to ask. How portable is a UK nursing degree?

[fattyboomboomboom]

Trying to answer a question for a young person and thought MN might be the best resource!

If someone with dual UK/US citizenship does a nursing degree in the UK would they have to requalify to work in the US? What about moving State to State? Do you have to requalify or register? What are the general rates of pay for an SRN in America?

www.brutish-nursing.com/wk_us.html

This should help.

Merryoldgoat - thank you, a great resource.

I had a google and it looks like nurses in the US earn quite well, the equivalent of £52k - more than double the U.K. average.

Remember though that there is next to no welfare state in th US and health insurance is very expensive,

The most challenging part of working as a nurse in the US would be getting the visa to move there. Having said that, nursing is one of the very very few jobs where there is a path to a visa, from my limited information about it. You'd have to jump through a ridiculous and expensive number of hoops.

I have 3 cousins and a close friend who are nurses in the US. Nurses in the US make a lot more than they do here. Depending on the state the cost of living is lower and ability to buy a home easier.

Can get a really nice detached house with a good size front and backyard for much cheaper.

It's easier to get a driver's licence as well, which she'll probably need.

I'd add that my friends who work as nurses here in the US are very happy with their jobs - well paid, wide range of career opportunities, interesting jobs, good working conditions, no need to fall back on welfare, and they usually get good health insurance at a heavily subsidised rate from their employers (although that's not universally the case). The opportunity to train further as nurse practitioners is also very interesting - we often see NPs rather than doctors.

They love British trained nurses in America in my experience (not a nurse). Friends wenr on a work visa for husband's job but were granted green cards and subsequent citizenship based on wife's nursing qualifications.

If the nurse in question has dual citizenship anyway she/he'll be sorted

With dual citizenship she shouldn't need to get a work visa, but she should make sure she has a US passport which can be obtained through a US embassy.

Stupid she won't need a visa as she has citizenship. She just needs to know whether UK qualifications are recognised.

stupo not stupid! Autocorrect! Sorry!

I am a Brit living in Oz. Seems to be a lot of English nurses here doing very nicely.

blushblush stupo not stupid! Autocorrect! Sorry! shockblush

Don't worry - I am a bit stupid

But good questions you're asking. I have friends doing nursing training in the US and it seems by far the cheapest way to do it is at community college, in case that is any help. Far far far cheaper than studying at a full blown university. Just throwing that piece of info out there in case it's helpful. I think you can do the first two years at community college then finish up at university.

She'll need to do her NCLEX exam to practice over there. American nurses sit it too, I think. Worth remembering that their qualifications include midwifery and paediatrics so would be tested on all that too, where as in uk they're all separate courses.

I’ve got a feeling there are some American nursing exams that British nurses have to take in order for their British qualification to count. At least that’s how it used to be, now that British nursing is all degree only it might be different.

Thanks so much - after doing the equivalency exam if you move between states is registering a purely administrative thing or more exams. After doing a nursing degree in the UK would sitting the NCLEX be very difficult, would more study be required? Is an RGN an SRN? She is a dual citizen with 2 passports and both a social security number and a national insurance number. I think it would be a great way to travel. Sorry about thicko questions, I know literally nothing about nursing.

She's mid 20s with good GCSES (including maths and English) and 3 A levels (none of them science /maths). Has been working since aged 18 in an administrative field but hates it. Has spent the last 6 months caring for an elderly relative and has found it very rewarding iyswim. She has close family in both London and the Midwest /Upper South and no dependants. She will come into a maturing trust of about £60k in 2-3 years which won't do anything in the housing market in London but could make a huge difference in Arkansas for instance. I was thinking of qualifying here and moving there after but may be better to do the whole qualification in USA.

You've mentioned RGN but just as an FYI Ihave heard that they don't distinguish between children abd adults nurses when qualifying in the US - we have this following recommendations from the Beveley Allitt case. So I think a paediatric nurse might have a harder time being accepted in the US. Just what I heard.... Happy to be corrected.

If she's seriously thinking about working as a nurse in the US then I'd recommend she studies there. She can do a two-year associates nursing degree at a community college, which won't cost a fortune, take her NCLEX, and start working as a nurse. She can then go on to get a bachelors degree if she wants - I would. There may be some pre-requisites she has to take before the associates degree, depending on her level of education at this point - the community college would help her work out what those would be. Colleges in the US are very flexible in terms of timings of courses, so you can combine study with work.

I'm not super-knowledgeable about all of this, so she should definitely do more research, but I'd be looking at studying in the US at a community college.

Crabby
I'm a paeds nurse and heard that the paeds qualification isn't readily accepted in the US and its easier to go as a qualified adult nurse.

Thanks so much everyone - some excellent advice which I will pass on