's Cathedral, St Michan's crypts (and rubbed the finger of an 800-year-old mummy - for good luck!), and walked through St Stephen's Green.
I did a "Food, Fairies, and Folklore" event at a pub - it was a 3-course dinner with a speaker teaching us about the history of food and superstition in Ireland. It was so neat!
In Cork there was a bit of bad weather - rain, wind gusts up to 100kph. But the following day was nice and I went to Blarney Castle (loved it! SO beautiful!), Kinsale, and Cobh (and saw the Titanic exhibit). I didn't see too much of Cork, as it is much smaller and is more of a place to live as opposed to visit. So 2 nights was enough.
Galway -- I went to the rugby game on the Friday, and then on a tour through the Burren to the Cliffs of Moher on the Saturday. We saw fairy trees and a fairy fort (which is good, since I had learned about them on Tuesday night). Sunday I was back in Dublin, and met up with a girl I had met on Tues - we went to the Whelan Bar, which is featured in the movie P.S I Love You. I was traveling alone the entire time, but I made a few friends in every city I went to. -- Tiffani by email

Sounds like a great getaway. If you want to see where your valuable nursing skills can take you, contact Continental Travelnurse today to see about living and working in the UK for as little as three months or as long as you choose.