Enhancing nurse mobility in Europe: a case for language skills

The recognition of professional qualifications in all European Union (EU) member states for nurses is covered by both sectoral and general systems directives, yet in reality, few nurses take up their rights as European citizens to live and work in another EU country. One of the main reasons for this is a lack of linguistic skills. This article argues that the nursing profession should be taking a more active role in enabling nurses to move freely around Europe by encouraging language acquisition. It is argued that there are political, social, economic, professional and individual reasons why this should be so. The author gives a brief account of a pilot project which is currently under way to help improve (albeit in a small way) this situation. The project, which has been granted financial support of 100,000 ECU from the European Commission's new training programme, Leonardo da Vinci, will create a multimedia language pack in four languages aimed specifically at nurses.