From RN(Diploma in nursing) to Advanced Practice Nurse/nurse practioner?

iamnomad · Jun 5, 2014

The US requires an associate degree in order to be eligible for registration as nurse. Whether your diploma is equivalent or not to that of the minimum eligibility requirement is up to the state boards of nursing, mostly through the CGFNS. CGFNS evaluates your nursing education or nursing qualifications and determines whether your degree is equivalent to that of the US. If you were to succeed through this route, and eventually apply for an NP (MSN) degree, then you have some choices. Either you do an RN-MSN degree, or RN-BSN, then BSN-MSN/DNP route.

In Australia, their minimum eligibility requirement is that overseas nurses must have an Australian equivalent of a Bachelor's degree. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, a board under AHPRA, examines the equivalency. But even if you finished a Bachelor's degree in Mauritius, you would still need to study or undergo a bridging program because only few countries (US, NZ, Ireland, UK, Canada, HK, Singapore) qualify for an almost reciprocity RN registration. This bridging program is 3 months in duration and costs about $12,000 on average. But then again, that doesn't mean you'll qualify for this. The Board may ask you to study a further 2 years in Australia, which will cost you a lot of money. If you were to succeed through this route, the NP process is quite different here. You must have at least 5 years experience as a nurse. Three of those 5 years should be in an advanced nursing position, such as Clinical Nurse Consultant or Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Gaining these qualifications, given that you're qualified, takes time and efforts. But I guess the biggest question is what avenue you'll take to get to these places. Are you aiming for a work visa or a student visa? Because that will play a major role.