Part four: Health professions

A nurse is any person who usually provides nursing care on medical prescription or advice, or in accordance with his or her own role. Nurses are involved in a variety of activities, including prevention, health education, training and supervision. Nurses may, under conditions laid down by decree in the Conseil d’Etat : 1° Prescribe certain vaccines, the list of which and, where applicable, the persons who may benefit from them…

Subject to the provisions of articles L. 4311-4 and L. 4311-5, persons holding a diploma, certificate or title mentioned in articles L. 4311-3 and L. 4311-4, or holding the authorisations provided for in articles L. 4311-9 and L. 4311-10, may practise the profession of nurse.

The evidence of formal qualifications required in application of article L. 4311-2 is, for the practice of the profession of nurse responsible for general care : 1° Either the French state nurse’s diploma ; 2° Or, if the person concerned is a national of a Member State of the European Union or of another State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area : a) Evidence of formal qualifications…

The competent authority may, after obtaining the opinion of a committee composed in particular of professionals, individually authorise nationals of a Member State of the European Union or of another State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, who hold : 1° Evidence of formal qualifications as a nurse responsible for general care issued by one of these States which does not meet the conditions laid down in…

A State diploma in psychiatric nursing is awarded automatically to nurses holding a diploma in psychiatric nursing. The State nurse’s diploma is awarded by the administrative authority, on the proposal of a commission composed in equal numbers of doctors, State-qualified nurses and psychiatric sector nurses holding a health executive diploma, to candidates who have completed additional training. A decree lays down the procedures for applying this article.

Nurses holding the State diploma in psychiatric nursing may practise nursing in public and private health establishments, in the social and medico-social establishments and services mentioned in articles L. 312-1, L. 312-10 and L. 312-14 of the code de l’action sociale et des familles, in the establishments and services mentioned in articles L. 344-1 and L344-7 of the Code de l’Action Sociale et des Familles (Social Action and Family Code),…

In order to obtain the diplôme d’Etat d’infirmier ou d’infirmière, candidates may only be admitted to sit the examinations if they have completed their studies in a nursing training institute authorised under the conditions laid down in article L. 4383-3.

Students from nursing training institutes authorised under the conditions set out in article L. 4383-3 may complete a training period in a departmental or territorial fire and rescue service, provided that this service is approved as a training centre. The conditions and procedures for this training period are determined by regulation.

Nurses may use their evidence of formal qualifications in the language of the State which issued them. He or she must indicate the place and establishment where he or she obtained it. Where the evidence of formal qualifications from the Member State or State Party of origin is liable to be confused with evidence of formal qualifications requiring additional training in France, the Conseil national de l’ordre may decide that…