Becoming a registered nurse potentially opens up the world to an individual.    Hospitals exist in every country and no country in the world has an excess of nurses. Nurses are generally in great demand throughout the world.  Choosing to study nursing, means that travel to almost any country is possible.

 Hospitals are willing to pay good salaries to attract good nurses, and with the  added bonus of tax free earning in some countries and travel and accommodation costs often covered as well,  studying nursing can become a choice that may financially  change a person's life forever.

Nursing is a humanitarian occupation that attracts people from all walks of life.  Since the days of Florence Nightingale,  men and women all over the world have studied nursing as a means of fulfilling their desire to help their fellow humans and to alleviate the suffering of the sick and dying.

Nursing today, as always,  is a highly valued career.  Whilst traditionally nursing is seen as a hospital based profession, nurses are found in industry, in education and in almost every trade or profession.  Highly skilled nurses are rewarded with a good salary and their  job security is excellent.  

Becoming a Registered Nurse is not difficult.  In some countries general nursing is studied first as a three or four year undergraduate degree course.   Specialty subjects such as emergency nursing,  or  midwifery can then be studied as a post graduate student.   In other countries,   general nursing is studied as an undergraduate degree course,  but specialty subjects may be added so that the individual graduates  at the end of a four year period with a double nursing  major (such as a nurse midwife).  

Government student loan schemes can be applied for to pay for the cost of becoming a registered nurse. Countries that provide these loans have different payback options, but generally they are not repayable until the student has completed their training and  is earning a reasonable income.   

Once a nurse is trained and has received their registration papers enabling them to work in their  country of origin, a nurse can then look around the world for other locations to work in.  Many nurses sign a limited contract, to enable them to work for a period of time in one country, before moving to another country where they have signed a second contract.  Other nurses use their training and work options as an opportunity to travel around their own country.

Normally, there is no requirement to up skill once a contract is signed, but some countries may require an exam be successfully passed by anyone interested in becoming a registered nurse in that  particular country.  If requested, these exams ensure that the individuals skill set are suitable for the standards of the country.  Some countries require an interview or successful completion of tutorials and an interview to allow international nurses to practice in that country.  

To find out if a particular country requires any special action by a nurse before they are allowed to practice in the country, it is wise for the nurse to contact the Nurses Registration Board, or check the website of the Board, of the country they would like to work in. 

Becoming a registered nurse is the path to an exciting and challenging career pathway that promises much back to the person who enters it. Whether or not an individual chooses to leave their own country,  the door is wide open for anything but a boring working life.