Hi Everyone!

I have searched some threads but have not found anything regarding this so apologies if it has already been answered.

My question is... does anyone have experience with getting an accelerated nursing degree recognized by SKR?

I have an Honours Bachelor of Science Degree as well as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree (both from Canada). My concern is that the training to become a nurse is 3 years in Switzerland... when I technically only have 2 years of nursing school. I tried to explain to the Swiss Red Cross that it was mandatory I have a Bachelor's Degree PRIOR to entering an accelerated nursing program but they seemed quite confused... now I am worried my degree will not be accepted.

If anyone has had a similar experience I would be so grateful to hear from you.

Hi,

I'm in a similar situation I have a Post Graduate nursing qualification which took 2 years (from the UK), my previous degree was in Radiation Therapy. My Husband and I will be moving to lausanne and I'm just looking into trying to get registered.
Did you manage to get registered? Was it difficult?
Also can I ask do you have German or French? I speak Basic French not the B2 level I see referred to everywhere, do you know if this means that I won't be able to registered until I improve my French?

Thanks for your help

Maybe some of the ideas in this thread would - applied by analogy to your own situations/qualifications - help you get your foreign training and studies recognised in Switzerland.
Danish Paramedic Swiss Red Cross

Hi Irish Kitty,

I have not actually applied yet as I am doing some extra nursing courses in Canada at the moment to have more to present to the Red Cross and I also want to have the maximum number of working experience hours to present to them. I will have fairly little nursing experience when I move (about 8 months) so I want to make sure I give them as much as I can!!! Let me know how yours goes and maybe we can help each other out

The question is not really with your qualifications but rather if they make an exception to allow you to nurse here and their is a problem, somebody works back up the chain and it ends straight back on the plate of the guys who signed off for the exception.

That is where the problem is as the Swiss are conservative at best and do not like confrontation and will do anything to avoid it.

Why give an exception that they don't need to and which may come back and bite them in the ass ?

Especially if they don't need to and there is no advantage for them to do so.

In nursing and medicine, apart from the qualifications and experience- you REALLY need to have a high level of communication and understanding. As you well know, there have been many cases in the UK of problems with nurses who do not have the necessary language skills to make patients comfortable, and more importantly even, safe.

I'm sure if you, your mum, child or best friend went to hospital for a serious op. you would like them to be able to communicate with the staff. So C1 should be minimum required. Sadly, most course put too much emphasis on fancy and useless Grammar (like learning tenses which are never used- and can be vera effectively and simply avoide) - rather than good practical and effective communication and understanding. BTW, many people in rural areas, who have to attend city hospitals, do have strong and non-standard accents- and in an emergency especially, will be very uncomfortable with 'High'German. I do wish they would run some special course for nurses and medical staff aimed at effective communication specifically for the job.

I have seen a course advertised which seems to be along these lines (Title translates to "German for Hospital Professions"). Not sure it is as extensive as what you are suggesting, but it still could be good for incoming medical professionals to know about.

There are also more and more 'aliens' here in Switzerland who may, at some point, be patients. They have enough trouble trying to make themselves understood to native Swiss staff, as they are, themselves, speaking a foreign language. I found that it was bad enough after an operation having to say everything twice as they couldn't always understand my non-native German at first attempt. The last thing I would have needed is trying to say things comprehensibly to someone of a third mother tongue, forcing my anaesthetic and pain-addled brain to work out what they meant.

OH's French is pretty good, but his German non existent. When he had to go to Hospital in Bern for his heart- the young intern spoke excellent English, as he had just done an internship in Australia, but the nurse didn't speak any English and her French was not too good. It was a good job I was there to help him communicate with her. On his previous visit, one of the 2 nurses assigned to him spoke fairly good English.

OH is brilliant at adapting and finding a way to communicate, and is a retired medic himself - but when in an emergency or after an op and anesthetics- you really want to be able to communicate and be understood, and understand instructions, help and support - without having to make toooo much effort- when you your brain cells have been put to sleep for a bit, you are in pain, and in a foreign environment- so C1 is really the minimum acceptable in my book.

Of course language is essential and I make no arguments with that. There are many courses that teach specific medical grammar and language to foreign trained doctors/nurses. I already have a good level of French and ideally I would like to be able to communicate in French and German given the bilingual nature of some regions in Switzerland.

My question was whether or not anyone had had experiences with getting an accelerated degree recognized, but it seems perhaps it is a rare thing.

Hi there,

I’m German citizen and I’m fluent in German but my nursing degree was done in an Brasiliense universidade. Does anyone now if a can get a recognition and how this works?

Many thanks
Marcos