MD from Russia to RN

World International

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Hi guys!

I have moved to the US recently. Now I am living in Connecticut / NYC area. I used to be MD + PhD in Russia . Somebody told me that there is a Nursing program for former Russian doctors, given by Russian teachers in NYC. After graduation from this program you will be allowed to take NCLEX. Also, after Russian diploma will be evaluated as Bachelor degree, you can get a BSN. Does somebody know or heard about it? Is anything else is worth to consider? If anybody knows what would work, please, give me an advice how to get into Nursing program or get BSN as a second degree!

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

I haven't heard of any courses in the US allowing this transition in the US but I believe there was a course in St Petersburg that was accepted this thread should explain things a bit more https://allnurses.com/international-nursing/md-rn-program-196861.html

Moving this to the International forum

I knew a couple of RNs who were Russian MDs and retrained here in Canada. The course work was done through a local community college. I think it was offered twice due to the number of former East Bloc doctors in our community and the lack of resident spots.

Some of the best nurses I ever worked with. One went to ICU and another to community health. Great patient care skills on top of their medical skills. As one put it to me, better to retrain as a nurse than be a taxi driver or waiting for a resident's slot that may never happen.

I would just ensure that any course was through an accredited school and not a course through something that sounds a bit off like "some Russian teachers in NYC".

Just a caution to be sure to check with your state Board of Nursing before putting any effort or $$ into a specialized MD-to-RN educational program -- in order to be eligible to write the NCLEX and get a license, you must complete a program of nursing education approved by your state BON. If your state doesn't recognize and accept a particular program, it's a waste of your time and money.

Best wishes for your journey!

Across the nation, there are accelerated nursing education programs for non-nursing professionals. There are also special programs for foreign-trained physicians who want to take up nursing. There's one in Florida and maybe California. I do not know about New York. will you let me know if you find out?

Specializes in CTICU.

You have a PhD - why not try to get work using that rather than undertake a whole new career? Or get your medical credentials recognized here? It's difficult, but not much more difficult than it is for foreign-trained RNs to get nursing licenses in the US (I did that and it was a pain in the you-know-what).

Seems a shame to throw away so many years of study!

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