nursing in the UK and US

[manchester_nurse]

im new to the forum, but realised that this is predominantly a forum for US nurses! so anything i mention may not make sense to you guys since the whole structure of nurses in the UK and US is completly different!
i was wondering, i heard that in the USA, people have to pay for their health care via their insurance company. we have a different health care system here in the UK. our health care is a free public health service, where the money for health comes from the taxpayer. however, we are an overworked service, because we get a lot of people that dont pay tax (for example, some foreign workers) and they get 100% free care!
i work in an eye emergency department, and we have a lot of patients and it does get very busy. we always get shouted at by patients, agressive patients and verbal abuse from patients because some of them may have to wait for a few hours if we have an emergency and because of the fact that we have a lot of patients to deal with. sometimes, it makes me think-'at least you dont have to pay for your healthcare, its completely free and you are still complaining!!' they should experience healthcare in a different country, such as the USA, where you would have to pay for treatment, and then they would appreciate the free healthcare we give them!!

[cougarnurse]

Yeah, we do have alot of yanks here, but......we are open to others around the world (I did start a UK Forum, for you guys and ladies 'across the pond'.)

Thanks for starting this thread, though. I know that there are pluses and minuses about both types of Health Care (both here AND there). Any input you have will be appreciated.

[fabred81]

i don't know if this helps, but i have a roommate who has Factor IV Liden's and didn't know it until he got a blood clot in his leg that then became a PE, and he's only 32! he now has about $25,000 worth of medical bills (no insurance, his job didn't offer it), and more coming in everyday. i am a nurse at a state run (NON PROFIT) hospital in the transplant dept, and we give transplants to people all the time who don't have insurance, and usually for nothing if they have a low income. so please don't think that ALL U.S. hospitals are all about money, but most of them don't really help out the uninsured. i've actually been thinking about coming to work in the UK here soon, just to get a different perspective of how things can be done!