Nursing in France

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Is there anyone who can fill me in on RN jobs in France. I prefer the city hospiitals, I work in ICU currently. I have many years exp in Med Surg also. Would like to hear from someone. If you know about pay scale and such include that also. Thanks, bambi007;)

Specializes in ICU, education.
Hi everybody,

I am a male nurse in France (I am French, excuse me for my English but I try to become better), so, since 2004 I think it is not so easy to work in France as a nurse if you come from outside the EU.

This is the law (in French) which define how to do for nurses with not a French diploma http://www.admi.net/jo/20040221/SANP0420013A.html

Here an explanation in English http://www.edufrance.net/adm/docs/filieres2004/infirmier2-GB.pdf

And here informations from American Hospital of Paris (It is the only bilingual hospital in France)

https://www.american-hospital.org/Foreign-nurse-applicants.1083+M57d0acf4f16.0.html

I hope that can help you if you are interesting to come in France.:welcome:

Fred

Beinvenue Fred!

I am a registered nurse completing a masters at USF (Univ. South FL) and have recently purchased an apt. in the 11e in Paris. Eventually plan to move and would like to work as a nurse. I've spoken with the nursing director at the Amer. Hosp. as an introduction. I have a basic understanding of the requirements and plan to obtain an Irish passport (via my grandfather) and hope to have an Irish nursing license.

My question - what opportunties exsist for nurses with advanced degrees? My masters will be an MSN in nursing education. I appreciate any information you or anyone else might be able to offer. Merci!

Sincerely,

Michael

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Specializes in Emergency Room + Psychiatric.

Hi Michael,

I try to give you some informations.

Firstly to work in France you must be fluent in French.

Secondly you must have the French diploma (State Diploma) or EU diploma (from Eire, England, Belgium, Spain ...), because nurse is a protected profession.

I am afraid that your masters will not be recognized in France (if you can work as a nurse) because here nurse diploma is not an university level.

At present we are on stroke and we demonstrate because we want that our diploma (3 years and 3 months of study) will become a bachelor and we will can have a master and a doctorate in nursing sciences.

Here the only specialities are :

Pediatric nurse (1 year)

Operating room nurse (1 year)

Anesthesiologist-Resuscitation nurse (2 years)

Manager nurse (1 year).

So if you have an Irish passport it is very easy to come and stay in France without visa, and you can work, but you have not the Irish diploma !!:o

You will be have a French passport and not an EU diploma it will be the same thing !!:uhoh3:

You will take the competitive entrance exam for a French nursing school.

So the 11e in Paris is a very good choice it is a pleasing area.

good luck,

Fred.

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Specializes in Renal / Dialysis.

Hi and thank you David for your comprehensive information.

I am uprooting my young family from UK to Northen France as soon as I locate a job.

I am off to organise my Diploma translated before I visit France next week(!) I have inspiration to explore the possibility of becoming an "Infermier liberal" perhaps to serve the French and possibly ex-pats in Normandie?

Does any one know if this has been done elsewhere, and would this be classed as self enployed?

My only concern is that my French writing may let me down, Is the Documentation in France as tough as in the UK? I am otherwise fluent in the language.

When the Presidential seat lands a new leader, how will this affect Nursing?

I understand a candidate wishes to abolish the 35hr week.

Thanks for the positive thread!

Oliver

I've lived and worked in France since 2001.

To register your qualification here you need to go in person to your local health and social security department (listed in the yellow pages as the DDASS). You must speak fluent French, and if you don't you will be refused registration as an IDE (Infirmier Diplômé d'Etat). People with European Union qualifications have the right to register straight off. You must present your original certificates with a French translation stamped by an official interpreter approved by your embassy. Others often need to work as Aide Soignants (nurses aides, care assistants) while they work for the French qualification.

Compared to my homeland (the UK) nursing here is paradise. They think they have a crisis, but it's nothing compared to the UK. The public health system here repeatedly comes top of international league tables and it's easy to see why. It's well funded and well resourced. Things such as waiting lists for surgery just don't exist as they do in the UK.

Everyone in France works a 35 hour week. Holiday entitlements are good (around six weeks plus the 13 public holidays). Pay is not amazing, but you earn enough to live on and the benefits are good (pension, travel allowance etc.) Public hospitals have a reputation for paying better than private clinics, who often skimp to make their profit. The public sector functions in an almost "money no object" fashion, which is beginning to change. Taxes here are high, but you get what you pay for - a good health service, good schools, excellent public transport and civic amenities.

Most nurses work a fixed shift (mornings, afternoons or nights) with some places having implemented the long day/night (12 hours). Your meal breaks are paid, and many hospitals provide you with a free meal on duty. Very few places have shift rotation between night and day like in the UK. You're usually either a morning nurse, an afternoon nurse or a night nurse. IDE (registered nurse) levels are low but you always have a good number of Aide soignants to support you, and they are trained to a high level - they can generally be trusted to get on with the basic care. The nurses job here is more focused on the technical tasks - drugs, IVs, bloods etc. Nursing here is still very task orientated (something I personally like). Nurses here are very efficient, but perhaps lack the 'personal touch' of anglo-saxon culture. It's a different relationship here - the patient sees you more as a professional and maintains an almost formal respect which I think British patients no longer have.

In larger cities agency nursing is possible and is well paid. The shortage of nurses here means there is always agency work. Recruitment of foreign nurses is becoming increasingly common.

