# Mental Health Nursing



## alternative

I am a UK registered mental health nurse and would like to move to Spain, where can I look for jobs in this area of work. Do they have a mental health care system in Spain. Do British firms employ nurses to work for them ie; the tour operators for when Brits fall ill etc. Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.


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## jojo

alternative said:


> I am a UK registered mental health nurse and would like to move to Spain, where can I look for jobs in this area of work. Do they have a mental health care system in Spain. Do British firms employ nurses to work for them ie; the tour operators for when Brits fall ill etc. Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.


Hhhmm, I dont think UK qualifications are valid in Spain. Also to work in the Spanish system you'd need to be totally fluent in written and verbal Spanish, if you are then you'd need to get your qualifications transferred.

As for tour operators employing nurses, I think they just use private health care or the state system. I guess you could try sending your CV to private hospitals, but generally the staff are all fluent in many languages, again with Spanish qualifications

Jo xxx


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## alternative

jojo said:


> Hhhmm, I dont think UK qualifications are valid in Spain. Also to work in the Spanish system you'd need to be totally fluent in written and verbal Spanish, if you are then you'd need to get your qualifications transferred.
> 
> As for tour operators employing nurses, I think they just use private health care or the state system. I guess you could try sending your CV to private hospitals, but generally the staff are all fluent in many languages, again with Spanish qualifications
> 
> Jo xxx


The British nursing qualification is recognised around the world as being the best and is recognised and accepted in every English speaking country. I wouldn't think Spain was much different in terms of quals. I do agree with the language, one would need to be fluent, accepted.


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## zilly

I agree with Jo Jo-- you would need perfect fluency in Spanish and transfer your qualifications.My gut feeling is that any Community Mental Health Care is sketchy here-but may be better in Madrid-Barcelona etc. I think most clients use inpatient facilities.
I personally do not know of any UK trained nurses working here as nurses--maybe Jo Jo does-I do know a few though working on the coast as care assistants on the Spanish minimum wage-about 5 euros an hour.


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## jojo

zilly said:


> I agree with Jo Jo-- you would need perfect fluency in Spanish and transfer your qualifications.My gut feeling is that any Community Mental Health Care is sketchy here-but may be better in Madrid-Barcelona etc. I think most clients use inpatient facilities.
> I personally do not know of any UK trained nurses working here as nurses--maybe Jo Jo does-I do know a few though working on the coast as care assistants on the Spanish minimum wage-about 5 euros an hour.



I was a fully qualified nurse in the UK and my qualifications were not recognised in Spain unless I had them (I cant remember the correct word - homogenised??? lol???? summat like that), but that required me to to sit a test in Spanish. I did get a job in a bank job in a care home and yes it was €5 an hour as a care assistant! But it maybe worth trying some of the private healthcare companies???

Jo xxx


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## zilly

alternative said:


> The British nursing qualification is recognised around the world as being the best and is recognised and accepted in every English speaking country. I wouldn't think Spain was much different in terms of quals. I do agree with the language, one would need to be fluent, accepted.


It's not really the quality of the qualification-it's a case of Spain ratifying that qualification so that you can work legally in Spain. Your qualification has to be translated-go to Madrid etc etc. and this can take time. With a friend-a vet- they even wrote to his University querying the contents of his training course!


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## xicoalc

i have 2 friends who are nurses and one whos a doctor and they transfered their qualifications to spain. not sure what the process was but the doc did tell me it was a long drawn out process and expensive. All of your papers and qualifications need to be translated by a sworn translator (and they charge anything up to 100 euros a page). As others have said I think a certain level of Spanish will be required.

The doctor works in the spanish state health but he is a consultant anethatist (spello??),, the nurses work for an english private gp but they both tell me their salary is a pittance compared to the UK. Like a lot of things here! You come for the life not the money!

I would speak to a Gestor and find out the process and costings!


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## Pesky Wesky

alternative said:


> The British nursing qualification is recognised around the world as being the best and is recognised and accepted in every English speaking country. I wouldn't think Spain was much different in terms of quals. I do agree with the language, one would need to be fluent, accepted.


