Info for nurses looking to work in switzerland.

Hey I just got my diploma recognized in Switzerland! I live in Geneva and was thinking of working in Vaud canton. But to get a "droit de pratique" in Vaud, you need a C1 level of French. I only have a B2, which is required in Geneva. So I will work in Geneva for now. I didn't realize I also needed this droit de pratique which is an additional 500 CHF and requires additional documentation (criminal background check, letter from your family doctor that you are physically and psychologically capable of practicing as a nurse). FYI.

Just as an FYI, nursing shifts are not exactly like they are in the US - unless you are in the pool, you are obliged to take shifts on weekends & nights

congratulations! I just started the process last week How long did it take you from start to finish?

I started the process Dec 2018 and received the recognition in Oct 2019. It took longer than it should have. My documents were incomplete at one point; and there were some delays at the Red Cross over summer as well.

Congrats. I also submitted mine in November. Waiting for a response.

Did you end up having to take any courses? I am also an RN from the US. I am waiting for my recognition and am also nervous about having to do extras.

I didn't have to do any courses or internship. I was worried too! Do you have a BSN and work experience?

And by the way -- be sure to check out getting the "droit de pratique" in your canton (after receiving your NAREG registration and approval by the Red Cross). Documentation required is different for each canton. For example, Geneva requires a B2 in French while Vaud requires a C1!

Hi, yes I have a BSN and 12 years of experience. I have a B2 German certificate. The requirement appears to vary by hospital here in Zürich.

I think you will be fine!

Hello , I' m nurse from USA, I graduated from Russia and started my evaluation as RN.They requested from B 2 level French and Swiss work permit, I don't have any permit in Geneva, how I can get that , any suggestions, please advise.

Thank you!

Nana

Hello,

Myself and my wife live and work in US and preparing to move to CH for multiple years. My wife is a registered Nurse in US and applied for Swiss Red Cross diploma recognition in 2018 and got the diploma recognized by SRK.

Only problem is that they gave the recognition as (ES instead of HES)

d’infirmiére dipl6mée ES / infirmier dipl6mé ES

Infirmiére Niveau Ecole Supérieure, degré tertiaire (ISCED 6)

From my limited research I found out that someone with a university degree should be given HES recognition instead of ES which is for High school level diploma.

Has anyone been in this situation? How can we get the recognition changed to HES? Is there additional course or criteria that we have to go through to get higher recognition? French part does not hire anyone below HES so we are out of luck in finding jobs there.

Thanks for taking the time to read and response.. much appreciated!

Sounds like things haven't changed much since 2017. From a poster above:

Maybe contact potential employers in the French part, and ask them for suggestions on how to "move up" to HES? There are bound to be some jobs at the "lower" level, otherwise how would anyone get experience?

Follow up edit; Its been 2 years since we got he recognisition done by SRK and havent been able to secure a job. We just realised that they gave us ES instead of HES level. HES is for bachelors in nursing which my wife has in USA. Now we need to get back to SRK and ask them why they gave us ES but ISCED 6.

ES is for anything below a bachelors in nursing degree

HES is for bachelors in Nursing

ISCED 6 is for Bachelors in Nursing

No wonder we keep getting rejected since they don't hire ES in French part and want HES. If anyone has a similar experience please let us know how to get to HES level from ES?

Of course, all levels of nurses are needed, and hired. Yet naturally your (or is it your wife's?) application will be rejected if you apply for a job at a level that is beyond the one for which you/she is accredited.

Is the applicant fluent in French? If not, that's the area I'd recommend putting in energy, as a very good command of the language (speaking, comprehension of speech, reading, writing) will be an important factor, over and above the formal recognition of qualifications, in an employer's choice of one candidate over another.

And also: what 3Wishes said.

I know a number of foreigen nurses who started working in Switzerland at a distinctly lower rank than their qualification. They then proved themselves by improving their language skills, learning the local Swiss specialised vocabulary, and by getting their head around the cultural shift. They could thereafter write their Swiss experience on their c.v., and then they moved to a new employer who was willing to offer them support while they wrote some more exams to upgrade the level of their registration.

It is important to find someone who will vouch for you in many hospitals. Try to meet people who work in the place you wish to apply in and build a friendship. They receive a lot of applications and this is the easiest way of being selected for interview.

Hello Everyone,

I am new here on this site. I am a third-country national seeking employment in Switzerland. I only have a background in bedside nursing for 1 year and the rest I worked in a corporate company. I would like to ask for your suggestions on how I can work and live in Switzerland from Germany?

I would really appreciate your response. Thank you.

Hi ExpatNurse,

This thread is very long, but I think you will find quite a bit on information about the procedures.

If you have only experience but no nursing qualifications, it will not be easy to get approval to work in Switzerland. A qualification and a good command of a Swiss language (minimum B2, although it would be better to have a higher lever, so as to participate fully in all aspects of the job) will tip the balance positively.

For those who do have a qualification: some employers hire nurses with foreign qualifications at a lower level than their academic level, and their skills and experience. This, especially so, if the person's language skills are not strong.

The good employers then help the employee to go through the registration process, possibly by offering them some extra, add-on modules to help them become accustomend to the Swiss vocabulary and way of doing things, or by allocating someone to help them with their paperwork, or by certifying that they are properly employed, etc.

The bad employers know that they have a better qualified person for the salary of a lower qualified person, and do nothing to help. But even that gives the nurse time to improve her language skills and Swiss-employability, while looking around for a better job. I know several who took this route, and kept working towards a better and better recognition, including by changing employers.

Hello community,

I'm a nurse in germany with one year experience (after 3 years Ausbildung).

I speak English (I have a BA degree), French (C1/C2 and mastering the medical terms as well), german and Arabic. I'am willing to move to switzerland. I would be eternally grateful if you can guys help me 😊 i wanna knw if the salaries in switzerland or higher than germany (my salary is 2300€), and an idea about the life expenses.. do i need some sort of "Anerkennung" or i just look for the job?.. thank you so much in advance guys ❤️

Hi All,

I am a graduate nurse from Australia and have more than 9 years of experience in aged care, patient care assistant at the hospital and Palliative care nursing in remote health. I have read that i need my degree send to Red Cross for recognition. Does anyone know roughly how long this takes ? and what documents do they need exactly? transcripts, course catalogue etc? I have undertaken my B2 exam last week. Now just awaiting my results so i can start sending my documents to Red Cross. I am also very keen to work in canton, Zürich and Saint Gallen, however I don't know where to apply. Are there any nursing job agencies for nursing assistant, support workers i can go to in the meantime to apply for causal work while awaiting my results...? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Rosy.