Shortly after my move, I became a member of the RCN, so it’s an honour for me to write this blog for an organisation that I have admired for so long.
I did my nurse training in Bremen, in the north of Germany, then worked as a surgical nurse at the Red Cross Hospital, also in Germany, for 6 years. It was in 2003 that my life changed forever when I decided to leave my old Heimat (the German word for ‘home’) and move to my new Heimat, Bristol.
Since I had started my career in Germany, I did not come from a professional nursing culture. Nursing in Germany was – and still is – very much medical led. In the UK, by contrast, nursing is a profession where nurses make their own decisions, can diagnose, can treat, can prescribe medication; they have a voice, they have the NMC and the RCN, and they are trained academically.
As you can imagine, the difference blew me away. It took me a while to get my head around everything; not just the language barrier, literally EVERYTHING. The culture in NHS hospitals was so different from my home country. For example, there’s the transparency of the UK’s health system, working within a team, and standing up for – and being accountable for – all of my nursing actions. It really felt like I had landed on a different planet.
When I began my ward work in the UK, I had to let my ward sister know that there were some nursing duties I couldn’t do because I did not have the appropriate competencies. I soon found that an attitude of “I can’t” simply does not exist in UK nursing, which is so inspiring and progressive. The attitude of UK nurses is that they can learn anything! At the same time, it was all quite daunting, and I had to enrol in several workshops to learn the new skills that I needed. However, once I had passed my courses and started to use my new skills, it felt awesome. My confidence grew and grew, and my language skills quickly improved.
I would be lying if I said that everything was easy. Of course, it wasn’t. I was aware that I was a burden for my colleagues at the beginning. I was new, my English still needed improvement, my confidence as a staff nurse was not as high as it should have been, and I experienced all the challenges of adapting to a new culture. Let’s just say this – the first two years were not boring!
When you learn, look, watch, and observe, your brain is constantly filled with new impressions and new vocabulary. During these first two years, I could feel myself changing inside and out. I was becoming more ‘British’. I still had my German accent, and my name suggested I might be an overseas nurse, but I laughed when the Brits laughed, I cried when the Brits cried. After 6 months, I even began to dream in English, which was pretty cool! Internally, I was gradually adapting to this new culture.
As a young woman in my 20s, I never, ever, would have dreamed, in my wildest dreams, that I would be able to change my home, my language, and my nursing culture. But I did, and I never looked back.
My British colleagues helped me tremendously in every way. They made the effort to understand me. They never gave me the feeling that I was second best. They pushed me to be better, they taught me, and they shared their knowledge with me. As a result, I could feel that my confidence as a nurse was moving in the right direction.
It’s important to understand that if an overseas nurse (or doctor, or midwife) cannot speak English in a professional way, how can they give excellent nursing care and ensure patient safety? It’s almost impossible. This thought ran through my mind all the time, and I put myself under a lot of pressure, which was very intense sometimes. Thankfully, the more my English improved, the more the pressure eased. Phew!
As a nurse, I had to learn, learn, learn! I was only at the beginning of the journey of lifelong learning that all nurses embark upon. My first post was as an RN in Bath. Since then, over the last 21 years, I have worked for the NHS in various specialties, have done shifts in forensic nursing, and worked as a school nurse too. Through an agency, I worked as a prison nurse, which is a very interesting environment. I have learned so much from all these different experiences. If I had stayed in Germany, I don’t think I would have had the curiosity to enter all these different types of nursing. The UK has given me (and still gives me) the opportunity to try these colourful fields of work. Working as an RN in the UK has broadened my horizons immensely. There is never a dull moment.
In 2010, I founded an international nurses' network for nurses like myself. We are called English for Nurses Ltd. We write our own teaching material and teach clinical English to international nurses, midwives, doctors and other healthcare professionals. We teach in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, The Netherlands, and Albania. Teaching English and being able to combine my clinical and theoretical work is really exciting and rewarding.
This country has taught me that nursing truly is a profession. It has shown me how important we nurses are, and not only during a pandemic. If you are ready to embrace this enormous opportunity, then do it! If you want to learn new skills, experience a new culture, and meet amazing people, you will surely be successful in this new chapter of your life. You will have a great time here in the UK.
I can proudly say that I work in one of the most progressive nursing cultures in the world. It feels really good to be able to say that. It’s certainly not easy moving to a different country, but if you put in the hard work, you will succeed. Your British colleagues will help you, and they will recognise that you are a valued member of their team. Show them you can do it.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my journey, and I wish you the very best as you take the next steps on yours.
