Missionary Nurse Career Overview

Want to travel the world to provide spiritual counsel and nursing care? Approximately 4 million people worldwide lack access to quality healthcare, partly because of staffing shortages. Missionary nurses, sometimes called refugee nurses, help patients in underserved areas around the globe.

They work with humanitarian nonprofits, religious organizations, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to reach vulnerable communities. Missionary nurses often respond to specific health crises, such as COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, or tuberculosis.

While missionary nurses usually need a bachelor’s degree in nursing, some can find employment with only an associate degree in nursing (ADN).

Both voluntary and paid positions call for experienced registered nurses (RNs) to provide general healthcare, vaccinations, and physical exams. In cases of emergency, unseasoned missionary nurses may also go overseas.

Explore this guide for more information on becoming a missionary nurse.

Relief organizations and religious groups call on missionary nurses to provide routine healthcare during times of crisis, such as the 2021 earthquake in Haiti or the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. Missionary nurses partner with physicians to deliver care in underserved communities. Faith often remains an integral part of a missionary nurse’s work.

At sites across the world, missionary nurses do physical assessments, collect specimens, offer education and counseling, and spread religious or spiritual messages. They might organize clean water initiatives or raise money for communities.

Missionary nurses serve around the world, usually in some of the poorest countries. They comply with international standards and guidelines set by the World Health Organization.

Some may receive pay, but most missionary nurses work on a volunteer basis. Experienced missionary nurses and nursing students go on medical missions to help people with limited access to healthcare, clean water, and other resources, such as clothing and food.

Host countries around the world partner with churches, NGOs, nonprofits, and humanitarian groups to place missionary nurses in the following settings:

Becoming a missionary nurse offers the opportunity to share the Gospel and care for underserved populations. The job offers many rewards, but also many challenges.

Traveling to serve on a mission rarely offers well-paid opportunities. Many missionary nurses go overseas on a volunteer basis, paying for their own transportation and personal expenses. Depending on the organizations they work for, missionary nurses may receive full or partial compensation.

RNs earn a median annual salary of $75,330, or $36.22 an hour. Salaries vary by experience, setting, and organization. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), RNs can make less than $53,410 or more than $116,230.

Underdeveloped countries need missionary nurses to serve patients, especially in inaccessible locations. Jobs for RNs could increase by 9% from 2020-2030, according to the BLS. More than 3 million RNs work in the U.S., with employers expected to add 194,500 positions every year during that time.

Missionary nurses travel overseas, but they also work domestically to provide nursing care to people that have little access to healthcare services.

Work settings for missionary nurses may include medical health vans or clinics. Medical staff often face cultural and language barriers and have little resources.

It depends. Medical missionary positions do not always pay, and when they do, missionary nurses do not make substantial wages compared to top-paying nursing jobs. Consider that in other industries, the lowest 10% of RNs make $53,410, while the top 10% earn more than $116,230.

Earning an ADN or a BSN marks the first step to becoming a missionary nurse. All prospective missionary nurses need to pass the NCLEX-RN exam and get licensed in their respective state.

Missionary nurses can work anywhere — Africa, Asia, Latin America, Nigeria, Peri, Honduras, Kenya, Bangladesh, etc.