Working overseas: opportunities for UK-trained graduate nurses
Work in developing countries is mainly for those with several years’ experience and qualifications in fields such as tropical disease nursing, midwifery, health visiting and nurse education. There is also some recruitment of UK nurses to European countries such as the Republic of Ireland and Germany. Areas of work include:
- mainstream hospitals and health services
- aid agencies and employment in developing countries
- international organisations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO)
- nursing on board ships
- air escort/medical repatriation
- private nursing homes.
The UK nursing qualification that has an equivalent in every other country is registered general nurse (RGN) or registered nurse (RN) adult branch. Not all other countries have equivalents to the UK basic qualifications in mental health, learning disability or paediatric nursing, or to the UK health visitor and enrolled nurse qualifications. You will need to refer to information on specific countries to find out whether you can use your UK nursing qualification(s) in the country to which you are interested in going. Any nurse registered with the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) is bound by the NMC Code of Professional Conduct wherever in the world he or she may be practising and under whatever circumstances. Nurses employed overseas with the British armed forces, voluntary organisations and in Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, are employed by virtue of their effective NMC registration and need to maintain it. Most other countries have their own nurse registration authorities and you will be required to obtain registration in the host country before taking up employment; obtaining a work permit may be conditional on eligibility to register.
With thanks to the RCN International Affairs Directorate for their kind assistance with this article.
