Education in Veterinary Nursing from a third country (outside EU/EEA or Switzerland)
In order to receive a license as a veterinary nurse in Sweden after completing an education in a third country, the education must have been on university level, in corresponding length and have corresponding content as the education in Sweden.
If you have a degree of veterinary nursing from a third country, you should attach the following documents to you application:
- A copy of your diploma or other degree certificate, in original language.
- A translation of your diploma or other degree certificate, to Swedish or English. The translation must be done by an authorised translator.
- A copy of your personal transcript of the courses taken during the education (“Diploma Supplement”), in original language.
- A translation of your personal transcript of the courses taken during the education (“Diploma Supplement”), to Swedish or English. The translation must be done by an authorised translator.
- Certificates of previous professional experience, if any, including which work tasks that were performed.
- Certificates of professional experience from working in the Swedish Animal Health and Medical Care, if any.
- A copy of your passport in case you are not registered citizen in Sweden.
- A proof that you have satisfying knowledge of the Swedish language. Danish and Norwegian are considered equated to the Swedish language.
You apply through our Application form.
Please note that information you fill in is not saved in the form. This means that if you do not complete the application process during one session you will have to re-enter all the data and upload the required documents again.
Certificates for Swedish language
There are no specific requirements what a proof of satisfying knowledge of the Swedish language must be, this it is assessed in each individual case. Below are examples of what such proof can be:
- A copy of a certificate from SFI or similar education.
- A copy of a certificate confirming that you have studied in Swedish. The education should cover at least one year. There is no requirement what subject was studied as long as the course language was Swedish.
- Grades in Swedish from a Swedish upper secondary school education.
- Proof of at least one year of professional experience in Sweden where the working language is Swedish. You do not need to have worked with animal health other work also counts.
Even you who have a Swedish upper secondary education but your veterinary nurse education is from a country other than Sweden, must prove your Swedish knowledge according to the above.
Exemptions from Swedish language
If you consider that you have specific reasons why you do not need sufficient knowledge of the Swedish language, you can apply for an exemption from that requirement while applying for a license.
You have the opportunity to apply for exemptions when you apply for license. There is no form for this. You can write an application that you upload instead of the certificate of knowledge in Swedish. We will then consider whether the particular reasons you have provided are sufficient to provide you with an exemption.
Your application for exemption from the requirement for the necessary knowledge in Swedish must include:
- A description of your special reasons for not being able to communicate with animal owners in Swedish, reading and writing your veterinary medical journals in Swedish and reading and understanding the Swedish regulations concerning animal health professionals
- A description of how you and your employer will jointly solve communication with animal owners
- A description of how you and your employer plan to jointly ensure that your journals will be kept in Swedish
- How you will learn about the Swedish animal health care regulations
Your employer must certify that this plan will be implemented as described in the application.
When we have received your application
Initially, we will evaluate whether your education leads to the profession veterinary nurse (djursjukskötare) or veterinary assistant (djurvårdare) in Sweden, by evaluating if your education has involved the training that is included in the formal qualification of a veterinary nurse. We will further evaluate if the education has given you basic knowledge that is required to act in accordance with science and proven experience. During our assessment we will consider which examinations and treatments you are allowed to perform in the country you have studied. When have done this, we will make a decision resulting in any of the following outcomes for your application.
License as a veterinary nurse
If your education corresponds to the Swedish education in both level, study duration and content and if you have experience from work in the Swedish Animal Health and Medical Care, it may be possible to receive a license without further complementary actions. Additionally, this requires that you have sufficient knowledge of the Swedish language.
Special permit
If your education corresponds to the Swedish education in both level, length and content, but you do not have any experience from work in the Swedish Animal Health and Medical Care, you have to complement your education with an adaption period while working as a veterinary nurse on a special permit. The length of the adaption period is decided in each individual case. To work on a special permit gives you the same rights and obligations as a licensed veterinary nurse.
Rejection
Your application for a license as a veterinary nurse might be rejected in the following cases:
- Your education is not on university level.
- Your education is shorter than three years.
- Your education does not give knowledge that is included in the formal qualifications of a veterinary nurse in Sweden.
- Your education does not cover one or several of the fundamental courses included in the Swedish education.
- Your field of study is other animal species than dogs/cats or horses.
- Your education does not cover any of the animal species dogs/cats or horses.
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