How to Work as a Nurse in Ireland From Overseas: A Complete Guide

Despite Ireland’s aging population, there are many good reasons you should still choose to work as a nurse in Ireland. In this article, we will uncover these reasons and many more, like the requirements & how to work as a nurse in Ireland, whether you are an immigrant or not.

But let’s start this piece with how the path to work as a nurse in Ireland is.

Career Path for Nurses in Ireland

One such plan is the massive recruitment of nurses and midwives.

As a nurse in Ireland, you can take the clinical path, which involves the direct delivery of patient care. Through this path, you can specialize in a particular field of Nursing. There is also the management path. Taking up this role as a nurse means apart from assisting health personnel, you also have the opportunity to make some top decisions.

Salaries of Nurses in Ireland

The salary for nurses who are starting their work experience in Ireland is €29,346, and with the monthly €2,100 tax reduction, nurses in Ireland earn as much as €25,000

Working Conditions as a Nurse in Ireland

Nurse-to-Patient ratio

There are few figures to back up the exact nurse-to-patient ratio, and for afternoon shifts, the range is from 1:6 to 1:15

Hospital Equipment

Ireland has one of the best healthcare systems, not just in Europe but also in the world. Even the public satisfaction ratings confirm this. For instance, for outpatient, the ratings are 90%.

Work atmosphere

It isn’t just your career that takes a massive boost when you work as a nurse in Ireland, but also your health isn’t treated casually. For example, according to research conducted in 2016, Ireland is the fourth happiest country in the world, and in Europe, Dublin is ranked top among the happiest cities for employees.

Patient Safety

Registered nurses in Ireland take part in some collaborative initiatives to improve the health and safety of patients.

How to work as a Nurse in Ireland

Before you can begin your application, you must register with Ireland’s nursing regulatory body, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI

). This is similar to Australia’s AHPRA and New Zealand’s NZNC. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland has three major divisions. These divisions are categorized according to where you had your nursing and midwifery training.

For instance, the first division applies to those who had their training in nursing and midwifery in any of the EU/EEA member countries. The second division is for those who had their training in another health-allied course asides from nursing in an EU/EEA member country. The third division is the students who had their training in nursing and midwifery in a country that isn’t a member of the EU/EEA.

Immigration Regulations for Foreign Nurses who work in Ireland

Getting a visa to live and work as a nurse in Ireland can be difficult, especially when you don’t have your training in an EU/EEA member country. But, if the position is to last for under two years, then you should work towards getting a General Employment Permit.

To begin your application process to work as a nurse in Ireland, you need to go through the following steps:

Download the overseas application request form. You must fill in the relevant boxes with your contact information and send it.

If you are a third-division applicant, that is, you had your training in nursing and midwifery in a non-EU/EEA member country, then you will need to supply your TRF number so that NMBI can confirm your IELTS result.

You will be requested to pay a processing fee, after which NMBI will send your application pack.
In this application pack, you will see several forms; these forms must be sent to authorities in your home country or where you worked as a nurse. Once these forms are filled, these authorities must send the forms back to NMBI for validation.
Once NMBI receives these forms, they will evaluate your application. You can continually monitor the status of your application via your online account.
If selected, you will receive a decision letter confirming your acceptance.

Examinations

There are at least three tests expat nurses should take if they wish to work in Ireland.

IELTS Exam

The International English Language Test System is one of the exams international students need to take to ascertain their proficiency in the English language. An excellent score of 7 on the IELTS exam would qualify you to work as a nurse in Ireland.

OET Exam

OET, also known as the Occupational English Test, is a foreign examination for nurses who want to work in Ireland and need to evaluate their language skills in the work environment of an English-speaking country.

Recently, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, NMBI reduced the grade required for those who want to work as a nurse in Ireland from a C to B+.

Aptitude Test

If the hospital you are working with doesn’t provide an adaptation test, then the two-day test you should take is the aptitude test organized by the Royal College of Surgeons for Ireland (RCSI). The test is based on the required skills a qualified nurse in Ireland ought to have.

Conclusion

Moreso, working as a nurse in Ireland offers you flexibility other jobs can’t afford you.

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How to Work as a Nurse in Ireland From Overseas: A Complete Guide

Career Path for Nurses in Ireland

Salaries of Nurses in Ireland