Healthcare policies between the U.S. and Mexico are alike in that the systems are made up of public and private insurance programs as well as personal out-of-pocket services. The delivery of healthcare between the U.S and Mexico is similar, but the difference comes in the financial part where nearly all healthcare in the U.S is privatized with the exemption of Medicare and Medicaid, run by the government, while in Mexico, the healthcare system is largely sponsored by the government (Radcliffe, 2017).
Nursing education in Mexico starts after the completion of high school, while in the U.S., it is after the achievement of a baccalaureate; hence medical professionals in Mexico are always younger. Training and certifications across specialties are largely uniform between Mexico and the U.S. There is poor oversight and quality control in Mexico; hence after graduation, one may practice without any follow-up (Bickel, 2016). In Mexico, approval and regulation of nursing programs are principally by the government, while in the U.S. it is performed by the State Boards of Nursing (Cassiani et al., 2017). The bachelor level of nursing in both countries is similar in the curriculum; after licensing, Mexican nurses can move freely in the country, while in the U.S., it is regulated by states.
According to Rietig & Squires (2015), there are much higher education and nursing development opportunities for nurses in Mexico, with most of the students showing a desire for it. The English language is a precondition to graduating in nursing in Mexico; however, in the U.S., no other language is necessary, and a few nurses are bilingual. However, there are fewer nursing publishers in Mexico; hence students use publications mostly from the U.S and Spain. Compared to the U.S., art is a great component of education among nurses in Mexico; this helps students to understand the population they are handling and improve their morale (Gonzalez, 2013).
References
Bickel, D. (2016). Mexico’s medical training: there are differences. Mexico News Daily. Retrieved from, https://mexiconewsdaily.com/mexicolife/mx-medical-training-there-are-differences/
Cassiani, S. H. D. B., Wilson, L. L., Mikael, S. D. S. E., Peña, L. M., Grajales, R. A. Z., McCreary, L. L., … & Gutierrez, N. R. (2017). The situation of nursing education in Latin America and the Caribbean towards universal health. Revista latino-americana de enfermagem, 25.
Gonzalez, B. J. (2013). Predictors of Mexican American Nursing Student Academic Success. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Radcliffe, S. (2017). Does Mexico Have Better Healthcare Than the United States?. Healthline.com. Retrieved from, https://www.healthline.com/health-news/mexico-healthcare-system#9
Rietig, V. & Squires, A. (2015). Building Skills In North And Central America: Barriers And Policy Options Toward Harmonizing Qualifications In Nursing. Migration policy institute. Bottom of Form
