Why Choose Nursing Abroad as a Career

Why choose nursing abroad as a career? Many reasons come to mind; you can advance your career, gain a variety of clinical experiences, make a higher salary and, fulfill your travel desires, to name a few.

Many countries are experiencing an acute shortage of qualified experienced nurses. This has resulted in a golden opportunity for internationally educated nurses to move overseas either temporarily for a year or two, or to immigrate permanently.

Advancing your Nursing Career Abroad
Because these countries are crying out for nurses to fill immediate vacancies at all levels it is easy for overseas nurses to springboard their way into senior nursing positions which may include supervisory or management roles.

Even if you are not keen on moving your nursing career abroad permanently, taking your nursing job overseas for a year or two to gain experience in a management role can launch you into management once you return home with a newly enhanced resume.

Gain a Variety of Clinical Experience
Nursing overseas can open up opportunities to encounter different clinical experiences because although you will probably initially be hired to nurse in the specialty in which you currently have experience, you will come across country and region specific experiences.

Nursing overseas will also allow you to gain experience in alternative techniques and approaches to nursing and healthcare.

Earn a Higher Salary
Countries experiencing acute nursing shortages are desperate for nurses to fill the vacancies in their healthcare system. As a result they are often paying higher wages in an attempt to attract more nurses, both domestically and internationally. Many healthcare recruiters are also offering benefits and bonuses that can add to your bottom line.

I have had a number of colleagues who have worked abroad for a few years to save money then returned home with a healthy house deposit or paid off their student loans completely.

Travel and Explore the World
Nursing abroad means you will make your home in a new region of the world. The opportunity this lends to explore new countries and cultures is priceless. If your dream is to explore the UK, the USA, Australia… then moving your nursing career abroad to one of these countries currently experiencing acute nursing shortages will give you the opportunity to fulfill your dream and fund it at the same time.

This is a technique I have used personally to explore the UK, Eastern Europe and South East Asia over the last 12 years.

Nursing is a transferrable occupation
Moving your nursing career abroad is a realistic option for both experienced and newly registered nurses not only because there is a worldwide shortage of nurses, but also because there is a long history of nurses moving around the world to work.

The most you will be required to do in order to get a job in a new country is prove you are registered at home, have a suitable equivalent level of education and training and perhaps sit an exam. While different countries have vastly different rules which can be confusing to work around, it is easy to find a nursing job abroad with the right roadmap through the recruiting and registration process.