HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

julie cozze — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:33:51 GMT

Hi Nick ,havent had any luck finding a nearer locum and just wondered whether you were still free for the week of 20th Sept, sorry I know it'a a bit late now. We can get you accommodation with one of our vets. So if you are interested could you email me on nurses57@hotmail.co.uk with your details and charges. Thanks so much

Julie

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

zalenski81 — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:11:41 GMT

[quote user="Bizzy McClure SVN"]

That sucks Does that mean your coming back?

[/quote]

It does suck but not sure what's happening yet. I don't think he's going to change his mind or ask me to stay but I have one other option so will see what happens and let you know. If only there was a way we could both get what we want, I'm proper gutted about having to leave this job but I can't be on call 24/7 and I can't tell people that have come all this way to see me "sorry I can see you for an hour but that's it! can I?

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Honeybadger — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:15:29 GMT

That sucks Does that mean your coming back?

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

zalenski81 — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:33:15 GMT

It's in Jersey and the employees are not as protected as they are in England. It's also sad as now he can't afford to get a qualified nurse over here now and I can't believe he's being so stubborn over this. Surely agreeing to pay me what he said he would pay me in the first place wouldn't be too much to ask? I also don't mind doing some unpaid overtime like puppy parties and the odd lunchbreak cover but if I have made plans, he should respect that, especially if people come over to visit me and he asks me to work as it's not like they can just nip down on the bus it's a bit of a mission to get here!

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

zalenski81 — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:41:26 GMT

I've handed my notice in but it's sad as other than that it was a nice job.

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Caro Laithwaite VN — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:31:48 GMT

Juat re read thought you flew to uk and were here put it down to tired l revered the way you went but still say legal advice or a new job.

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Sal the 1st — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:40:26 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

Hmm - your boss should have either said you would be paid less - and take the consequences (you may leave or sue for constructive dismissal, depending on your contract) or leave the status quo as it is. To pay you the same but expect you to work your overtime FOC is dreadful, and possibly illegal. However, it depends what you have agreed to and the country's laws - not sure where abouts you are working???

[/quote]

I agree - you need legal advice relevant to the country you are working in and somebody to look at your contract - I hope it isnt Arab Emirates, I have a vet friend who has worked there and ran into a few problems re working hours and pay and they decided in the finish the legal advice they got just wasnt worth the trouble

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Gillian Mostyn — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:45:59 GMT

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Rachel Jayne — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:59:01 GMT

Bejesus, you are in a pickle... I agree with Caro - you really need to seek some legal help, your conditions as you describe them jokingly as being a slave to your boss are really just that!! Very wrong....

Hope you can get this sorted soon..

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Caro Laithwaite VN — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:44:00 GMT

What l would say is you need proper legal advice FAST either bvna or acas as to hours worked that is breaking the law from the way you have written it.

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

zalenski81 — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:47:45 GMT

[quote user="Sal (the 1st) Holesworth VN CMH Chyp (M)PNLP"]

[quote user="Samantha Vowles"]

[quote user="zalenski81"]His mistake then no?[/quote]

I don't understand... so when you didn't pass you expected to be paid a qualified vn wage even though you're not? How is that his mistake? If I were in your practice and qualified I wouldn't be happy that you got the same as me even though you didn't pass. But I agree, to expect you to be practically his slave as punishment is wrong.

[/quote]

or is it that you have been receiving a qualified wage since you started there and that the practice is now wanting to pay you what they should have been paying you in the first place? Are there anymore trainees there? Is your rate just being brought in line with theirs? is the practice now incurring extra fees re resits etc?

[/quote]

The story (is a bit of a saga tbh) goes..... I applied for the job and was upfront about where I was in the qualifying stages and had only applied as the ad said qualified or experienced.

He said that was ok and when I flew over for the interview he offered me the job for X amount. When I got my contract it said for qualified nurse and I pointed out that I wasn't and he said it's only a few months so to continue on X amount. When I got my results, he said I would have to take a pay cut as I hadn't passed and I said that I couldn't as the cost of living over here is so high and I don't have friends and family to reley on so if he insisted on reducing my salary I would have to go as I couldn't afford any less. He said ok but now you have to do unpaid overtime to compensate me. I did this uncomplainingly- even doing 24 hour shifts until one day my friend flew over for the day and he called me on my weekend off and asked me to work and I said that I couldn't because my friend was here and she's just spent x amount to see me and I have plans and he said I shouldn't have made the agreement if I wasn't going to stick to it.

There is another nurse at my practice but she has had no training- she's doing her vet care assistant course which I am helping her with. The role I have been given is that of head nurse and practice manager so it's not as though there are other qualifieds here to get upset at the fact that I am getting the same as them. I feel that I am earning my money and have the right to say no to overtime.

Is this madness?

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Sal the 1st — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:34:37 GMT

[quote user="Samantha Vowles"]

[quote user="zalenski81"]His mistake then no?[/quote]

[/quote]

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Samantha Vowles — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:21:31 GMT

[quote user="zalenski81"]His mistake then no?[/quote]

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Kim Buckley — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:56:03 GMT

I went for an interview at Vets Now and wasn't very impressed. Money looks good on paper but the work load didn't!

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Gillian Mostyn — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:42:29 GMT

They are all with Vets Now - who only employ VNs. Shame they don't train them though.....

