Traveling nurse, worldwide!

[Skyballah]

Hello, thank you for taking the time to read my post.

I'm retiring soon and my plan is to sell everything and travel the world via sailboat. I'm not new to sailboats or the world (thank you Navy), however, I was wondering if any nurses here have any international experience as an American nurse. I want to be able to work wherever I go buy I know nursing is different worldwide. I was bummed to learn that you can't be a nurse in China without passing their version of the nclex (which is in given in Chinese), because I was looking forward to an extended stay in China. But what about Spain, Australia, Brazil, France, etc.?

Any salty nurses here?

[iloveleeks]

Well...it's not impossible to get work overseas, but it's not easy either. Really helps if you have a parent or grandparent that was born overseas so you can get a passport that allows you to work easier.

I was originally a US RN and left for a job in Australia (sponsored) and never looked back. Over the years I have taken nursing jobs in:

Saudi Arabia (sponsored)

England (sponsored the first time, got an EU passport the second time)

Channel Islands (my EU passport worked here, but the CIs are not part of the EU)

Guam/Virgin Islands: US registration

New Zealand: used Australian passport for no-visa-needed work

Brunei: sponsored

Timor L'este (where I am now): sponsored

Japan: went there on the japanese sponsored JET Programme but ended up teaching at the local nursing college once a week

Benin/Ghana: volunteer

I've also been offered jobs in Bermuda (sponsored) and Ireland (EU passport) but didn't take them up. Singapore sometimes recruits with ads in Australia

You can sometimes find work in American Samoa and Saipan and can work on those islands with a US passport and just transfer your US nursing licensure over to them.

I am looking at working in Canada next.

Some of these jobs entailed getting the local nursing registration. Sometimes they were waived for me. Sometimes it depended on whether if they were public or private hospitals.

i would stress that most of these countries do not hire people for a short-term contract. you'd be looking at at least a year...maybe even more if they sponsor you. Getting overseas registration can be a lengthy/costly process. I have been rejected in Ireland and South Africa which surprised me.

Some other places that recruit are The Turks and Caicos, The Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong. I have had friends that have worked in these places.

Also, have you ever thought about taking an English CELTA course??? English teaching jobs can be easy to come by, you don't have to learn the local language, will occasionally sponsor your visa and you can get short term contracts for 3 months or so. Just something to think about.

Just so you know, I am a neonatal nurse, so there are limited jobs that I can apply to overseas, but I have managed to nail down the ones I have listed. You just have to have the knowledge and then persistence!!!