UK nurse to the USA

[katieg49]

I am an RMN in the UK.

What would I need to do to be able to work as a Mental Health Professional in the USA, namely in California.

Can you convert your UK qualification?

Would I need to do specific extra learning/qualifications?

Thank you for any advice or knowledge you can pass on :)

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

In my hospitals, the MHP refer to unlicensed personnel. Usually they have some sort of background related to psych such as bachelors degree or even an associates degree. Some may be social workers. They lead group. However, they are not RNs in my hospitals. The RNs are just general RNs because we don't specialize at that level although there are additional certifications available for people down the line (like a certified emergency nurse (CEN) but it isn't required to be a CEN in order to work in the ER).

You would need to contact California or whichever state you want to work in about what the process is. You may need to get your transcripts evaluated and then take additional coursework in whatever you are missing. I think the UK's nursing education is more specialized earlier on whereas the US is generalized. We take around the same amount of coursework in OB, peds, mental health, adult health, and so on so I could quit my ER job and accept a job as a psych RN, OB RN, peds RN, whatever tomorrow.

There is advance practice RNs for mental health but once again, I am not entirely sure how that would translate. They may require you to take a licensing exam in the US and have the equivalent education of an advance practice RN. Advance practice RNs can prescribe and diagnose patients.

Our system is kind of different. The best bet is to figure out where you want to live and start looking into the requirements of foreign educated nurses. I hear California is one of the toughest states to get licensed in and that is including nurses in the US. I hear it can be up to 8 months for them to approve a license from someone trying to transfer from within the US (meaning I want to transfer my license from the state of New York to California).

Here is some more information from California's Board of Nursing regarding nursing education outside of the US:

http://www.rn.ca.gov/pdfs/schools/edp-i-35.pdf

[katieg49]

Thank you SO much for that! Very very helpful :)

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

There is not an equivalent in the US. All nurses are generalist trained. You will be rejected by the BoN without a nursing school transcript that includes clinical & theory in adult med/surg, geriatrics, obstetrics/maternity, pediatrics, AND mental health. Obstetrics is what disqualifies most nurses from countries that embrace midwifery.