moving to USA

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i need some advise please. I'm a mental health nurse trained in Ireland, i have Bsc in mental health nursing. what do i need to do to be able to practice as a psych nurse in america as i was told by a colleague here in Ireland that you have to be a general nurse to practice in america. can anyone please shed a bit more light on this for me please. Thanks.

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Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.

Nursing education in the U.S. is set up to prepare generalist nurses on graduation - therefore it is on the job training that ultimately defines one's specialty area (and some nurses bounce around and may work in may different specialties over their careers).

I am not certain how the Bsc in mental health nursing compares to the BS in nursing we have in the U.S., but my guess is that you've had more specific training for working in mental health specifically, and may have had less coursework across the spectrum of different nursing specialties?

Try posting your question in the World Nursing forum (https://allnurses.com/world-c227/) - perhaps someone with more exposure to the Irish nursing education / practice system and how it compares to the U.S. system of training and practice will be able to offer more specific information.

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Hey!

I'm an Irish nurse who's working in psych here in the states. I trained as a general nurse in Ireland before I came over 3 years ago. The nclex (the nursing qualifying exam here) is challenging, other Irish nurse's took 2/3 tries before passing. Especially if you've been out of school a few years.

I would email the board of nursing of the state you're thinking about going to. They're the most reliable source to comment on your degree, make sure to emphasis your non-psych training.

Good luck!

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2 hours ago, Mikejose said:

Hey!

I'm an Irish nurse who's working in psych here in the states. I trained as a general nurse in Ireland before I came over 3 years ago. The nclex (the nursing qualifying exam here) is challenging, other Irish nurse's took 2/3 tries before passing. Especially if you've been out of school a few years.

I would email the board of nursing of the state you're thinking about going to. They're the most reliable source to comment on your degree, make sure to emphasis your non-psych training.

Good luck!

Thanks so much MikeJose for the response. I'm looking at going to either the state of California or Texas. I'm actually psych trained not general, all relevant info you can offer will be highly appreciated. You can email me on [email protected]. Thans.

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On 5/20/2019 at 1:30 AM, verene said:

Nursing education in the U.S. is set up to prepare generalist nurses on graduation - therefore it is on the job training that ultimately defines one's specialty area (and some nurses bounce around and may work in may different specialties over their careers).

I am not certain how the Bsc in mental health nursing compares to the BS in nursing we have in the U.S., but my guess is that you've had more specific training for working in mental health specifically, and may have had less coursework across the spectrum of different nursing specialties?

Try posting your question in the World Nursing forum (https://allnurses.com/world-c227/) - perhaps someone with more exposure to the Irish nursing education / practice system and how it compares to the U.S. system of training and practice will be able to offer more specific information.

Thanks for the info Verene.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
12 hours ago, solaodaniels said:

Thanks so much MikeJose for the response. I'm looking at going to either the state of California or Texas. I'm actually psych trained not general, all relevant info you can offer will be highly appreciated. You can email me on [email protected]. Thans.

California is one of the toughest states to register in and they do their own assessment and we have seen lots of members post being short on a lot of hours in Paeds and Obstetrics

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California, you will need to pass the NCLEX (if you are not licensed in another state) and you will need to have your transcripts sent that prove you have had all the required prerequisites

Quote

Required Prerequisites for RN Examination and Endorsement Applicants

California Code of Regulations Section 1426 identifies the prerequisite courses required in addition to a nursing program:

  • Communication skills, six (6) semester or nine (9) quarter units shall include principals of:
  • Oral communication
  • Written communication
  • Group communication

Related natural sciences, sixteen (16) semester or twenty-four (24) quarter units shall include:

  • Anatomy with lab
  • Physiology with lab
  • Microbiology with lab
  • Behavioral sciences (Psychology)
  • Social sciences
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Maybe you could start in state that's not as stringent and then move. I'm in Florida and it wasn't an issue that I didn't have 'microbiology with lab' etc. I'm getting an interstate license right now which means I will be able to work in most states.

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