The demand for qualified nurses has outstripped supply in Europe and North America for years. As the populations in these countries ages, the need will only keep growing. As a nurse in Great Britain, you can work in a hospital, nursing home, clinic setting or doctor's office, or even become a midwife.

Becoming a Nurse

Great Britain is moving toward requiring a three-year diploma or a degree in nursing to qualify. In either case, you'd do your schooling in a university and work in a local hospital, a community clinic or other outside placement. The program is divided equally between theory and practice, with the first year focused on introducing you to the basic principles of nursing, followed by two to three years of specialized study in an area such as adult or pediatric care, mental health or learning disability nursing. Training as a midwife has the same basic qualifications but focuses on care for pregnant women, delivering babies and parent support and education. You need to have been living in the United Kingdom for three years to apply to a program.

Nurses from Other EU Countries

The exception to the residency rule is if you come from another country in the European Union or the somewhat wider European Economic Area. In that case, you can work and train in Great Britain without spending three years in the country first.

Nurses from Outside the EU

In September 2005, Britain established the Overseas Nurses Program as a way for nurses who got their training elsewhere and want to become nurses in the U.K. to do so. The program provides 20 days of training and a period of supervised practice before you can register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the body created by Parliament to set the standards and register nurses and midwives. The training program covers areas such as British law regarding nursing and health care, proper record-keeping procedures, health and safety issues, administering medications and the NMC's Code of Conduct. All nurses and midwives practicing in the country need to be registered with the NMC and meet continuing education requirements. The council also certifies the schools that are approved to offer nursing and midwifery training. Foreign nurses (those from outside the EU and EEA) also need to pass a test of their command of English before they can work in Britain. You must pass the International English Language Test before applying to the NMC for certification.

Source:

Royal College of Nursing Immigration Advice Service: Coming to the UK

Nursing and Midwifery Council:

More Information:

Royal College of Nursing