Both public and private sector healthcare facilities in the UAE are developing strategies to generate more manpower, particularly in the nursing sector, and are increasingly looking abroad to reach their staffing targets.

 

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced in December last year that it recruited 531 nurses from various countries such as India, Philippines and Jordan, in order to increase their numbers in the medical field. Despite this recruitment drive, a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit found that the number of healthcare workers needed to rise by 50 per cent over the next six years to meet government targets, adding more pressure on staffing in the sector.

 

To practice nursing in the UAE, there is a list of requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to apply for a license as a nurse/midwife to work in the private sector:

 

  1. You must have successfully completed secondary school.

 

  1. You should hold a current and valid license to practice as a: registered nurse, registered midwife, specialty nurse and practical nurse, registered in your home country without any conditions or restrictions.

 

  1. You should also have relevant experience.

 

- For a registered nurse/midwife you need a minimum of two years full time in an acute care facility.

 

- For a specialty nurse you should have not less than four years full time experience in an appropriate and relevant health care setting, with not less than two years’ experience in the specialty area.

 

- For a practical nurse/practical midwife you need a minimum of one-year full time in an acute care facility.

 

  1. You should also be proficient in reading and writing English as all examinations are conducted in English.

 

Furthermore, as of June 1, 2015, foreign employers who seek to recruit Indian nurses need to register on the eMigrate system (www.emigrate.gov.in) in order to ease the attestation processes.

If you are interested in the latest nursing job in the Middle East, visit   http://healthychange.jobs/ to brows the job listings available on Healthy Change — the only job portal dedicated to the recruitment of medical professionals for careers based in the Middle East.