Working abroad-one of many posts i know :)

[lulu123]

Hi guys!

I broke into my roommates allnurses account because I need to ask all of you a few questions...I'm stooping to dishonesty to tap into your wealth of knowledge! Anyway, I'm applying to direct-entry MSN programs even as we speak (wish me luck), so I have a few years before I'll be out in the world searching for work, but I really wanted to get my ducks in a row as soon as I could since life from here on out will be pretty busy.

I am interested in working abroad, Europe or Canada. I speak French and Spanish and am learning Greek (well, trying to at least), but more importantly I am also in the process of getting Greek citizenship, which means I will belong to the EU (hurray!). And so I was wondering if any of you had tips or suggestions for me here at the beginning of my nursing education that will help me be better prepared to work abroad. I have read the posts here about international nursing, about checking national requirements and such, and I understand that I will need to know where I want to work before I can actually take any sort of exams to actually practice there. What I am more interested in is what courses, experiences, field opportunities, etc. would be most helpful for me to prepare myself for international work? I'm looking to specialize in psychiatric/mental health nursing and I also understand that I may need to work for a few years after I graduate here in the US, which is just fine and I am excited for that, but my end goal is to work and live abroad....any help/suggestions would be so great...I would love anything you can give me. Thanks!

[suzanne4, RN]

Would recommend that you check with the nursing boards of the countries that you are interested in because your training may not meet their requirements for licensure.

These programs that are non-traditional in nature do not meet the requirements for many countries. Suspect that your program is going to be two years in length, and that does not meet the requirements of being actively enrolled in a school of nursing program for three years minimum for most of the European countries.

The programs were designed for work in the US and they do not meet immigration requirements or licensure requirements for many places. If your goal is to work abroad, then check things out before you even start. Much has already been written on this topic, just do a search here.

But we do ask that you open your own account here, there is no charge for it; and not use your roommates, or things can get confusing later on for the both of you when one user name is used by two different posters.

Best of luck to you.

[SarasotaRN2b]

How are you getting a Greek citizenship?

[lulu123]

The programs I'm applying for are three year programs actually. Will that meet most international requirements? I read about most other countries requiring three years and I think I'm covered in that respect. And I'm not so much looking for specific country requirements per say, but more along the lines of educational options that would best prepare me for international work. I would really like to hear from American nurses working internationally and what they wish they had known when they were first starting, if they would have done anything differently, what they would have changed, etc. I don't think I made that very clear in my original post, so sorry.

And my grandparents were born in Greece and Greece has very lax guidelines and laws concerning obtaining citizenship, if a person has at least one great-grandparent born in the country that person is eligible for citizenship. Hurray! Dual citizenship that is, I will still be able to keep my American citizenship. Even better!

[suzanne4, RN]

What you need to understand is that it no longer matters what someone did two years ago, or even longer. Immigration requirements as well as licensure have changed for about every country, and they are continuing to change. We do not know what specifics will be in place three years plus from now.

It is not that your program is three years in length, but what exactly is covered during those three years. And how it is broken up. Adn the specifics as to the type of training that you will have when you are done with the program.

It is not going to be as easy as you may think, the EU already has hiring freezes in place and even if you get citizenship which takes years to get, they also go by the training that you will have had.

My suggestion is always to contact the BON that you are interested in before you go for any program that is non-traditional in nature.

There is no specific training that one gets here before they finish their program that will assist in getting a job overseas. Most of the employers are interested in actual work experience as well as training program.

Again, check with the local BONs for their input, that will be much more important for you in the long run.

[NurseJewels]

I know you didn't mention Australia, but just to give my two cents, I am a graduate of a two year Direct Entry MSN program and was granted my Victorian nursing licence with no problems.

[lulu123]

really? you didn't have any problems with work requirements not matching up? i would love to hear more about the steps you took. i didn't mention australia because haven't been there, but i was looking into separate public health graduate programs there...thanks for the advice...

[lulu123]

Australia huh? I didn't mention Australia earlier because I've never been there, and therefore know very little about it firsthand...what steps did you need to take in order to get your license in Victoria? Did you run into any problems with work/school requirements or even Visa issues? I would love to hear more from you, thanks so much!