Which countries require a three year nursing degree?

[sholtzma]

Hello -

I have been doing some reading on US nurses working in other countries on this nursing forum. I am considering doing an 18 month accelerated BSN program (I am turning 39 next week and would really like to get it done!) and was surprised to learn that according to the forums, many countries do not consider accelerated BSN programs as having enough clinical and theory time to be fully qualified to practice as a nurse in their country. Can members here post the countries that do not consider an accelerated program as being adequate for their nursing degree requirement. It is piecemeal in the forums but not all together.

I do understand that many years of experience are necessary but I was really surprised to learn that all BSN's are not equal outside the US. The reason that I ask about the clinical/theory difference is because the regular program at the school I'm considering has basically the same classes as the accelerated, but the accelerated fits in full time summer classes to fill in the summer gap so that you are done in 18-20 months. So if it's just the same but filling in summers then is there any other real difference?

Also, my prerequisites, such as anatomy, physiology, etc. all took multiple semesters to complete. Do the prerequisites count for the time spent to achieve the second degree BSN?

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

You would be better off asking about the specific countries that you are interested in.

For one thing few native nurses know what the actual immigration/working Visa situation is for their own nation. Because it is not merely a matter of getting your nursing credentials recognized in a nation, but getting permit to get a working Visa. Given the current economy, it is extremely difficult to get a working Visa in most nations attractive to nurses, above and beyond getting your credentials recognized.

And the fact is, each nation has its' own individual requirements for nurses....this is no different than the United States. Most British nurses have to take extra courses to qualify to work here. Each foreign applicant to US has to have their Nursing education separately assessed to make sure that their courses covered all that US courses do....merely having a BSN ( or that nation's equivalent) is not good enough for our Boards to accept outright, either.

AS virtually every nation has different requirements, it is best to focus on only the nations that you are really interested in. It is quite complicated and time consuming to get licensed and a working Visa in another nation... you need to focus on the one you want.