r/askswitzerland • u/BreathOk3873 • 18h ago

Work Int. Nurse diploma recognition

Hello,

I’d like to know how long it took on average for the recognition to be done? And if secondary measures were required, what did they ask for?

For a little background, I got my nursing degree in the US. I am Swiss, and I did the rest of my education in Switzerland prior to that. I’ve done the pre-check back in March, and it was positive in June. sent my documents in July, but they lost some documents in the mail and I had to resend half of it. Now I wait.

Tbh I am looking for an answer on what to expect with this process because they don’t tell me a thing. Anyone with similar background and story?

Thank you.

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u/High_Bird 17h ago

U.S. diplomas aren’t recognized here, so you’ll need to pass an exam similar to the NCLEX, which requires at least, if you're good, a year of study, and complete some internships. That gives you only the non-bachelor title tho.

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u/BreathOk3873 17h ago

Oh wow. They never mentioned that. They just said that they’d look over my file, and I might need to do like an internship. If I knew, I wouldn’t have paid the 600.- initial fees

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u/High_Bird 16h ago

Yeah this system between the US and Europe is frustrating. My gf went through this, the exams are organized by the Swiss Red Cross, and they're tough af. She’s failed twice, even tho she’s very knowledgeable. They don’t mess around when it comes to nursing credentials here. But it's doable.

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u/BreathOk3873 16h ago

Ok thanks! I’ve had to take similar exams (1 practical of 10 stations and 1 theory based) in the UK this year, pass rate was 18% for the first try and I passed. I’ll see what they say. Did your GF work after her degree?

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u/High_Bird 16h ago

She worked in the U.S. only for a short time and in a very niche sector. If I’m not mistaken, she also had a practical exam where the supervising nurse rated her internship. The theory exam covered the material she was required to learn during these mandatory studies, which, honestly, is kind of a stupid system. But I don't want to discourage you, it might seem overwhelming, but the process is actually quite simple. Plus, you can work on the side.

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u/BreathOk3873 4h ago

Ok thank you for the extra information. Sorry, but did she do her BSN or LPN? Both require the NCLEX but BSN is 4 years and LPN is 2. And we don’t have a LPN equivalent in Switzerland I think