US Nurse in Germany

[CaffeinatedRN2020]

Hi everyone! I am a veteran and currently in the BSN program. I have about year and a half left of school and will hopefully obtain my RN license shortly after. I am planning to move to Germany after getting my RN license and would like to know how to go about getting hired as a civilian RN on a U.S. Military installation. Anyone here have any information on that? I would also like to know how your experience is coming from the US and working as a nurse. Any advice is greatly appreciated. i know that to work as a civilian nurse in German hospitals require me to know German and I do plan to learn the language. I would just like to make sure I am working as a RN while going to language school. Thank you!

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

I'd use the AN search bar to google 'Germany.' There have been several recent posts about this topic (Germany seems to come up fairly often), and the consensus is generally that it is very difficult to land a job. I don't personally have any experience in this arena, but from reading about it on this site it sounds like an uphill battle. Also, experienced nurses will always be more hirable than new grads, so you may not be a very competative applicant. If you're dead set on moving, I would personally be hesitant to spend time and money on a nursing degree given the potential that you wouldn't be able to find a job.

[Fiona59]

Working in the German system is very different than in the military system.

Lower paid and a lots more hands on than North American nursing.

[Nunya, BSN]

I worked for the military in Germany. You will need at least one year experience to even be considered. You can find jobs at usajobs.com. This is for Any mostly, from what I was told several years ago the Air Force doesn't have that many hired from the States, and the Navy uses a different site. I don't remember their site but you can Google it. They're trying to get away from hiring from the States if possible because it costs a lot of money. The salary is ok, but the bonus is the tax free stipend you get for housing and utilities.

If you work at a military hospital in the US it would probably be easier to transfer than to start in Germany, and you'd get your year in. Good luck, it's a great experience!