I did my nurse training in Bremen, in the north of Germany, then worked as a surgical nurse at the Red Cross Hospital, also in Germany, for 6 years. It was in 2003 that my life changed forever when I decided to leave my old Heimat (the German word for ‘home’) and move to my new Heimat, Bristol.
Since I had started my career in Germany, I did not come from a professional nursing culture. Nursing in Germany was – and still is – very much medical led. In the UK, by contrast, nursing is a profession where nurses make their own decisions, can diagnose, can treat, can prescribe medication; they have a voice, they have the NMC and the RCN, and they are trained academically.
As you can imagine, the difference blew me away. It took me a while to get my head around everything; not just the language barrier, literally EVERYTHING. The culture in NHS hospitals was so different from my home country. For example, there’s the transparency of the UK’s health system, working within a team, and standing up for – and being accountable for – all of my nursing actions. It really felt like I had landed on a different planet.
When I began my ward work in the UK, I had to let my ward sister know that there were some nursing duties I couldn’t do because I did not have the appropriate competencies. I soon found that an attitude of “I can’t” simply does not exist in UK nursing, which is so inspiring and progressive. The attitude of UK nurses is that they can learn anything! At the same time, it was all quite daunting, and I had to enrol in several workshops to learn the new skills that I needed. However, once I had passed my courses and started to use my new skills, it felt awesome. My confidence grew and grew, and my language skills quickly improved.
I would be lying if I said that everything was easy. Of course, it wasn’t. I was aware that I was a burden for my colleagues at the beginning. I was new, my English still needed improvement, my confidence as a staff nurse was not as high as it should have been, and I experienced all the challenges of adapting to a new culture. Let’s just say this – the first two years were not boring!
When you learn, look, watch, and observe, your brain is constantly filled with new impressions and new vocabulary. During these first two years, I could feel myself changing inside and out. I was becoming more ‘British’. I still had my German accent, and my name suggested I might be an overseas nurse, but I laughed when the Brits laughed, I cried when the Brits cried. After 6 months, I even began to dream in English, which was pretty cool! Internally, I was gradually adapting to this new culture.
As a young woman in my 20s, I never, ever, would have dreamed, in my wildest dreams, that I would be able to change my home, my language, and my nursing culture. But I did, and I never looked back.
My British colleagues helped me tremendously in every way. They made the effort to understand me. They never gave me the feeling that I was second best. They pushed me to be better, they taught me, and they shared their knowledge with me. As a result, I could feel that my confidence as a nurse was moving in the right direction.
It’s important to understand that if an overseas nurse (or doctor, or midwife) cannot speak English in a professional way, how can they give excellent nursing care and ensure patient safety? It’s almost impossible. This thought ran through my mind all the time, and I put myself under a lot of pressure, which was very intense sometimes. Thankfully, the more my English improved, the more the pressure eased. Phew!
As a nurse, I had to learn, learn, learn! I was only at the beginning of the journey of lifelong learning that all nurses embark upon. My first post was as an RN in Bath. Since then, over the last 21 years, I have worked for the NHS in various specialties, have done shifts in forensic nursing, and worked as a school nurse too. Through an agency, I worked as a prison nurse, which is a very interesting environment. I have learned so much from all these different experiences. If I had stayed in Germany, I don’t think I would have had the curiosity to enter all these different types of nursing. The UK has given me (and still gives me) the opportunity to try these colourful fields of work. Working as an RN in the UK has broadened my horizons immensely. There is never a dull moment.
In 2010, I founded an international nurses' network for nurses like myself. We are called English for Nurses Ltd. We write our own teaching material and teach clinical English to international nurses, midwives, doctors and other healthcare professionals. We teach in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, The Netherlands, and Albania. Teaching English and being able to combine my clinical and theoretical work is really exciting and rewarding.
This country has taught me that nursing truly is a profession. It has shown me how important we nurses are, and not only during a pandemic. If you are ready to embrace this enormous opportunity, then do it! If you want to learn new skills, experience a new culture, and meet amazing people, you will surely be successful in this new chapter of your life. You will have a great time here in the UK.
I can proudly say that I work in one of the most progressive nursing cultures in the world. It feels really good to be able to say that. It’s certainly not easy moving to a different country, but if you put in the hard work, you will succeed. Your British colleagues will help you, and they will recognise that you are a valued member of their team. Show them you can do it.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my journey, and I wish you the very best as you take the next steps on yours.
