Prospective nursing education in Europe??

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jan 16, 2018

UK training is difficult to get licensed with in the US due to their training being specialised opposed to general. Also midwifery is a specialty on it's own with it's own training course. Each EU country will have their own process on getting licensed

adventure_rn, MSN, NP · Jan 23, 2018

I know literally nothing about France, but I do have some relatives who live in the UK. From what I understand, midwifery isn't even within the scope of nursing in the UK; it's its own separate entity. So for instance, even if you had a CNM degree from the US, you couldn't be a CNM in the UK because that role doesn't exist; you'd have to go back to school to get your midwifery-specific degree and license.

I can't speak for every European country, but in general, it is very difficult for advanced practice nursing licenses to transfer internationally. Neither the education required to become an advanced practice provider nor the roles themselves are standardized enough across countries to easily transition, at least in the current state of nursing. If living in France is your end goal, it would likely be much easier to move there as an RN and learn what kinds of graduate programs are required to attain your goals than to attend grad school in a different country and realize after the fact that it doesn't transfer.

Many countries require a BSN (or a 4-year degree equivalent) to practice, so that might be a good place to start investigating when considering prospective countries as well as future academic programs.

There are some travel nursing agencies that set experienced US nurses up with contracts in English-speaking countries like the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Contracts can last anywhere from 6 months up to a couple of years. The agencies can help you navigate getting your licensed endorsed in host countries, as well as the often complex process of getting a work visa. You'd need at least a couple of years of specialty experience (for instance, L&D) to be eligible. While you get your two years of specialty experience, you could simultaneously work on your BSN degree online.

This would be taking things in a slightly different direction, but I've also known travel nurses who take contracts for 6 months a year, save up a bunch of money, and then travel the world for 6 months a year. Some volunteer as nurses during their travels. It wouldn't be equivalent to settling down in another country, but it would give you the flexibility travel around Europe.

majerager · Jan 25, 2018

Thank you for the fruitful response! I really appreciate your insight, I had no idea about agencies that could do that.

I'm definitely planning to do graduate education in France so I can practice as a midwife.

As for now, I am planning to complete my ADN program in the states. I'm thinking about what I should do after, complete my BSN here in the States or move to the UK and complete it there..? Are your relatives nurses or midwives?

majerager · Jan 25, 2018

This is for nursing (as opposed to midwifery), yes? The training you are referring to? So if I were to complete my BSN here and move to the UK, it would be difficult to get licensed?