California new grad RN planning to work in Australia

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Hello all,

I plan to move to Australia and work for maybe 1-2 years, the reason is because as a new grad I can not find any jobs here in California (they want experienced nurses) unfortunately it is very competitive for new grads at the moment. I've heard Australia hires a lot of new nurses because of your shortage, so I hope to gather a lot of experience from Australia, so that when I come back to California my chances of getting hired are much greater. In the meantime, I have come up with some questions which I hope some of you can answer:

1. What is the process I have to go through in order to be registered to work there and how long will it take?

2. What is the starting rate for New grad RN's?

3. Are there any hospitals in Australia that are affiliated with hospitals in California?

4. Is this a wise decision regarding my career path?

5. How good/bad are the chances of getting hired as a New Grad RN?

6. What is your advice and tips?

This will be a huge change for me, but I am very excited and willing to make it work, housing will not be an issue because I have a lot of family down there.

Thank you in Advance

allnurses Guide

ghillbert, MSN, NP

3,796 Posts

Specializes in CTICU.
hello all,

i plan to move to australia and work for maybe 1-2 years, the reason is because as a new grad i can not find any jobs here in california (they want experienced nurses) unfortunately it is very competitive for new grads at the moment. i've heard australia hires a lot of new nurses because of your shortage, so i hope to gather a lot of experience from australia, so that when i come back to california my chances of getting hired are much greater. in the meantime, i have come up with some questions which i hope some of you can answer:

1. what is the process i have to go through in order to be registered to work there and how long will it take?

australia is a big place, with each state having different registration authorities. you'd have to decide where you want to work before investigating the process.

2. what is the starting rate for new grad rn's?

likewise, depends on the state nursing award and your grade/experience level. wageline website lists pay rates.

3. are there any hospitals in australia that are affiliated with hospitals in california?

no.

4. is this a wise decision regarding my career path?

getting experience is a wise move, as long as you realize you'll still have a whole lot to learn when you get back to the us as it's quite different nursing in my experience.

5. how good/bad are the chances of getting hired as a new grad rn?

no idea.

6. what is your advice and tips?

this will be a huge change for me, but i am very excited and willing to make it work, housing will not be an issue because i have a lot of family down there.

thank you in advance

see replies above.

Saint637

41 Posts

See replies above.

Thanks for the info, I plan to work in the Sydney area. Is nursing experience in Australia valued in California hospitals? Will it work well in my resume?

allnurses Guide

ghillbert, MSN, NP

3,796 Posts

Specializes in CTICU.

I don't know about "valued" - American employers tend to like local experience ... BUT I have never had a problem being offered jobs in the US and I trained and worked in Australia for several years before moving to the US to work. I do have specialized experience though. I do feel my ICU training in Australia was definitely as good as any in the US.

Saint637

41 Posts

I don't know about "valued" - American employers tend to like local experience ... BUT I have never had a problem being offered jobs in the US and I trained and worked in Australia for several years before moving to the US to work. I do have specialized experience though. I do feel my ICU training in Australia was definitely as good as any in the US.

Ah I see, I have another question regarding continuing education, because California requires it in order to keep our license active, like we have to read information and goto classes for a number of hours that we have to meet. Does Australia have a similar thing? so that way my license can still be active in both countries.

talaxandra

3,037 Posts

Specializes in Medical.

Graduate programs include mandatory classes. In addition most hospitals run inservice sessions and class sessions on a variety of topics. The ANF has online modules with CE points, and seminars etc are easy to find - costs for all of these are tax deductable.

Regarding a graduate year position - be aware that the graduate intake for most places is at the beginning of the calendar year, as our academic years run in parallel with the clanedar. Our first batch of grads start in ten days, and the second group begin in February. Although some places may offer a mid-year intake this is not a certainty.

allnurses Guide

ghillbert, MSN, NP

3,796 Posts

Specializes in CTICU.
Ah I see, I have another question regarding continuing education, because California requires it in order to keep our license active, like we have to read information and goto classes for a number of hours that we have to meet. Does Australia have a similar thing? so that way my license can still be active in both countries.

I know my state and I think most (if not all) states in Australia do not require CE hours to renew license. BUT you should be able to easily complete the CA requirements doing online CE hours, such as medscape.com etc to maintain your CA license.

talaxandra

3,037 Posts

Specializes in Medical.

Actually, part of the changes to professional registration mean that continuing educationwill soon be a requirement nationwide, but there is still debate about how many points and how education will be scored. In the meantime it is recommended that nurses keep a record of their education.

Saint637

41 Posts

thank you for all the info. i am trying to contact the australian nursing and midwifery council by email regarding on how to register as an american nurse in aus. do they usually take a long time to respond? its been a couple days now.

joecalifa

47 Posts

Hi, just do a research on the web, and you will find lots of info about registration. Again, you have to choose the province that you want to live and work. Each province has its own website nursing registration with application forms and phone numbers, Australia is a huge country. After they assess your qualifications, credentials, etc.. and get approved you will be registered in the chosen province. The registration authority that you mentioned is the national one and needs to be done as well, but try to obtain your nursing registration first, then you can apply as a modified assessment because you will already have your Australian registration, it sounds complicated, but just do a little bit of reading, and you ll do it fine.

allnurses Guide

ghillbert, MSN, NP

3,796 Posts

Specializes in CTICU.

We have states & territories in Australia (no provinces, in case you're searching online)

Choose a state and read their website for international nurse registration procedure:

- Sydney is in the state of New South Wales or NSW

- Melbourne is in the state of Victoria

- Perth is in the state of Western Australia

- Brisbane is in the state of Queensland.

Saint637

41 Posts

We have states & territories in Australia (no provinces, in case you're searching online)

Choose a state and read their website for international nurse registration procedure:

- Sydney is in the state of New South Wales or NSW

- Melbourne is in the state of Victoria

- Perth is in the state of Western Australia

- Brisbane is in the state of Queensland.

thank you that helps alot, after registering for one of those states, do I contact the australian nursing and midwifery council?

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