The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) has announced that Nigerian nurses and midwives who want to work abroad must have at least two years of work experience after receiving their permanent practicing license.
Faruk Abübakar, NMCN registrar and CEO said Nurses with provisional licenses will not be accepted in a circular on revised guidelines for the verification of certificate(s) with the council for practice abroad.
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The development comes as the government tries to tighten policies that make mass emigration of skilled healthcare workers easy.
Applicants who want to relocate must have an active practicing license with at least six months remaining before expiration, he stated.
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The new guidelines to become operational from March 1, 2024, aim to improve nursing education and practice in line with global standards.
Applicants must pay a non-refundable fee and provide a Letter of Good Standing from their workplace and last nursing training institution. The verification process will take at least six months.
The requirements for nurses who want to practice abroad vary by country, but there are some common elements.
For example, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the UK has specific guidelines for overseas nurses.
These include having completed an approved nursing program in their home country, passing the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Occupational English Test (OET), and passing the Computer-Based Test (CBT) and the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in the UK.
Additionally, it is recommended to gain at least six months to one year of experience in the UK before working abroad as a nurse.
Other countries may have similar or different requirements, so it’s important for nurses to research the specific guidelines for the country where they wish to work.
