UK NP

[danceluver]

Hello

As of right now I know there isn't any separate certification process for US NPs to become licensed to practice in the UK that I am aware of. The OCSE exam that RNs are made to take seems like it is impossible for well trained US nurses to work across the pond for no legitimate reason. That is on top how long the process takes to actually get everything done too.

Aside from that, does anyone know if the UK will ever have a separate process for NPs? The roles are vastly different and I don't think the OCSE exam that they have for RNs reflects what NPs will be required to do, am I correct? Especially for those who haven't practiced at the bedside for some time. I know US PAs from the US working in the UK only need clinical experience here in the US but then only apply for licensure without any additional testing as their board certification in the US is enough to qualify them

Any thoughts?

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

As you've said the NMC do not have any separate registration for NP in the UK, it will depend on where you work as to the specific requirements of that post.

Will there be a separate process? The NMC have talked about it on and off for years but always decided not to. Its a shame as there is a great deal of variation in what is required for each post.

Where I work we are required to hold the MSC in Advanced Practice however at my last place of work this wasn't the case and the requirement was Surgical nursing experience and being able to cannulate.

I felt much better prepared, and a safer practitioner with the MSC behind me than many of my colleagues who were task orientated and picked up the jobs the Junior Docs didn't want / have time to do. Whereas I was able to practice independently with my caseload of patients making my relationship with my medical colleagues more as a colleague than handmaiden.

Your PA colleague wouldn't have been licenced in the UK because there is no requirement for PAs to be registered with a professional body (at the moment, although this is likely to change) its a relatively new introduction to UK health care so our processes for licensure aren't there yet.

If you want to work as an ANP in the UK its a case of searching for the right job and applying if you meet the criteria for that post, the criteria will depend on the manager who wrote the jib description.

[danceluver]

Thank you for your response. I definitely do want to work in the UK someday. But it's the process I have to go through with the NMC that is preventing me from pursuing that as it stands. Based on what I have read here on getting licensure in the U.K. through the NMC, it's a huge discouragement as it stands. The roles are so different and I don't think the requirements the Nmc has for RNs at the moment applies directly to the role of an ANP for licensure. And the fact that they recvine d working in a hospital there prior to taking the OCSE exam in a CNA type isn't feasible. I have a masters as in the US it's a requirement. Thank you for your feedback!

[spacemonkey15]

There has been discussion in the NHS about how we regulate advanced practice roles covering the advanced critical care practitioner, surgical care practitioner, PA and PA (anaesthesia) roles. Whether other advanced practice roles will follow suit once they come to a decision on this I don't know. As it stands at the moment, as XB9S has already said, you'd have to get registration as an RN with the NMC sorted and then find a role your education and experience fits.

[danceluver]

What has been the discussion spacemonkey?

[spacemonkey15]

What has been the discussion spacemonkey?

You can find an outline here: Regulation of the medical associate professions A consultation - NHS Employers

I know it says professions associated to medicine, however in the UK ACCP and SCP mainly come from nursing backgrounds, so their accountability currently sits with the NMC (or HCPC for other allied health professions in these roles). I imagine whatever's decided will then have an impact on regulation of other advanced practice roles.