UAE: 2-year work experience no longer needed for nursing licences

In a key development in the healthcare sector, nurses no longer require a two-year work experience to obtain a nursing licence in the UAE.

According to the latest ‘Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements’ published by the health authorities, registered nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing do not need to have at least two years of work experience post their qualification to apply for nursing licences in the UAE.

The new update has been issued jointly by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Health Authority and the Sharjah Health Authority.

Until now, registered nurses needed a minimum of two years’ work experience after their degree to appear for licensing exams in the UAE. This relaxation will attract young and qualified talent to the UAE and will be a morale booster for nursing students and aspirants here, especially those from India and the Philippines.

Registered nurses with a degree in nursing of minimum two years course duration don’t need any work experience to get licences. However, their registration must be from Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

Assistant nurses with a diploma of nursing with not less than 18 months course duration too need not have any work experience to get licences.

According to the ‘requirements and considerations’ section of the new update, nurses must be a graduate from a national and/or internationally recognised nursing college or university. For UAE graduates, the programme and the university must be accredited by the Ministry of Education.

Good news for technicians, technologists

• Covid-19 frontliner gives birth to UAE’s first baby born on Eid Al Adha