Become a Registered Nurse in New Zealand


There are many foreign nurses in working in New Zealand either in a prestigious Wellington hospital, a Christchurch medical center, an Auckland assisted-living facility, or a Dunedin nursing home. Have you ever wonder that if you are a foreign nurse, it is important to undergo a time-consuming process to enter the country as a registered nurse?

Nurses who are looking for overseas jobs in Ireland should follow the processing procedures set by the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ), the nursing and midwifery regulator for New Zealand. The Council sets and monitors standards in the interests of the public and the professions. Follow these basic procedures when you want to process your requirements:

1. Foreign nurses who want to practice nursing in New Zealand must register with the NCNZ. The Council also operates a system of reciprocal registration with Australia.

2. The Council sets the assessment criteria for foreign nurses who want to pursue their nursing practice in the country. The applicant must:

* establish his/her identity

* meet English language proficiency criteria for the nursing profession

* be assessed to determine if he/she meets current New Zealand nursing education standards

* provide evidence of having practiced as a nurse within a defined period of time

* demonstrate that he/she is ‘fit to practice’ nursing in New Zealand

3. The applicant should meet the NCNZ qualifying requirements that include registration with an overseas regulatory authority, an equivalent international qualification, and successful completion of a NCNZ-approved competency assessment.

4. You have to take and pass either the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or the Occupational English Test (OET).

5. Competence assessment programs are generally six to eight weeks long and include a theoretical and a clinical component. If you are required to undertake a competence assessment program, a fee will be charged by the provider. This fee is set by the individual educational provider and is not payable to the Council.

6. Provide a documentary evidence of your nursing practice to meet the NCNZ residency of practice registration standard.

7. Provide a statutory declaration that you don’t have any criminal history or any disciplinary action taken against you. All documents you send to the NCNZ will be assessed and verified for its authenticity.

8. The next step would be crafting a professional resume that should be sent to as many overseas nursing recruiters and healthcare firms. Practice your interview answering skills whether if you take an online or an actual face-to-face interview. While you’re still waiting for the results of

your nursing registration processing, keep yourself busy by doing some research on the possible you may be working with in the future.

9. You have to understand that there are three nursing categories: nurse practitioner (NP), registered nurse (RN), and enrolled nurse (EN). Nurses must be registered in the registered nurse scope of practice before to applying for nurse practitioner status. Registered general nurses, registered mental health nurse, and registered learning disabilities nurse from other countries including registered sick children’s nurse from the UK will be registered under RNs. Overseas-educated second-level nurses will be registered under the act as ENs.

10. For immigration concerns, contact the New Zealand embassy or consulate for more information. Immigration New Zealand provides employment, student, and family visas. The Council strongly recommends that you do not make plans to move to New Zealand until you have completed the registration process (or have been advised to complete a competence assessment program if necessary).

11. Once you live in New Zealand for many years, you can now apply for New Zealand citizenship once you meet certain immigration requirements.

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