Nursing Schools and Programs in Netherlands

Nursing Studies in Netherlands

Are you interested in studying nursing, perhaps with the goal of pursuing a career in this fast-paced and rewarding career field sometime in the near future? Did you know that you can now earn a portion of your nursing education credentials while studying and living abroad for a time in a foreign country like the Netherlands?  The Netherlands is one of the hottest destinations in Europe and a great place in which to pursue courses in the nursing discipline, featuring several universities that cater to students in this field.
 
A constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Netherlands consists of twelve provinces in Western Europe and three islands in the Caribbean.  In Europe, the Netherlands shares borders with Germany to the east and Belgium to the south; and also shares maritime borders with Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom.  The western and northern border of European Netherlands is formed by the North Sea.
 
Like many countries in Europe, the Netherlands is a parliamentary democracy—the first country to ever have an elected parliament—organized as a unitary state.  The capital and largest city in the country is Amsterdam, as mandated by its Constitution; however the government seat for the nation is located in The Hague, a city that is also the provincial capital of the province South Holland and home to the International Court. 
 
From a geographic standpoint, much of the Netherlands is formed by the estuary of three important European rivers, which together with their distributaries form the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta.  Most of the country is flat, with the exception of foothills in the far southeast of the country and several low-lying hill ranges in the central parts.
 
A very developed country with a high standard of living, the Netherlands has the tenth-highest per capita income in the world and ranks 17^th out of 177 countries according to the Index of Economic Freedom.  In a poll taken by the OECD in 2011, the Netherlands was ranked as the “happiest country” in the world.  One of the reasons the Netherlands has been so successful and why its citizens are generally “happy” is the excellence of its education system, including its system of higher education, which boasts some of the most successful universities in the world in terms of the quality of education they offer.
 
Nursing Education in the Netherlands
 
Nursing education in the Netherlands, much like in the remainder of the European Union, takes place at most of the country’s universities and is offered at a variety of levels, leading to degrees and the certifications needed to practice nursing as a career.  Two of the most popular nursing programs in the Netherlands are the Bachelor of Science degree program in Nursing (BSN) and the Master of Science degree in Nursing (MSN).
 
Unlike the undergraduate degrees in academic subjects, which normally span three years, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing normally takes four years to complete for full-time students.  Some of the courses students can expect to encounter while studying for their Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing include:
 

• Professional Concepts of Nursing
• Health Assessments
• Community Health Nursing
• Pharmacology
• Organic Chemistry
• Medical Microbiology
• Medical Terminology/Vocabulary
• Anatomy and Physiology
• Safety Issues in Health Care
• Epidemiology and Statistics
• Pathology for Nursing
• Leadership and Nursing

 
The Master of Science degree program, in which nurses (who have first earned their BSN) can pursue advanced study in a particular nursing specialty (pediatric nursing, oncology nurse, etc.), normally takes an additional 2-3 years to complete.  Individuals pursuing a Master of Nursing Science degree must also complete a capstone project prior to graduation and present that project to the nursing faculty.
 
Why Study Abroad in the Netherlands
 
The Netherlands is a wonderful place in which to live and study for a time.  Students that choose this destination will have access to some of the finest institutions of higher education in the world, complete with expert faculty that can offer students an alternate academic perspective and new approaches to learning.  The Netherlands is also home to a countless number of fun and interesting sites and attractions—places to visit when students are not busy with their nursing studies.  Some of these amazing sites include:
 
Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum, located in the largest city in the Netherlands, Amsterdam, is the largest and most prestigious museum for art and history in the entire country.  The museum features a massive collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, including several works by the renowned artists Vermeer and Rembrandt.  The museum has recently been renovated and is now more spectacular than ever.

Hoge Veluwe

The Hoge Veluwe National Park is one of the largest continuous nature reserves in the Netherlands; a place consisting of heathlands, sand dunes, and seemingly endless woodlands.   Located within the nature reserve park is the Kröller-Müller Museum, a beautiful structure featuring a brilliant collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh, among other great artists. Bicycles are available for free for visitors who want to explore the Hoge Veluwe close up, as much of the area is inaccessible by car.

Delft City Hall

The City Hall in Delft is a Renaissance-style building, located on the Markt square across from the Nieuwe Kerk, or “New Church.”  Originally designed by the Dutch architect Hendrick de Keyser, the Delft City Hall has been updated and renovated several times over the centuries, but it was recently restored in the 20th century to its former Renaissance appearance.