What Are the Different Types of International Nursing Opportunities?

International nursing opportunities include working in nursing abroad with a set salary and volunteer nursing opportunities without a salary. Nursing work overseas may involve working in a hospital or a clinic setting, or may involve helping to establish a new clinic in rural areas where medical supplies and access to quality health care are quite limited. International nursing opportunities can be sought individually or may be accessed by working with an organization that specializes in matching individuals with nursing jobs abroad.

Nursing volunteer opportunities are frequently offered through international aid organizations that specialize in providing health care to impoverished nations. Opportunities also exist in areas that have been devastated by natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis or hurricanes. These types of opportunities may involve volunteering for a few weeks or months or may require volunteer commitments up to several years, depending on the unique needs of the area where the aid organization is providing medical support.

Not all international nursing opportunities involve hands-on medical care to patients. Many opportunities involve training natives to provide medical assistance, such as midwifery, or training individuals on how to improve diets to prevent obesity. In certain parts of the world there is a strong need for education involving important health matters such as disease prevention and maternity care. International nursing opportunities that provide assistance in these areas often involve traveling to developing countries. The amount of time spent with such opportunities may vary, but many require a commitment of at least one year or more.

Some international nursing opportunities are not solely for the benefit of native individuals, but also increase the experience and training of individual nurses. For instance, international nursing opportunities that require nurses to work in faith-based environments in other countries help nurses acquire a deeper multicultural perspective in providing health care. These opportunities are often the result of a domestic health organization pairing with a foreign faith-based organization to import quality health care to a certain region while offering visiting nurses the opportunity to acquire new language and social skills.

When a country is at war, international nursing opportunities are often created to take care of the sick and injured. These opportunities often involve working very closely with a country’s military staff, as well as doctors and nurses from other countries. Many who participate in these international nursing opportunities receive nursing training in the armed forces, but some of these jobs are also offered to civilian nurses.