To find work as a nurse or midwife in the UK you must first be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). To do this it is important to ensure that you have the correct qualifications which have been correctly translated. To help you along the way, TransAction has provided a guide to what is required.
If you trained as a nurse or midwife in a member state of the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) then you must apply through the EU registrations process. There are three routes to registration:
Automatic recognition
When countries join the EU, they have to make sure that their nursing and midwifery programmes meet certain training standards. If you already hold certain qualifications, and you began your training after the date when your country implemented these training standards, then you may be allowed ‘automatic recognition’.
Automatic recognition means that if you hold certain qualifications then it is likely that the NMC will be able to automatically register you. To find out if you already hold these qualifications consult the NMC’s handbook Registering as a nurse or midwife in the UK.
Acquired rights
It may be the case that your qualification does not meet the requirements for automatic recognition. This may be because you started training for your qualification before date when the EU’s training standards were implemented in your country, or you started training before your country joined the EU. If this is the case then your application can still be considered through the ‘acquired rights’ route. Your qualification will be recognised, and you will be able to register with the NMC, if:
i) Your qualification is not listed in the handbook' Registering as a nurse or midwife in the UK'but was granted to you in an EEA member state following training in that member state.
ii) You can provide evidence of your qualification certified by your home competent authority.
iii) You can provide a certificated that states that you have lawfully and effectively practised as a general nurse or midwife for at least three consecutive years out of the last five from the date when the certificate was issued.
Individual assessment
If you have trained as a general nurse or midwife in an EEA member state but your qualification does not meet the requirements for automatic recognition, and you have not undertaken the period of practice to meet the acquired rights, the Nursing and Midwifery Council will still be able to assess your qualifications against UK standards.
For these qualifications the NMC will compare the training you have received in your country with that required in the UK. If your qualification does match the educational standards criteria for the entry to the NMC register then the NMC will not be able to register you. However, the NMC will detail the training that you still require and invite you to complete this either through an adaptation period or an aptitude test. For further details consult the handbook Registering as a nurse or midwife in the UK.