NP work in Africa - Uganda

reeya · Mar 2, 2012

Has anyone worked in Africa (specifically Uganda)
I would be interested in staying in the same field (Emergency Medicine) if possible.
I would also like to be working in Kampala.
I would love to hear your stories and any advice.

Is NP license recognized in Uganda? I thought NP was a recognizable degree only in US, Canada, Australia, and England. Other countries do not have NP degree, nor they recognize NP license. I may be wrong though but this is what I've heard.

zenman · Mar 2, 2012

There's a thread here somewhere about NP's in other countries. Africa has them.

dauphin_dude · Jan 17, 2013

I was also wondering about what it would take to practice as an APN in Uganda full time. Also is it possible to keep a license in the US while working overseas for an extended period of time.

Thanks

SycamoreGuy · Jan 17, 2013

There's a thread here somewhere about NP's in other countries. Africa has them.

it would be pretty ironic for counties that still accept folk medicine as valid to have a problem with NPs.

SkiBumNP · Jan 17, 2013

it would be pretty ironic for counties that still accept folk medicine as valid to have a problem with NPs.

I have to say SycamoreStudent, if you are this quick to discredit folk medicine you may have many problems down the line working with patients who are not from the USA.

SycamoreGuy · Jan 18, 2013

Since we are talking about Africa I was thinking along the lines of female circumcision but I suppose that might not nessisarily be in the same category.

ljm9304 · Jan 20, 2013

Not trying to be mean, but have you been to Uganda, or any African state for that matter? If you have, and are eager to return, good on you. If you just watched 'The Devil Came on Horseback', 'Living in Emergency', or 'Evil revisted' and have decided this is your calling, I'd urge you to sleep on it.

If your experience is limited to some sort of abbreviated mission trip, or study abroad, I'd highly recommend that you return to the continent solo. Those types of trips, while life changing, are generally manufactured experiences and leave you with little clue of the reality that exists once you depart. Take it from someone who lived in a village as an individual development worker for an extended period of time and saw caravans of the two-week well-intentioned wonders. It's one thing to spend two weeks living in tents with fellow parishioners or students, and another to live on your own among a community, essentially becoming a part of it.

NP's would roughly be equivalent to what some countries call clinic officers. However, aside from starting your own NGO, it would be tough to simply 'work full time' in Uganda, or any African state, without finding a group already doing this. A long shot would be contacting the ministry of health and inquiring about a potential contract. But, expect to be paid pennies.

If you're looking to relocate indefinitely, and want to earn a decent living, you could attempt to cater to the expatriate population. In the capital city of the country where I lived, there were more than a few America/british/and australian MD's and DDS's who made a pretty penny serving NGO, Gov't, and corporate expats. This would probably be your only means of achieving autonomy and independence. As working for an NGO or the state government would leave you susceptible to their movements. I assume that money isn't your motivation, which is wonderful; but if it is, that's great, too. Just don't neglect the fact that living in African cities is far more expensive than living in most western cities (NYC and LA). Contrary to what any reasonable person would assume, right....it's Africa, **** should be cheap. Gas, cars, entertainment, food, services, and housing are all expensive, given that most have to be shipped in.

Good luck.

nursetim, NP · Jan 24, 2013

It just so happens that I used to work with an NP that lived in Uganda and subsequently married a Ugandan. I hope you like parasites. She came back a Petrie dish. Her husband has had a hard time with our diet. Good luck. Personally I hope to not visit or live in Africa. They have diseases they don't even have names for.

ljm9304 · Jan 24, 2013

Good luck. Personally I hope to not visit or live in Africa. They have diseases they don't even have names for.

Diseases with no names! No way, you mean to say that scientific investigation hasn't figured it all out? Outrageous.

And, of course, Africa is all the same. Cape Town isn't awesome, Mauritius just sucks, as does Zanzibar, and lake Malawi, and while we are at it, Victoria Falls is lame, too.

And parasites are everywhere!

Come on dude, enlighten yourself. Whatever documentaries or news clips you've seen don't exhaust what the many countries of Africa have to offer. In much the same way that a Ugandan learning about America wouldn't want to end their inquiry after watching a Michael Moore or D'souza documentary. Too much left on the table.

nursetim, NP · Jan 24, 2013

Hey, look you like it, cool. It's not my thing. Lighten up Francis.