International Resources

The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) has recently launched a new project to support recruitment of internationally trained registered nurses to community service providers in England, in line with the the overall national strategy to fill nursing vacancies and secure a sustainable workforce (www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/We-Are-The-NHS-Action-For-All-Of- Us-FINAL-March-21.pdf).
This work is supported by NHS England and Improvement and dovetails with the work they are undertaking to support six pilot sites around the country with their international recruitment to the community efforts (www.england.nhs.uk/nursingmidwifery/international-recruitment/). The QNI project is not limited to the pilot sites and may be of relevance to any organisation that employs registered nurses in the community. 
While the QNI does not employ nurses in a clinical capacity and is not in a position to support individual nurses who are applying from overseas, we hope that the information and learning from this project will make the process of coming to work in England smoother for employers, managers and overseas applicants alike.

Here, Fabio Trovato Monastra, who after graduating with distinction from University La Sapienza, Rome, initially began his nursing career in Italy and now has five years’ experience as deputy theatre manager and nurse at Highgate Private Hospital and for the NHS, talks about the ups and downs of being an international nurse in the UK.
Being an international nurse was one of the best choices I ever made. If you are considering an experience abroad, I would strongly recommend it. However, you may want to consider a few points before embarking on this undertaking to ensure it is the right choice for you.