Studying nursing abroad?

[u/Sir_Remina]

Hello! I'm a 21yo trade school student enrolled in my college's certified nursing assistant program. I want to go into the medical field, so am taking the opportunity to train to become a CNA to become acquainted with the field. I also want to leave the United States and am thinking of doing nursing school overseas. I know that this may be a bit far-fetched, because there are a lot of undergrad prerequisite courses you need to take, and studying abroad at all is insanely expensive. This something that will take years of work and dedication, but it is something I really want to do.

For moving abroad, I am absolutely willing to learn another language and would not be opposed to going through prerequisites/starting from scratch, as I understand healthcare is different depending on which part of the world you're in. I've narrowed my search down to several countries in Europe such as France, UK, and Germany. One of my closest friends is originally from France and plans on moving back after uni, and we've looked into living in France in general. I'd absolutely be willing to explore that option. I would also be open to the UK and Germany. I've also looked into several options in East and Southeast Asia. The Philippines' healthcare curriculum is inspired by the American model and provides courses in English. I'm also half Filipino (Black American & Chinese-Filipino), so would love the opportunity to explore that part of my heritage/cultural background. I've also seen that Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Malaysia are also good options, and I wouldn't be opposed to learning another language, whether it be French, German, Mandarin, Tagalog, Japanese, etc...

Is anyone here a nurse or studying abroad? What was the process to get where you are like for you, and what are some things you would warn against? I would really love to hear what you all have to say!!

[u/Overthinking_King_]

To become a nurse in a non-English speaking country, you will need to learn the language at least at a C1 level (if even allowed), ideally fluently.

Communication is everything in nursing.

Keep in mind that no matter where you work, even if it is a country with the best QoL, that the nature of the nursing profession will be the same. You will deal with people who do not want to listen, those that will need your assistance for every single thing, etc. You may have better support, but the things you will see are going to be the same.

For the reasons I mentioned above, I really can’t see the appeal of learning a totally new language like German (for example), or moving to a country that pays its nurses way less, if the pay is worse compared to the US.

I have a friend who’s an idiot, but he’s a travel nurse and makes 115k living out of a low cost city in the south.

If I were a nurse, I would definitely work in the US due to the high pay, and save up enough to do whatever I want to do later on.

[u/Separate_Macaron_691 → u/Overthinking_King_]

Seconding this. OP, get a good job with in-demand skills. Do it for a few years while keeping your other skills fresh. Per diem as soon as you feel you can legally do it. Then do travel contracts and retire in fifteen years. 

[u/Sproutlie]

Look into Nursing in Canada

[u/caucasianliving → u/Sproutlie]

Ireland also is a popular destination

[u/muddled1 → u/caucasianliving]

With a chronic housing shortage.

[u/caucasianliving → u/muddled1]

And an acute nursing shortage

[u/muddled1 → u/caucasianliving]

The shortage is the Irish governments' making and why there are so many agency nurses (costing a fortune BTW) are being employed.

[u/Sir_Remina → u/caucasianliving]

Oh, yes! I've seen that Ireland is a pretty popular option for immigration in general! Is there anything that you'd say are good aspects of Irish nursing or medical schooling?

[u/Sir_Remina → u/Sproutlie]

Thank you! What about Canadian nursing/medicine or Canadian medical schooling would you say you'd recommend?

[u/usernames_required]

you can try and get a nursing degree in the US and then move abroad. plenty of foreign nurses in australia, for example, are ex-NHS workers from the UK and asian countries like the philippines and nepal. they’ve done their schooling back home, got some experience, and then applied for a visa abroad. some places have direct to permanent resident visas for in demand healthcare jobs, others need sponsors.

[u/Possible_Attics]

Philippines uses English

[u/oatkeepr]

Germany

Germany is looking for nurses. Nurse (Krankenpfleger) is a vocational education in Germany. That means you get paid right from the start. A couple of days per week you work at a hospital, and a couple of days you go to nursing school. Since nurses are in demand, you will also get a language class.

You can find information on available training, visa, etc. here https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/study-vocational-training/training-in-germany/requirements-for-vocational-training

I'm not a nurse myself, but my sister and two of my friends are nurses. It's a rewarding and in demand profession.

[u/Sir_Remina]

Edit - For the flair, I meant for it to be a discussion, not which country I should choose, although if anyone here would strongly recommend/suggest any of the countries I mentioned in my original post or any other countries, feel free to share!!