Nursing in the Czech Republic
A nurse is a person who has completed a program of basic, generalized nursing education and is authorized by the appropriate regulatory authority to practice nursing in his/her country. Basic nursing education is a formally recognized program of study providing a broad and sound foundation in the behavioral, life, and nursing sciences for the general practice of nursing, for a leadership role, and for post-basic education for specialty or advanced nursing practice. If you have such qualifications, you can be a nurse in the Czech Republic.
Shortage of medical staff in Czech
Czech hospitals and clinics are experiencing an acute shortage of staff with specialized medical education in the field of nursing. Currently, about 15% of nurses who come from other countries work in medical institutions in the country.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, the number of medical school graduates is increasing every year. Unfortunately, there are not enough jobs for all specialists. Sometimes it causes people to change their specialty and look for work in another field.
If you are interested in medical practice in Europe, you can take part in a special Czech integration program for nurses. With its help, many Ukrainian citizens with appropriate education, have been successfully employed abroad. You can find more about the information on the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic website
The nurse's salary in the Czech Republic is about 830 – 1500 euros per month. In order to get a job in this economically developed and stable country, certain requirements must be met.
The process of recognition of qualification (takes 6 months)
A nurse is a regulated specialty. Therefore, to qualify for work in the Czech Republic, nurses from non-EU countries must certify their qualifications. First of all, the knowledge of the Czech language is important. You must also pass the specialty exam in the Department of Nursing and Non-Medicinal Specialties of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic and have a practice in a Czech clinic. On average, the process of recognition of qualification will take 6 months.
Due to the acute shortage of nurses in August 2016, the Czech Government approved amendments to the Law on the Education of Non-Medical Specialists. Nurses in the Czech Republic are now not required to hold a bachelor's degree, and the requirements for foreign nurses have been revised. The process of recognition of qualifications has been simplified.
The work of a nurse in the Czech Republic for foreigners involves a multi-stage testing procedure. If the training program conducted in Ukraine is the same as the Czech one, the nostrification of a nurse diploma in the Czech Republic can be done without additional examinations. Sometimes, a special exam is offered instead. Before applying for nostrification, the diploma must be translated into Czech.
The next step is the testing exam, which includes testing in two main areas. It includes nursing and health care training issues in the Czech Republic.
After successfully passing the test, the 40-day practice in a medical institution begins.
The nurse's work during the practice is always paid, with salaries ranging from 4 to 15 thousand kroons.
This experience could help to prepare well for the oral examination. Exam questions consist of nursing, basic nursing care, and humanities. During the examination, the commission determines the general level of proficiency in the Czech language of the specialist, as well as his / her knowledge of terminologies.
After successful completion of all stages of testing, a specialist can find a job.
Given the notorious shortage of nurses in the Czech Health Care System, a well-performing nurse has a very high chance to get really long term employment contract. General Nurses in the Czech Republic earn typically between 830 EUR to 1500 EUR per month depending on the contract (and seniority of job position).
Whom is the approbation exam designed for? Who has to pass the approbation exam?
Physicians, dentists, and pharmacists who as foreign nationals who have obtained medical qualification outside the European Union and wish to practice their profession in the Czech Republic or the European Union must pass the approbation exam. Knowledge of the Czech language is one of the requirements to pass the approbation exam.
The Czech Republic is a small country in Europe with a high demand for nurses from all over the world. If you are a nurse with a few years of experience in this field and looking to upgrading your life and settling in a country with a high quality of life, then this program is for you. This program is meant for Indian nurses with a degree in nursing to make it recognizable and authorized to work in the Czech Republic.
This program is primarily designed to adapt a foreign-educated nurse to practice in the Czech nursing system. The major portion of the program would be dedicated to learning Intensive Czech Language and Medical terminology in the Czech Language. The course module also consists of a legal framework of the Czech health care system and Practical training in Partner Hospitals, which would be an integral part of the program.
Since this is a practical oriented course, the College would help students in Nostrification (equivalency to Czech qualification) of their existing foreign nursing qualification and prepare them for the Approbation test also known as licensure exam. The approbation test consists of four stages in which the first two stages can be done in English or the Czech language. The third stage is a 40 days Practical Nursing test conducted under the supervision of a Partner Hospital, which would analyze the efficiency of the Nurse to deal with a real Czech speaking patient. After clearing the fourth stage of the test the candidate becomes licensed and capable of practicing in the Czech Health Care system.
Recognition of the health profession for people with the education received outside the European Union
Any medical healthcare professional who has received education outside the European Union and who comes to pursue this profession in the Czech Republic must have a valid decision of the Ministry of Health on:
- A permit to practice for a definite period of time (Section 89 (2) of Act No. 96/2004 Coll.), or
- Recognition of the competence to perform a medical profession (§ 85b of Act No. 96/2004 Coll.) conditional on the completion of the qualification examination, or
- Recognition of competence to pursue the profession of another professional worker (Section 85a of Act No. 96/2004 Coll.)
Approbation test
Pursuant to Section 85b of Act No. 96/2004 Coll. and pursuant to Decree No. 189/2009 Coll.
The aptitude test verifies the theoretical knowledge, knowledge of the health care system in the Czech Republic, and the ability to express oneself in the Czech language to the extent necessary for the performance of the medical profession. The successful completion of the qualification examination is subject to recognition of the competence to perform the medical profession in the Czech Republic.
The Ministry of Health entrusted the National Center of Nursing and Non-medical Health Care Professions (NCO NZO) in Brno with the task of providing the qualification examinations for non-medical health professions.
All information on the examinations, together with a list of exam questions for the oral professional exam and an overview of recommended literature is available at https://www.nconzo.cz/en/aprobacni-zkouska
Sources
1. http://foreigner.ipvz.cz/en/basic-information-about-approbation-exam
2. http://www.mzcr.cz/Odbornik/obsah/uznavani-kvalifikaci-ziskanych-mimo-clenske-staty-eu_958_3.html#
3. https://businessvisit.com.ua/uk/stazhuvannya-za-kordonom/medsestroyu-v-chekhiyi/
5. https://www.icn.ch/nursing-policy/nursing-definitions
6. https://www.gostudy.cz/medsestry
7. http://medicaltravel.ng/2019/07/16/work-permit-and-nursing-adaptation-program-in-czech/
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