American looking to study in Europe to become NP

KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN · May 28, 2015

May I ask you why do you think that getting mid-level degree in Europe where there are much less of them and their scope of practice is more limited is better than doing the same in the USA? Just wondering - especially counting that you will not be able to convert your mid-level degree into anything functional here.

Dranger · May 28, 2015

Sounds like to me like you want to enjoy the grandeur of living in Europe with all of the traveling/sites and conveniently tack on a MSN-NP. Unfortunately you have to choose.

NPs are very very North American. While Britain and a few other countries utilize NPs, Europe is still physician dominated and the international laws and regulations would be impossible to overcome. You would be at a disadvantage anywhere in Europe acting as NP compared to the US. Also, I HIGHLY doubt any US NP school would sanction preceptors in Europe. It is already highly difficult to get preceptors in the US and many preceptors (even MDs) are rejected by schools for various reasons.

As for European NP programs ,they are few and far between and can almost guarantee there will be licensing issues should you come here. Even foreign physicians have to complete a US residency AND pass all 3 MD boards when they come here.

It's a pipe dream, that's all

jj224 · May 28, 2015

Fairly certain you won't get loans here to study overseas.

Eurohippus · May 29, 2015

You can get loans to study overseas at schools participating in the Title IV federal student aid programs.

You can see the list here.

Eurohippus · May 29, 2015

Sounds like to me like you want to enjoy the grandeur of living in Europe with all of the traveling/sites and conveniently tack on a MSN-NP.

I used to live in Europe and your assumption is quite silly, to be mild. My priority is my education, but I do encourage you to open your mind beyond thoughts of "grandeur". Considering the low tuition costs in many European countries among other benefits, it is no wonder that many choose this path.

At least you have the rest of it correct. For this particular path, it is difficult at best due to the lack of equivalent programs offered. This is why I hoped to hear from an American with actual experience studying nursing in Europe.

K+MgSO4, BSN · May 29, 2015

Lower fees are usually for residents or citizens of the country. International fees apply to others.

Dranger · May 29, 2015

I used to live in Europe and your assumption is quite silly, to be mild. My priority is my education, but I do encourage you to open your mind beyond thoughts of "grandeur". Considering the low tuition costs in many European countries among other benefits, it is no wonder that many choose this path.
At least you have the rest of it correct. For this particular path, it is difficult at best due to the lack of equivalent programs offered. This is why I hoped to hear from an American with actual experience studying nursing in Europe.

I have also spent time in Europe and if my assumption is silly than your plan is frankly ill-thought out.

I know that list well as I was planning to study abroad. The reimbursement and distribution of loans are not the same as the US. If you think any European nation is going to give you resident tuition you would also be misinformed. Programs are cheaper because of the taxes. You don't pay taxes.

Also, just because you can in theory get loan there doesn't mean those programs actually exist. If you haven't noticed by now, no one has responded with any serious dialogue into your inquiry. While I am sure there are a myriad of places to study RN/BSN, NPs are essentially an American device for now.

I am sure you have used the internet to find these said programs. I know there are a few programs in Britain but I don't know their selection process or if they readily hand out seats to foreign students.Finding an American on these boards who studied nursing in Europe or even less likely NP in Europe is very unlikely.

Your best bet is to finish your NP here and try to get a working Visa there (lengthy and difficult due to unemployment rates across Europe) while hitting the minuscule job market. If you manage to find a program there, you would be relegated to work in a diminished capacity compared to your brethren in the US. If at any time you would want to return to the US, you would have to deal with the licensing laws which I am sure are a lot less black and white than physician regulations. If you did not fully read my above post, foreign trained physicians are required to pass ALL 3 licensing exams plus finish a US residency while competing against new US MD grads. Do you really think a European NP can just waltz back into the US?

Either way the plan makes 0 sense. Once again it's a pipe dream.

Eurohippus · May 29, 2015

If you think any European nation is going to give you resident tuition you would also be misinformed.

Germany and Norway would like a word with you. Compare tuition costs across the board in Europe, even for international students. None of the countries I looked at charged anywhere near even $30k, which is our lower end. If you don't know this, even after supposedly doing so much research, it is hard to take anything you say seriously.

Also, just because you can in theory get loan there doesn't mean those programs actually exist.

Which is part of why I made this post. Remember?

Finding an American on these boards who studied nursing in Europe or even less likely NP in Europe is very unlikely.

What do you think this statement contributes after the post is made and this has become apparent?

foreign trained physicians are required to pass ALL 3 licensing exams plus finish a US residency

I am not talking about med school. I'm talking about nursing. They are not the same. Drawing blind conclusions is not my style. Seeking specific facts is, and this "do you think?!?!?!" style information does not qualify as such. The relevant question is, what "tests" have to be passed, if any, after an MSN? Is it different if the MSN is from another country?

I know you don't know this, but in case anyone who does sees this.

Dranger · May 29, 2015

Right, well when you get a meaningful response here let me know so you can prove me wrong.

Physicians are obviously more internationally friendly than nurse practitioners and I bet with the handful of countries who even offer a MSN you would be at square one in transferring over license rights from country to country. If the U.S. scrutinizes foreign physicians to such a degree I can't imagine what the standards would be for NPs who have even less of a cohesive education. For starters the example British NP program I saw was a bachelors degree

A 5 minute Google search was all I needed to draw a conclusion.

Good of luck but the obvious facts should have hit you before you even made this post with just a tad bit of inquiry.

KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN · Jun 1, 2015

The thing is, while medicine and UNDERGRAD nursing degrees have fair share of equivalence in courseload, skills, etc. while comparing US and Europe, there is no same comparison is GRADUATE CLINICAL nursing degrees, the reason being the very different ways medical care is developing there, respectively.

I live in an area with very high concentration of foreign-born and trained high-level professionals and so quick search among friends yielded some answers. There were two nurses with graduate degrees in clinical nursing from England, one in midwifery and another one who worked in rural highlands keeping a small clinic running till doctor came every day and sorted things out but with privileges to prescribe basics and send patients to hospital on her own. Both came with K1 visas and so had no immigration-related limits on work and study. Both found right out that they have only two options: 1) go through the process for foreign-trained RNs and get registered as such, and 2) utilize their foreign degree through third party evaluation to Masters and go to academia. There was, as far as 2014, no process to evaluate foreign clinical nursing degrees except for grads of certain Canafian schools and so their diplomas, experiences and so forth rendered as useless. Moreover, one of these nurses researched a trak for CNMs and found out that while many schools would accept her coursework as prereqs, no one considers her without US nursing school diploma AND US related work experience, her 10+ years GB experience as midwife not counting. She works as a doula now. Another lady teaches in local community college while getting her MBA.

Dear OP, this forum is quite full of us immigrants and, trust me, we got a whole damn lot of common sense in the process." If you want to work in a country X, get your final degree in that country" is a rule written by tears, sweat and blood for a good reason.