Nationwide RN licensing test

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I found out that in Australia that there is no nationwide RN licensing test like the NCLEX in the United States.

Is this true?

The nurse I was talking to said, "all you need is your nursing degree, then you can start practicing"

Out of curiosity, what other countries don't require a nationwide RN licensing test like the NCLEX?

Thank you!

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

There are countries that require you to be licensed in the country you trained in and have no exam. Australia and New Zealand is one and the UK and probably other countries in the EU are another

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Specializes in Medical Surgical.

I don't think there is an exam there but I've heard that people applying there have to go under training and take the IELTS. But there are also limited spots. Hmm

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In Australia,

One of the criteria when assessing overseas educated nurses, is that education takes part in a university standard institution (to me that means research, professors, high education of lecturers doing research to give back to their professions) is not adhered to, if you look at some of the nursing schools some overseas nurses are educated.

Some RN's educated overseas tell me, after I have queried their practise, that their clinical teachers where graduate students from the past year, they have only done clinical in the past year of their degree and cared for patients that 10 other students were already allocated too....how can this be ideal? how can this be university standard of nursing education?

Yet our board still assesses them as same level education of nursing.

Just rote learning to pass a national exam is nothing to do having critical thinking skills and have the education to care for people through nursing them to their individual needs.

Thats why many countries do not have national exams. Knowing what blood samples to pull and how to read a pathology results to call doctors, does not make sure a nurse has with holistic nursing qualities.

I asked one nurse who was wanting a job, that was educated overseas and had national exam in their own country, what would they do if a patient was having trouble breathing and their answer was that they would take blood gases and get a chest xray (.all outside an RN's practise in a medical ward)and proceded to tell me the ratios and adnormalities they may see.. and get hold of a doctor...

to me no nursing was to take place at all to care for that patient.!! except contact a doctor. I hope Australia never has a national exam.

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