Many nurses here set up in their own practices (Infirmiers libérals) You go to these nurses with all your prescptions for things like dresings, injections etc. Practice nurses don't exist and less happens in outpatients than in the UK, so these nurses fulfil that role, as well as providing homecare like the British district nurse.

If you speak English there are increasingly opprtunities for bi-lingual nurses in international companies and NGO's. There are both an American and a Franco-British hospital just outside Paris catering largely to ex-pats. Bi-lingual posts always pay better, you can really sell your English here, but you must speak good French too.

Personally, I love life here and would recomend it to anybody. The French, I feel, get an unfairly bad press abroad. Once you penetrate this society you realise what a warm race of people they are. The pace of life here (even in Paris) is slow and civilised. There is a very rich cultural life here and the food and wine of course are unbeatable. Working life is very civilised; due to the socialist cullture and strong unions things are very much weighted in the employees favour. Nursing care here is good; medical standards are high. I would say go for it.

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Specializes in ICU, education.

Thank you Fred for the valuable information. It is appreciated! I apologize for the delay in replying - but my final examinations for the term have just ended! (yeah!) I am looking into the possible Irish nursing license (in addition to passport) - alas - I am not sure it will be a reality given that Ireland is requiring time to practice before getting the full license - and I want to live in Paris, not Dublin .

Prehaps I can become active in trying to advance the nursing education to recognize the baccalaurate and graduate degrees - for such to be lacking in France should be unacceptable. As a Sigma Theta Tau member - maybe I can arrange a local chapter in Paris - and then connect with the ICN (International Council of Nurses) who knows!?

In the meantime - I must learn my French. I will be visiting my apartment next week (Wednesday - just after the labor holiday!) to spend about a 1 week before returning to begin my summer classes...again, meri Fred!

Sincerely,

Michael

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Hi everyone,

I'm a french nurse living in NYC and just get my RN licence here.

I just wanted to add a couple of things to that thread.

The first one is that Dudette whose the travel nurse in the south of France said that she's earning 1950 euros per month (wich is pretty good in France), did not mentionned that when she stops working for a month for example do not get payed during this month!! That's why you get pay very well when you decide to do travel nursing.

Another thing that is very different from the US is the taxes, you do pay your taxes after you get your salary. Here in the US, the taxes are already taken when you receive your salary, in France NO!!

To answer one of the questions, to work on your own as a 'infirmier liberal' you need to have a 3 year experience and no matter who is the future president, I can tell you that you will definetely work more than 35h!!!

And finally, I find it totally unfair for the US nurses that they have to go back to school when they want to work in France, I can tell you that they learn much more then we do!! (except maybe for the practice side)

Hyacinthe

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Hi,

That's all very helpful, I'm a student nurse facing the job shortages next year when I qualify so I was thinking about going to france instead:

a) does anybody know if there are similar problems in France? b) How easy would it be for me to get a job with no experience as a qualified nurse?

Also, I speak fluent french but I trained in the UK, so I have very little medical vocab- has anybody ever found a course teaching specialist medical jargon?

Thanks very much

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I think that you're not going have any trouble finding a job in France because there's a big shortage!! As you're licensed from UK, you 're supposed to be able to work everywhere in the EU but you will have to take a French language test (and if you're already fluent, everything is going to be just fine for you)

You should be able to find all the information you need at the beginning of this post!

Hyacinthe

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Specializes in Emergency Room + Psychiatric.

Nurse in France : new informations

Firstly you must speak French.

EU national who have a nurse diploma recognized in EU state can have an authorization to work as nurse in France.

For example Spanish who have diploma from recognized Latin America state in Spain can work in France.

It is the same thing for English or Irish who have recognized diploma in United Kingdom (Canada, USA, Australia, New-Zeland ...).

So if you can have EU nationality ... and your diploma is recognized in EU state, you can work in France (or in another EU state if you speak German, Spanish, Italian ...)

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Nurse in France : new informations

Firstly you must speak French.

EU national who have a nurse diploma recognized in EU state can have an authorization to work as nurse in France.

For example Spanish who have diploma from recognized Latin America state in Spain can work in France.

It is the same thing for English or Irish who have recognized diploma in United Kingdom (Canada, USA, Australia, New-Zeland ...).

So if you can have EU nationality ... and your diploma is recognized in EU state, you can work in France (or in another EU state if you speak German, Spanish, Italian ...)

So are you saying an American RN is recognized by the UK & if fluent in french can work in France?

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Specializes in Emergency Room + Psychiatric.
So are you saying an American RN is recognized by the UK & if fluent in french can work in France?

Yes if you have EU nationality (ie : if you can have Irish or UK passeport).

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Question: Some have said if from Spain can work in France. Does anyone know how to get work in Spain. I know French can read and understand but I have no practice speaking. I am fluent in Spanish. Maybe in my case I can get work first in Spain. If so does any one know how to go about getting work in Spain and what the pay is like there. It seems that someone posted that many nurses come from Spain to France to work.

Does any one know or if from France can ask one of the Spanish nurses about the system in Spain.

Maybe I can start in Spain and make my way to France.

Thanks Angela

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Hey,

I really want to work in a french ski resort preferably with trauma victims from ski acidents etc but also minor stuff aswell. Does anyone know how to get into this field or any contacts that may be able to offer this experience. I have working french but was hoping to improve on the job. I can ski to intermediate level, have been qualified 16 months with experience in burns, general surgery and trauma and currentl work in ITU. Any sugestions?

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