Below
is article by Denise Calnan in independent.ie on February 1 2019 2:05 PM
While
up to 40,000 nursing staff undergo industrial action in the row over their
demand for pay parity, we spoke to three Irish nurses about the reality of
working abroad and what their pay, working conditions and lifestyles are like
in comparison to their counterparts at home. Hundreds of nursing graduates
move abroad to pursue their career in healthcare every year.
Suzie
Jackson, Melbourne: 'I can’t help but feel eaten up with guilt for leaving my
parents, I feel the heartbreak with every goodbye, it doesn’t get easier'
My
name is Suzie Jackson. I'm 27 and I'm from Carrigaline, Co. Cork.
I
have been working as a nurse in Australia for nearly four years. The main
reason I moved to Australia was to pursue my nursing career. I worked in Cork
for six months after graduating, before I realised the grass is really greener
on the other side.
To
tell the truth, those first six months were probably the most difficult and
challenging months of my whole nursing career. It really tests you mentally,
physically and emotionally. As a new graduate, with a whole new level of
responsibility, you are really thrown into the deep end with little support
around you due to staff shortages, lack of resources, long waiting lists and
patients on trolleys. You have no control over the situation. It really is a
case of sink or swim.
I
felt helpless and frustrated that I couldn’t give the best care I was capable
of because it was simply not possible due to time constraints. The reality of
nursing in Ireland is being paid under minimum wage, not peeing for hours
because you simply don’t have a minute, skipping lunch break until your tummy
rumbles embarrassingly, staying in work over an hour late unpaid just to get
your documentation done to cover yourself in case anything happened (this would
equal 13 hours), sleepless nights due to fear and worry of what you have/haven’t
done.
In
comparison, in Australia, I am earning over double what I would be at home and
the patient to staff ratio is halved. It's 4:1 during the day, compared to 7:1
in Ireland. I actually have time to build a rapport with my patients and give
them the emotional support they need instead of barely knowing their name and
rushing off to another million jobs.
There
is a great work/life balance. I am much happier now, I can sleep contently
knowing that I have had a good day. I leave my shift satisfied that I have done
the best job that I could possibly do.
I
work in the Alfred Hospital, the number one trauma centre in Victoria, and the
experience I have gained is invaluable. It is a fantastic teaching hospital and
the education opportunities and courses are endless.
All
the nurses abroad uniting together saying "give us a reason to come
home" should really hit home for Simon Harris and Leo Varadkar. It’s
important for them to take notice how it’s tearing our families apart. Think of
all the mothers and fathers who are missing their daughters and sons at family
events and Christmas year after year. Think of the awful dreaded airport
goodbyes where parents and children are sobbing uncontrollably not knowing when
they will see each other next. As an only child this is a really tough one for
me and my parents, and I can’t help but feel eaten up with guilt for leaving
them, I feel the heartbreak with every goodbye, it doesn’t get easier.
Think
of the future, if this is not rectified we will have no new graduates staying
in Ireland and have all the other nurses burnt out. There will be nobody to
blame but ourselves. Listen to nurses to allow us give the patient the care
they deserve.
Darren
Carroll, Abu Dhabi: 'I earn double what I would in Ireland, and it's tax-free'
I
am a trained emergency room nurse with a BSc in nursing and MSc in science. I
joined nursing in 2013 because I always wanted a career in caring for others
and to be able to work in a job where I felt like I really made a difference at
the end of the day.
However,
after surviving 2 years as a newly graduate nurse in a busy inner city ER, I
decided that my mental health was more important than 1.
I
was trying to fool myself that I could make a difference when, truth to be
told, it is impossible to give a high standard of patient care in today’s Irish
healthcare setting due to staff shortages.
Also,
if I realistically ever wanted to own my own house, staying in Ireland on a
current nurses' salary was not a realistic option. It was burn-out time, and
that was just after two years.
So,
I decided to move to the Middle East, Abu Dhabi, where I have resided and
worked as a nurse for the last four years.
The
Middle East, like the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, really appreciate
and place high value on Irish nurses.
The
hospital booked and paid for my flights to Abu Dhabi, drove me to my brand new
one-bedroom apartment when I arrived and had bags of groceries waiting for me
so I did not have to worry about food shopping on my first few days. I was
stunned... I am just a nurse after all!
