Be it on a bustling ride through the metro during the early hours of the morning, or in a quick stop at a coffee shop, nurses in Dubai can be seen moving about almost everywhere.
With their multi-coloured scrubs, these essential workers who often go unnoticed play a crucial role in the medical sector. Many expats hailing from different countries have made Dubai their home, while also contributing to the expansive nursing sector present in the city.
After the pandemic hit, the UAE revised its laws to give a chance to these frontline workers to be eligible for the Golden Visa, allowing them to reside in the country for up to 10 years.
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Additionally, back in 2022, the Ministry of Health and Prevention issued a statement to remove the two-year work experience for some nurses that was previously required to attain a license, making it easier to get a job. This was backed by the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Health Authority and the Sharjah Health Authority.
From educational qualifications to licensing requirements, here are the essentials to becoming a nurse in Dubai as an expat.
Educational requirements
As per the Dubai Health Authority, different types of nurses need to have varying educational qualifications.
Registered nurse: Those applying to work as a registered nurse must have a bachelors degree in nursing from a full-time course of a duration of minimum three years.
Those who have a two-year degree in nursing must also be registered as a nurse from Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, or Australia.
Assistant nurse: Assistant nurses need to provide a diploma in nursing of not less than 18 months.
School nurse: Those interested in applying for school nurse positions must be qualified as a registered nurse and also be certified with the Valid Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).
Nurse practitioner: Nurse practitioners need to fulfil the requirements of a registered nurse in addition to having a completed clinical masters or doctoral degree in nursing.
If they don’t have a clinical masters or doctoral degree, they can also provide an equivalent qualification in pharmacology for prescribing drugs or qualification in differential diagnosis, ordering, and interpretation of diagnostic tests (radiological and pathological tests) or even a qualification showing proof of ‘Advanced Health Assessment’.
Those who have a national certification or license as a nurse practitioner need to fulfil the requirements of a registered nurse to practice as a nurse practitioner.
Speciality nurse: Speciality nurses having a Clinical Masters in one of the nursing specialities, with a minimum one-year course duration time, are required to be qualified as a registered nurse.
On the other hand, those with a Bachelor’s degree in one of the nursing specialities with a minimum three-year course duration are eligible with just that qualification.
Experience required
As the changed laws in Dubai, registered and assistant nurses are no longer required to have any experience to practice in the city.
School nurses on the other hand need to have two years experience as a registered nurse. One year of experience within this period must be in pediatrics, ICU, or the emergency department.
Nurse practitioners need to show two years of experience post qualification as a nurse practitioner.
Speciality nurses with a one-year degree in Clinical Masters in one of the nursing specialities need to have experience of one year post qualification in the speciality field.
Those with a bachelors degree of three years in one of the nursing specialities are required to have two years of experience post qualification in the related field.
Other requirements
Apart from the key education and experience-based requirements, here are some additional factors that are important when applying to become a nurse in Dubai.
- Applicants should be graduates from national or international colleges that are recognised in their home country or globally.
- Those who have graduated from the UAE, must have studied in a university or course that is accredited by the Ministry of Education.
- Expats who have graduated from UAE universities must complete six months of clinical training after graduation in an APS health facility. This is not applicable for registered and assistant nurses.
- Nationals from GCC countries are required to complete six months of clinical training after graduation in an APS health facility. This is not applicable for registered and assistant nurses.
Process in Dubai
After ensuring all necessary documents and qualifications are ready, healthcare professionals have to apply to DHA to attain their license to practice in Dubai.
The registration process requires applicants to show a recent passport size image, passport copy and a logbook for surgical specialities. Applicants can then proceed with the following steps on the Sheryan portal on DHA’s website.
- Healthcare professional must complete the Self Assessment Tool service. This is free of cost and requires no documents. It is an online test to see if the professional meets standards set by Unified Healthcare Professional Requirements (PQR). If applicants don’t pass on the first try, they will get a ‘not eligible’ result after which they can review their eligibility.
- Complete service prerequisites
- Applicants must then fill, link and submit the online application for this service.
- For nurses and midwives, a fee of Dh200 is required which must be paid
- The DHA will then review the application and give a result
- Based on the professional’s position, the authority may require an oral assessment
- Once passed, the professional will be registered and become a part of the Dubai Medical Registry
After getting registered, it is the hiring medical facility’s responsibility to activate the healthcare professional’s license.