Maintaining Certification While Living Abroad

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Hello allnurses community!

First post, so bear with me.

Need some advise: There's a high probability that I may soon be relocating overseas within the next year or so. My husband is expecting to get a job offer that would relocate us somewhere in Europe - likely France or a nearby country. He's not affiliated with the military or government, so we would be living amongst the local residents. And the move would be long-term. While I'm very excited about this, I'm also contemplating what this might mean for my career. I've been practicing as a FNP for close to 3 years, and also work part-time as clinical faculty for a FNP program. So I'm still fairly fresh.

Per my research, the countries we would likely live in don't recognize the APRN role. Even transferring my RN license wouldn't work because the credentialing, etc. is completely different. Not to mention, I wouldn't know the local language or culture! So I know that I wouldn't be able to continue practicing within my respective role.

Nonetheless, I'm trying to stay optimistic and open-minded with the hope that my education and experience will not go completely unused while there. Thus is why I'm reaching out to all of you. Anyone been in a similar scenario, or know of someone that has experienced this? If so, did you/they just let the FNP certification lapse since it requires at least 1000 clinical practice hours per 5yr renewal? What type of work did you/they do while abroad? For those that haven't experienced something like this, what would you do? I'm open to any ideas. Thanks in advance.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

My husband is career military and I've lived several places overseas.

I personally wouldn't consider letting my cert lapse.

What about getting a job at a consulate or teach at a Schoole for american kids?

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traumaRUs,

Thanks for the suggestions! I've briefly thought about teaching for american students, but will have to look at the qualifications for that more. They may want someone with some sort of teaching certificate. I haven't considered the consulate, so can definitly explore the opportunities they might have for someone like me. I'm still not sure how I would be able to maintain certification while overseas without actual hands-on FNP clinical practice hours. I may have to get really creative, like volunteer in some medical-type capacity.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Mission trips? Free clinics?

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Specializes in DHSc, PA-C.

Maybe findings a telemedicine job could be possible.

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Thanks DizzyJon for offering that idea!

Telemedicine has briefly crossed my mind, but I'll have to re-explore all of the intricacies involved with that. I also wonder if I would need to obtain a license for each state that a particular patient lives in.

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You might be able to figure out your necessary hours by doing travel assignments stateside while you are there. ( If FNP's do

traveling).

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You said you've been practicing for 3 yrs here. Have you been working full-time? When do you need to renew? Do you have the 1k hours already from the job you've been doing?

Also, by which organization are you certified? If ANCC, were you aware that the ANCC made practice hours optional for recertification last year? (I know, it sounds crazy, but I looked up the recert requirements for my specialty recently and found it on the ANCC website. I even called the ANCC and spoke with a real person to make sure I wasn't reading something wrong.) Instead of the old requirements of mandatory practice hours, mandatory education hours, and one other choice from a group of optional categories (presentations, precepting students, formal education hours, additional continuing ed hours, etc.), they have now made the practice hours just one of the optional categories, so you can recertify with no clinical practice hours in the last five years (what a scary thought!)

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Interesting about ANCC's recert practice hours requirement...I wonder what prompted that change? Strange. I'm board certified through AANP, and have well-exceeded the 1000 min practice hours so I'll be okay when the 5yr recert occurs. But looking ahead, I'm just brainstorming how to maintain clinical practice hours while living in a foreign country when the next recert rolls around. Who knows, with the way things change the AANP may mimic the ANCC recert requirements. Irregardless, I plan to maintain my clinical experience but this may be a challenge in a foreign country.

Thanks for sharing that info about ANCC elkpark!

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Specializes in DHSc, PA-C.
You said you've been practicing for 3 yrs here. Have you been working full-time? When do you need to renew? Do you have the 1k hours already from the job you've been doing?

Also, by which organization are you certified? If ANCC, were you aware that the ANCC made practice hours optional for recertification last year? (I know, it sounds crazy, but I looked up the recert requirements for my specialty recently and found it on the ANCC website. I even called the ANCC and spoke with a real person to make sure I wasn't reading something wrong.) Instead of the old requirements of mandatory practice hours, mandatory education hours, and one other choice from a group of optional categories (presentations, precepting students, formal education hours, additional continuing ed hours, etc.), they have now made the practice hours just one of the optional categories, so you can recertify with no clinical practice hours in the last five years (what a scary thought!)

No practice hours?!?! Hopefully, that state requires hours. It isn't safe for someone to leave clinical practice for 5 years and then one day pick up a stethoscope, a prescription pad and go at it.

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No practice hours?!?! Hopefully, that state requires hours. It isn't safe for someone to leave clinical practice for 5 years and then one day pick up a stethoscope, a prescription pad and go at it.

Yes, really scary. It sounded crazy to me, I figured I must be reading something wrong, which is why I actually telephoned to confirm with a live person.

Nursing keeps watering down the standards and requirements, though.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

I was recently with a group from AACN (Amer Assoc of Crit Care Nurses) that developed a separate AGACNP certification exam. The issue of ANCC not mandating practice hours for recertification came up. It may have been ANCC's response to request from NP faculty who seek recertification but only teach full time and not practice in the clinical setting anymore. You can still use practice hours as elkpark pointed out, but it's now just relegated as one of the renewal categories for recertification. Whatever it is, ANCC has gotten soft and AACN was not planning on following suit with the ANCC policy at the time I met with the group.

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