Since
then I have been promoted in less than two years, I have moved to an even nicer
one-bedroom apartment with a swimming pool and a gym. It's all paid for by the
hospital. I earn double what I would in Ireland, and it's tax-free. I have been
sent to the USA for specialised training, the flights and all the course fees
and hotel expenses were paid for. I have saved in four years in the UAE what it
would take 23 years to save in Dublin as a nurse paying extortionate rents. I
have no plans to return to Ireland. I think the working conditions for nurses
at home are 'third world' in my opinion.
I
am reading on social media about Ireland's nurses who are at their breaking
point and wanted to share with them, and others, how unjust they are being
treated when compared to other healthcare facilities around the world. I don't
want to rub salt in the wounds of my fellow nursing colleagues in Ireland but
to highlight the unjust by the way in which they are being treated,
It
saddens me to read and listen to the stories of Ireland's nurses who are at
their breaking point due to staff shortages and burn out.
Ireland's
healthcare system is a sham. They should be paying Irish nurses what they truly
deserve to be paid and thus preventing this mass migration of highly qualified
Irish nurses. The country spends thousands on training us, only to allow us to
be shipped off to the Middle East and beyond.
I
really hope Irish nurses get what they are asking for.
Laura
Phillips, Sydney: 'I know of so many nurses wishing to go home but fear
returning to work in the current health system'
I'm
28 years old from Knocklyon in Dublin and went to Trinity College to study
general nursing. I live in Sydney, Australia and work as an anaesthetic and
recovery nurse in one of the major teaching hospitals here.
I
have been living here for three and a half years and the main the reason I left
was because I could not work as a nurse in Ireland anymore.
I
was left defeated, exhausted and frustrated at the end of every shift. The pay
I received at the end of the month for an extremely challenging job, both
mentally and physically, was about €2,000. I felt this wage was not an adequate
representation of our skills and the working conditions were shocking. Patient
safety was put at risk on a daily basis due to a lack of staff on the floor.
Looking
after sick patients on trolleys and an average patient load of six-eight on a
day shift was something I just wasn't prepared to do anymore.
I
don't intend to compare health systems, but working as a nurse in Sydney I feel
respected and I feel that my skills are recognised. I get paid equally to
allied health professionals who also work at the patient bedside, this has a
domino effect improving all other working conditions. The hospitals here are
heavily staffed by Irish nurses and we are praised for our work ethic and high
standard of skills almost daily. Our training is extensive in Ireland and it
shows the sad reality that another health system reaps the rewards of this.
I
hope to move home to work as a nurse sooner rather than later. I do love my
life here but I miss my family. I'm aware that working conditions in the health
system in Ireland will not be as good as those in Australia, but, at the very
least, I expect that respect and recognition of our skills will be reflected by
equal pay.
I
organised a solidarity protest with my colleagues here because we wanted to
show support to all Irish nurses. I know of so many nurses wishing to go home
but fear returning to work in the current health system.
The response was
amazing on the day and over 250 nurses turned up. This speaks for itself.
Season 1 of the Global Reality Talent Contest in CBS Network distributed by Warner Bros. 
India's Lydian the Pianist emerged the winner closely followed by South Korea's Martial Arts Acrobats Kukkiwon. The other favourites of the show singing trio TNT Boys from Philippines and singer Daneliya Tuleshova of Kazakhstan could only make it to the Top 12. A major contender and a top favourite from the very beginning of the show was Kazakhstan's vocally diverse Singer Dimash Kudaibergen. But he opted out of the show after a stunning performance that would have cemented the top position had he remained. He stated that in his culture its not fair that adults compete with children and children need the freedom and platform to grow and make it big in their respective fields.
Season 1 of the Global Reality Talent Contest in CBS Network distributed by Warner Bros. 
India's Lydian the Pianist emerged the winner closely followed by South Korea's Martial Arts Acrobats Kukkiwon. The other favourites of the show singing trio TNT Boys from Philippines and singer Daneliya Tuleshova of Kazakhstan could only make it to the Top 12. A major contender and a top favourite from the very beginning of the show was Kazakhstan's vocally diverse Singer Dimash Kudaibergen. But he opted out of the show after a stunning performance that would have cemented the top position had he remained. He stated that in his culture its not fair that adults compete with children and children need the freedom and platform to grow and make it big in their respective fields.