American student interested in training/working internationally

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Hi!

I'm American, and I'm interested in becoming a nurse, but I'd rather not do it here in the USA. Ideally, I'd live to study and work in Hong Kong, but I've also been thinking about pursuing this career in Australia. Problem is, I have no idea where to start. Is it even possible for an American to go to school and get licensed as a nurse in another country?

I've been searching for answers to some of my questions, but I've only been able to find information about foreigners wanting to come to America, not the other way around. Does anyone have some knowledge/experience they'd be willing to share with me?

Thanks!

-Josh

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

It is possible to train in another country however the issues then arise registering back in the US as the paperwork is different. Also when you study overseas and not a resident of that country the fees are generally a lot more

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Ah, so do you think it be more practical to do a four-year BSN program in the USA, then look into getting certified/registered in whatever country I decide to work in?

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Immigration and Nurse requirements will depend on the country you are planning on applying to, remember getting sorted as a nurses (registering and getting license) is not the same as immigration requirements

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Josh,

I am an American living in the UK and am in my last year of university pursuing my Adult Nursing degree. I can tell you that training in other countries is very different to that in the US. If you ever think that you may want to return to the US to live at anytime I would suggest that you get your nursing degree in the States and then apply to travel to other countries. You may still need to attend adaptation courses in the countries you wish to move to as procedures and medication names vary from country to country, but these tend to be short, ie: three months or so.

I say this because I very much want to move back to California to be near my family when I graduate, but am finding that I will have quite a few additional courses to take in addition to studying and passing the NCLEX exam. It will be a long process, but worth it in the end.

Good luck in your nursing career. Hope this helped.

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