Hello,
Spanish authorities are paperwork mad so even though a British qualification might be recognised in the medical world as being a good one, you would need to get it _*officially*_ recognised by the authorities. This may take weeks, but I think it's more likely to take years. And you would probably need to do some more training to fit in with training nurses have here. It's not impossible, but I don't think it's easy.
I tried to get my B. Ed. recognised and after 2 years I was told I would need to do two more credits, in a Spanish university, in order for it to be recognised. As I didn't actually need it, just thought it might be useful one day, I didn't bother doing it.
Your idea of working with a British company, and being contracted from Britain might work better, but I imagine they'd want a Spanish speaker who could liaise with Spanish hospitals...


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## jojo

I do know of a lady who trained in the UK and is now working as a nurse of some sort at Málaga hospital, but I dont know all the details. All I know of her is that she's been in Spain for many years and likes a bacon and tomato toasty with a cup of tea in the Cafe I work in lol!!!!

Jo xxx


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## jojo

Sorry to sound negative, but nothing's easy in Spain! However send your CV to some private companies, I know BUPA operate here. Then maybe come over for a visit and do some research???

Jo xxx


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## xicoalc

jojo said:


> Sorry to sound negative, but nothing's easy in Spain! However send your CV to some private companies, I know BUPA operate here. Then maybe come over for a visit and do some research???
> 
> Jo xxx


i agree - it will no doubt be possible if you meet the criteria (which probably changes every week!) to transfer everything BUT it will no doubt mean endless paperwork, chasing to get X,Y & Z, only to be told they then need A. B & C too! 

I don't know if your qualifications cover general nursing or just mental nursing but have you thought about speaking to insurance companies. They employ nurses to visit holiday makers in hospital and accompany them on their flight home (for exampel if they are taken ill on holiday, or have an accident). I am not sure how you get in with them but they are more likely to accept your British qualifications without transfering them. Maybe if you were stationed in Spain it would work... not sure if thats the kind of lifestyle you want but worth thinking about and maybe looking into!lane:


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## zilly

Good luck with your plans anyway.Do hope you make it despite the difficulties !


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## alternative

steve_in_spain said:


> i agree - it will no doubt be possible if you meet the criteria (which probably changes every week!) to transfer everything BUT it will no doubt mean endless paperwork, chasing to get X,Y & Z, only to be told they then need A. B & C too!
> 
> I don't know if your qualifications cover general nursing or just mental nursing but have you thought about speaking to insurance companies. They employ nurses to visit holiday makers in hospital and accompany them on their flight home (for exampel if they are taken ill on holiday, or have an accident). I am not sure how you get in with them but they are more likely to accept your British qualifications without transfering them. Maybe if you were stationed in Spain it would work... not sure if thats the kind of lifestyle you want but worth thinking about and maybe looking into!lane:


Thanks for this reply, the only useful one in this thread, I will contact insurance companies and see what they do, thanks for the tip.


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## gus-lopez

alternative said:


> Thanks for this reply, the only useful one in this thread, I will contact insurance companies and see what they do, thanks for the tip.


I find it quite offensive that these people have replied to you with good info. & you are so derogatory about them . What they have stated is FACT, you're not in the UK, you're in Spain. They will take a long while to Homologate any qualification & there's no incentive for them to speed the process up. I gave up trying to homologate my qualifications years ago & I'm a registered Eur. Eng. ( European engineer ) & no they won't accept it even though it's a european wide registration !


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## xicoalc

gus-lopez said:


> I find it quite offensive that these people have replied to you with good info. & you are so derogatory about them . What they have stated is FACT, you're not in the UK, you're in Spain. They will take a long while to Homologate any qualification & there's no incentive for them to speed the process up. I gave up trying to homologate my qualifications years ago & I'm a registered Eur. Eng. ( European engineer ) & no they won't accept it even though it's a european wide registration !


i think everyone on here has made very valid comments to be honest. Just to add, I did speak to a friend of mine today who transfered medical qualifications, and he said all in all (but he wasn't hurrying it, he was in no rush), it took 18 months or more to transfer things!


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