COPENHAGEN, Denmark 

Denmark on Monday announced to eliminate the Danish language test requirement for nurses from or trained in the EU and non-EU countries as a legal prerequisite to work in the country.

The Danish Patient Safety Authority (DPSA) confirmed in a statement that the rule change would apply to the applications already received by the governmental body as well as to the future prospective applicants seeking approval to work in Denmark.

However, nurses from non-EU countries will undergo a probationary period of six months before receiving final approval.

“When your education is considered suitable for trial by us, you must complete a probationary position lasting six months, after which you can obtain Danish authorisation,” DPSA said in the statement.

Probationary employment would mean the nurse is hired full-time for six months, during which the hospital management would assess the employee’s communication skills and expertise.

“It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that an employed health professional has sufficient Danish language competency,” the DPSA statement said.

“This also applies for probationary appointments. Therefore, Danish language competencies will still be necessary to be approved for authorization and to work as a nurse in the Danish health service, even though it is no longer an obligation to pass a language test,” it added.