# Do Nurse Practitioners exist in Mexico?



## SuzanneRN

I'm a nurse practitioner student and my husband is a physician. We are considering relocating to either the Mazatlan or PV area of Mexico sometime in the future. Do nurse practitioners exist in the Mexican system as they do in the U.S.? Our plan would be to have a private practice together marketing to local people as well as U.S. tourists, cruise passengers who wish to see a U.S. trained physician, plus to do volunteer free medical clinics for the poor. Any info about the status of nurse practitioners would be greatly appreciated. Google searches have turned up nothing.


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## RVGRINGO

You should contact your nearest Mexican Consulate or Embassy and inquire about the very strict requirements regarding foreigners working in Mexico. You can't just go to Mexico and start a business.


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## SuzanneRN

OK, thanks for that info! However, my question is are there the equivalent of U.S. nurse practitioners in Mexico? We are nowhere near actually doing something like this, yet. Just trying to find out if the health care system there recognizes a nurse practitioner.


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## RVGRINGO

I know what an RN and a PN are in the USA. They do have similar designations here, but I'm not sure what you mean by a 'Nurse practitioner' in either country. If it is a nurse setting up her own business, I have no knowledge of such a thing. There are no Physicians Assistant categories that I know of either. There are both male and female physicians, however.
Perhaps you could get a better response from the University of Guadalajara Medical School.


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## pedro

recently i had an operation between my butt cheeks. the nurse had excellent cleavage and her jeans were exquisitly low and tight. i suffered no pain because of the nurses visual effects and the surgeon's skill. they were both mexicans. besides her visual appeal,she handed the surgeon his instruments with skillfull aplombe.


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## SuzanneRN

Thanks, RVGringo. I will check with Guadalajara med school. BTW, a nurse practitioner is like a PA, only we're nurses with a master's degree and we do residency-like clinical rotations in school. We can write prescriptions and practice with minimal physician supervision. You've been really helpful. Wish I could say the same for the other inappropriate idiot on this thread. If he is any indication, this is not at all the kind of forum I expected.
Thank you much!


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## pedro

this other idiot has a 45 year old daughter who has a bsc in nursing and practised as a psych nurse when she wasn't director of this and director of that.
we both have a sense of humour which is a requirement to working and/or living in mexico.
no she does not work in mexico but her idiot father lives here.
you will no doubt get a rude awakening in reality when you get info from the guad med school.


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## SuzanneRN

Sorry, Pedro. I thought you were trying to be perverted. Humor is very hard to interpret online, as I'm sure you know. I am new to this forum and for a minute I thought that I had stumbled upon one that let people be offensive.

Actually, I am also curious about physicians. Since you live there, do you know if U.S. physicians can practice in Mexico, or are needed there in any capacity? If my husband could practice there in some way, I would not need to work. We're just dreaming and curious.


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## RVGRINGO

Many US physicians were educated at the University of Guadalajara, are bilingual and licensed in Mexico as well as the USA. Some have chosen to practice in Mexico. Consultations cost between $2 and $17 US dollar equivalent and up to $40 for specialists in cardiology, etc. One does not have repeat visits by patients to get fresh prescriptions because they aren't needed, except for narcotics. Few MDs have nurses in their offices. Life and business is very different here. Foreigners need visas to live here and must prove income from outside of Mexico to get them. Getting 'working permission' added to that visa can be a tedious chore and is not guaranteed. I can only assume that you would both have to go through some sort of certification/education process in order to obtain licenses to practice here. Again, perhaps U de G Medical School could advise you. Are you both reasonably fluent in Spanish?


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## synthia

Cruise ships have doctors on board, so I don't think that would be a source of revenue for you, even if you could overcome all the other obstacles.

Mexico has three medical schools (National in Mexco City, Guad, and Monterrey) that are rated by the US as being as good as US medical schools, and better than some. So the advantage of being a US trained physician is probably not that great.


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## RVGRINGO

You stated that you were a student and from that we might assume you are young and may have felt professionals and hospitals here in Mexico were in need of US trained people. That is far from the case. The private practice and private hospitals in Mexico are often, yes often, far superior to those in the USA, in cutting edge technology and in infection control and patient care; especially in care. Having experienced both, I'll choose any one of Guadalajara's private hospitals any day. The same goes for a nice, relaxed consultation with a local physician or a visit to a laboratory, etc.
Hope this doesn't burst your bubble, but coming to Mexico to work is not encouraged. Coming to retire and enjoy living in this wonderful country is a delight. Now, if you could arrange to work for some international company that would station you in one of the colonial cities of central Mexico, you might be sponsored for a working visa and have a shot at the good life.


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