Nursing in Dubai

Thanks lmao-Dxb that info is great. Have been looking at MOH nursing registration details and it does state that certain countries are exempt from taking the exam ( knew I wasnt imagining it lol). The obvious ones are UAE nationals and Grads from university here but also says those who hold a license in " certain countries" but I have searched website and looked everywhere but cannot find out which countries those are. If I don't have to sit an exam that's great but if I do I need to start getting prepared!! Out of interest are you not working anymore?. By the wording of your message it seems you aren't, Is it that bad lol!! Tia Hey Zara, No, Im not working any more. And for me, yes, it was that bad! I stuck it out for just over a year but unfortunately, the hospital I was working for had (and still has) horrendous management - if you were of a specific nationality you were treated quite differently to everyone else (I am not of this preferred nationality!!), we had no support from our manager, I was frequently "Ordered" to treat patients in ways that had i have done so in the UK I would probably have been taken to the HPC for disciplinary hearings..... I had some pretty big ethical issues with this! My contract was 48 hrs/week but due to poor organisation and management within my department would frequently be working 60+ hours per week with Time in Lieu "given" for the extra time worked, however staffing was rarely at a level which enabled you to actually take the time back.... I actually met with a few of my old colleagues tonight and from the stories they were telling me, sadly things there have not changed. As flomacdo mentioned, you do not have the autonomy here that you would have at home. Some can live with that....it drove me absolutely mad! Especially as when you try and have a professional discussion with a Dr as to why you are being ordered to do things in such a way (especially when its wrong!!) and try to clinically reason things through and suggest alternatives, as you would back in UK, it is very normal for that Dr to then shout and yell at you in the middle of a ward, belittle you infront of colleagues, patients and relatives, and then have formal complaints sent to your boss about you, who then provides you with no support at all and tells you to apologise to the Dr as, after all, they are the Dr and they are the ones who bring in the money. Im sure that not everyone working in healthcare will have been as unlucky and im sure that some will probably have very positive experiences to share with you. Dont get me wrong, I love living here, and for our quality of life in general, moving here was the best decision we ever made, but unfortunately, for my career it has been the opposite. Edited for spelling. <em>edited by LMAO-DXB on 14/05/2012</em>

Thanks, will mail you. PS This thread will self destruct very soon as we are not supposed to put our emails up so best to take it off sooner than later.

I saw her first! ;) Try www.ehl.ae Your best bet IMHO.

Hi Zara, I maybe able to help you. I recruit medical staff for hospitals here. If you'd like to send me your CV let me know and I'll put up my email for a bit. ETA - alternatively if you want to put your email up, I'll contact you. That way I'm not 'advertising' myself. <em>edited by coffee_mate on 14/05/2012</em>

Hi Zara, As mentioned by LMAO, healthcare is very different in Dubai. The pay for Nurses varies from organisation to organisation. A full time contract here is typically 48 hours, although there are a few clinics that offer part time contracts (30 + hours), and are usually paid on an hourly rate + a housing and transport allowance. When I was looking for a job (about 4 yrs ago) the American hospital were offering about 14000 per month (regardless of grade), & Canadian hospital 9000 per month, but I ended up opting to work with western Dr's in a clinic, over a hospital setting working with Dr's who had VERY different standards. You will need to sit your DOH exam, it's nothing to worry about - the questions are straight forward and usually based on your previous clinical experience (there is usually always an infection control & CPR question). It really depends on what's important to you - i.e pay, clinical conditions, the people that you work with. Nurses here are a lot less autonomous than they are in the UK, the scope of practice is limited, but there are some really good Dr's & Nurses working in Dubai it's just a case of finding them and a vacancy for a Nurse at the same time! Good luck with your search. If you have any other questions just yell.

If you want to work in Dubai you will need the DHA licence (with the exception of Al Baraha and Al Amal, which are under MOH) look at this: http://www.dha.gov.ae/EN/Media/Video/Pages/LearnhowtoapplyfornewprofessionalLicense.aspx You only need to apply for MOH if you work in Sharjah or the Northern Emirates. UK Trained nurses usually do not have to take the exam for MOH For Abu Dhabi you need a HAAD licence. Hope this helps.

Hi Zara Im not a nurse, but a UK trained physio and worked in a hospital here for just over a year when we first relocated. Altho things might be slightly different given our different professions, I would imagine there's not too much difference. For me, I worked in Dubai Health Care City (DHCC) which has its own licencing board, so to speak where by I didnt have to sit any licencing exams - I just had to submit all of my official paperwork - CSP, HPC, Degree, transcripts from my uni degree course etc and that was pretty much it, but I was then only licensed to work within DHCC - no where else. To work in any hospitals/clinics/practices/special schools etc, outside of DHCC, we have to have a DOHMS licence (Department of Health and Medical Services) / DHA (Dubai Health Authority) which we have to sit an exam for. I know Dietitians, and I think speech and language therapists have to do the same so I would imagine it would be the same for nurses too. As far as I'm aware, DOHMS and DHA are one and the same thing. With my licence, as I didnt have to sit an exam, I just had to submit all my paperwork to HR and then they sorted it out from there. I think it just took a few weeks. Not sure how long it takes going down the DOHMS route. Be aware that health care here is VERY different to what you will be used to in the UK. From my experience (and that of many of my previous colleagues) as Healthcare professionals, we do not receive the same level of respect here in terms of our professional skills or opinion and in many cases we are merely expected to do as we are told - regardless as to what our own clinical reasoning is telling us. I guess it probably depends to an extent on the hospital / environment you work in, but it can be quite a culture shock which can be hard to adapt to especially if you're not expecting it. Not trying to put you off, just wish someone had given me some prior warning! Hope this clears a few things up for you with regards to the licencing process. I believe that normally, if you are offered a job by a hospital / clinic, they will assist you in organising everything for you to get your license. If there's anything else I can help with, please feel free to ask. I might not know the answers but might be able to point you in the right direction. HTH. :)