Just for the record, I think expecting someone to work full nights and full days on the weekend for £20K is more like exploitation than doing a normal daytime job for £16-18K. (Nothing personal to Vets Now! ) Especially considering vet surgeons who work there get paid an awful lot more for working nights than they would in a normal daytime job.

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Honeybadger — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:18:19 GMT

I've just had a quick look at the jobs section - the last 3 jobs posted have got salaries listed!! Maybe someone is listening to us!

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

zalenski81 — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:47:31 GMT

I would definitely support this! My boss just tried to make me take a wage cut when I didn't pass my practical exam even though he knew I wasn't qualified when he hired me and knew the situation. When I told him that I wouldn't accept a wage cut he tried to make me be at his beck and call 24 hours a day 7 days a week and said that my contract was for a qualified vet nurse but he gave that to me when I wasn't qualified. His mistake then no?

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Helen Freer — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:35:36 GMT

[quote user="Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA"]

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

I'm sure the majority of practices do have their own pay scales. What I'm saying is that there will never be standardisation between different practices.

[/quote]

Believe me they dont, they just hope the nurse is some sad case who will take anything on offer... yet there are no qualifieds.... now you know why!

[/quote]

I have read this with interest, as still a cattery owner, and I have to agree with Gillian about wages, the amount a practice can pay is dependent on the business's income and expenditure, but there should be a pay stucture in place in each practice. (Buisnesses are no different from charities for not really knowing if the money will come in year on year)

Having previously worked for a firm of accountants their pay varies quite a bit around the country and even within one town. But I wonder if one of the problems is that vets spend a long time qualifying and training, but they are not business men and women and that they do not have time to learn all the ins and outs of actually running a business. After over 21 years of running this buisness I am still learning.

How many practices have a separte practice manager? or is the work mainly done by the vet, who is having to be an accountant/ bookkeeper (paying bills etc, Tax collector, budgeting), H&S Officer, HR manager (re staff wages, rotas, training, assessments) plus acting as a vet.

I am not saying it is right, but to me it seems there are practices out there sharing the same problems as many small business in this country, having to juggle so many differnt jobs to keep the practice going, the staffing structure and pay scale is never set up as staff have been taken on as and when required and no formal process has been set up because of lack time or lack of knowledge and experience .

Perhaps there needs to be more help to aid those practices set up these systems and for it to be seen as best practice.

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:32:30 GMT

[quote user="Steph Worsley RVN MBVNA"]i have to say, that even though wage is important to me I dont agree that it should always be advertised [/quote]

then how would you know what to ask if none were advertised.....??? you would not ,..... and we would be paid even less IMHO

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:28:28 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

I'm sure the majority of practices do have their own pay scales. What I'm saying is that there will never be standardisation between different practices.

[/quote]

Believe me they dont, they just hope the nurse is some sad case who will take anything on offer... yet there are no qualifieds.... now you know why!

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:25:31 GMT

[quote user="ginny"] I do agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment with regards better pay for nurses but cannot see how private practice can be likened to a big public sectar organisation like the NHS or even the big structured charities like PDSA. They are just run so differently.[/quote]

How and in what way?? they are both businesses.... make your own pay scale for the business it's not hard....just put a pay scale up.... Nurses will apprectiate it big time, and all you guys who get no relpies.... maybe put up a pay scale

And yes I agree the PDSA may well be run differently..... but as I said beforeit's a charity... depends on donations, so \imho would be less likely to know their annualoutcome from private practice, yet they display their salary terms for all to see!!! so why not private practice? ....

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Gillian Mostyn — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:09:41 GMT

Read the post again. It is the idea that is daft. You are correct in saying I have no idea whether or not you are daft. But not reading my post properly wasn't a good sign...

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Steph Worsley — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:44:53 GMT

[quote user="ginny"]

Been reading all this with interest and have to say i really cannot see how banding nurses pay can work in the private sectar. As Gillian said all practices have different over heads and fees - these differ in the same town never mind different parts of the country. I do agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment with regards better pay for nurses but cannot see how private practice can be likened to a big public sectar organisation like the NHS or even the big structured charities like PDSA. They are just run so differently.

All the practices i have worked for have had there own in house pay scale, all have been well above minimum wage, though i realise this is not the case for everyone..

I spent ages last year trying to draft a good advert for a VN but we still didn't get any VN's apply - and we are paid really well and our rota is a doddle. We didn't put salary in because its discussed at interview, and because there wasn't enough space!

[/quote]

I agree, i'm not sure how a banding system would work in private practice.....to be honest even at the uni the banding is not great we all start off at the bottom of a grade regardless of our experience so 1 year qualified would start off at same point as a 5 or 6 year qualified, which i am not sure is fair

i have to say, that even though wage is important to me I dont agree that it should always be advertised as i would discuss it at interview or even before because you cannot always get an idea of exactly what a practice wants in an advert

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

Vicky RVN — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:23:43 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

[quote user="Nick BATFINK Shackleton Dip AVN(surgical)VN MBVNA"]

[quote user="Vicky SVN"]

Hmmm. Daft. How lovely!

[/quote]

NICE!

[/quote]

Not sure what I have said that has upset you. I do think it is a daft idea. Sorry.

[/quote]

Don't appreciate being called daft by somebody who doesn't even know me, that is all.

Re: HELP! Where have all the nurses gone!

ginny — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:16:48 GMT

All the practices i have worked for have had there own in house pay scale, all have been well above minimum wage, though i realise this is not the case for everyone..