US RN to work abroad?

[jayknurse]

Hi! I currently work as a RN for a in Michigan, US and I would love to work somewhere international. Any helpful tips or insights of how to go about this? I've been a nurse in med/surg for about a year. Thanks!

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Each country has both nurse registration and immigration requirements. You need to spend time deciding what country you wish to live and work and see what the requirements are

[BertG77]

I just got back from a clinical experience in various hospitals in Cuenca, Ecuador which I absolutely LOVED. At each hospital I asked what was needed for a US citizen to work there. The nurse managers stated that our BSN degrees are recognized in Ecuador as the equivalent of their "licenciadas." The licenciadas are usually the nurses running each ward which are heavily staffed and operated by their equivalent of CNA's and LVN's. All the facilities we visited stated they are in serious need of nurses and would welcome any nurses from the US. Apparently the only thing needed is to complete some bureaucratic paperwork in order to begin working. How long this takes or how complicated it is, I have no idea. I can tell you that it would be a dream to work in Ecuador. The culture, geography and the people were beautiful. Just thought I'd share this in case you find it interesting.

[Anonymous666]

I just got back from a clinical experience in various hospitals in Cuenca, Ecuador which I absolutely LOVED. At each hospital I asked what was needed for a US citizen to work there. The nurse managers stated that our BSN degrees are recognized in Ecuador as the equivalent of their "licenciadas." The licenciadas are usually the nurses running each ward which are heavily staffed and operated by their equivalent of CNA's and LVN's. All the facilities we visited stated they are in serious need of nurses and would welcome any nurses from the US. Apparently the only thing needed is to complete some bureaucratic paperwork in order to begin working. How long this takes or how complicated it is, I have no idea. I can tell you that it would be a dream to work in Ecuador. The culture, geography and the people were beautiful. Just thought I'd share this in case you find it interesting.

Hey Bert,

This may be a silly question, but am I correct in assuming that a US nurse working in Ecuador would have to speak Spanish?

[US RN in Oz]

As far as UK, IR, CA, NZ and AU go, there is reciprocity with nursing degrees. I know that, at least Australia, you would not have to take another nursing exam. Depending on the situation, they may test English language skill.

I'm not 100% site if this rings true in each one those countries but, in Australia, it would be very difficult to land steady work without having more experience and/or be certified in a specialty. There's not even enough placement for australian nurses at this point.

I think this may be true with at some of the other countries mentioned above.

I like the lifestyle better in all those countries than America. However, I like nursing more in America. Working in socialized medicine can kinda suck.

I know the differences between American and Australian acute care med-surg all to well. As far as a nursing career, America is by far the better place to be. It's the one and only thing I miss.