Know everything about bridging course in sydney

[hotchicgrace]

hi! Ive applied for an assessment for RN in NSW. I can say that I know very much on the how to's in applying for bridging course in Australia since I did it on my own. I got the recommendation letter from the board and was advised to undergo a competence assessment program in the college of nursing in Burwood.

to make it short: (If u want to apply in NSW)

1. Take IELTS first, all 7 on all the components

2. Read the instructions on the website--www.nmb.nsw.gov.au

basically here are the most Important things:

a. go to PRC, request for verification of registration to be sent directly to the board

b. go to your university or college, request for transcript and nursing course description to be sent directly to the board

c. go to IDP or British Council, request for a copy of your all 7 each in all components of your report grade to be sent directly to the board

d. fill up the application form-http://www.nmb.nsw.gov.au/please-proceed-RN/default.aspx

(with the application form, you need to have it notarised, and pay $105 through credit card or money order etc)

that's basically the initial requirements to be sent to the nursing board

here is the information booklet that will guide you/checklist in filing your application:

http://www.nmb.nsw.gov.au/Info-Booklet/default.aspx

Assessment is a case to case basis but basically Overseas nurses are recommended to undergo the bridging course.

You will receive a recommendation letter from the nursing board stating the Nursing school that provides the bridging course or the school that you have to go to to get your registration training

Example of the recommendation letter:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b33/mgcanaria/NMBcopy.jpg

If you get such letter,

Application process

1. Complete application form

2. Forward completed application form (and non-refundable application fee) along with the following documents:

* original letter of referral from the Nurses and Midwives Board of New South Wales

* a certified copy of your English language test result (Internationally educated nurses/midwives)

* a certified copy of your visa*(Internationally educated nurses/midwives)

* Applicants who will be applying for a short stay visa in order to undertake the program may be issued with a letter from the College that can be used to support their application for a visa when all other entry requirements have been met.

Note: Applications that are incomplete are unable to be processed.

3. Successful applicants will be notified by mail.

Applicants are advised not to finalise any personal arrangements until confirmation of a place in the program is received from The College of Nursing.

4. Confirmed applicants are required to attend the program enrolment session where all original documentation is to be presented for verification and proof of identity established. Applicants will be excluded from the program if the original documentation and eligibility cannot be verified. Outstanding fees are to be finalised at this time.

regarding your visa, you can get the student visa or visa 456 or if u have relatives, you can ask them to sponsor you (family sponsored)

regarding your schedule, the school will be the one to give you the date so u can apply the appropriate date of your travel.

If you have questions, feel free to ask

[mooh mooh]

Good day hotchicgrace. First of all, I would say that your forum item is very helpful especially for new registered nurses who are void of hospital experience. To get started I'm a new graduate aiming to make it to other lands. I'm getting hopeless with regard to my opportunity in US because of the worldwide recession and visa retrogression. But there's no need to worry because as they say, Australia would be the perfect choice for those beginning health care workers because the Board of Nursing for every state doesn't tend to be so strict when it comes to overseas participants willing to work in their country. I have learned of this "bridging program" from a school mate who is now working as a nurse in Australia. But thing is, she is in Melbourne (located in Victoria) and she has also expounded everything to be an RN there. Now I am confused between where to apply: In New South Wales (where the famous Sydney is located) or in Victoria (where Melbourne is). I would like to specify my queries so you can take a look at them carefully J

1) If I get past the bridging program in a hospital or school in Sydney, would that institution automatically help me to have a job placement as a registered nurse?

2) From what you know, what could be the salary range of an entry-level RN in Sydney? (Of course, you would spend a lot for this Australian venture and so you have to know whether you get properly compensated in the end or not J)

3) How's the economic condition in Sydney? Are the basic commodities priced high or just enough like here in the Philippines?

I want to apologize for so many questions that I have in mind. But I do hope you would take time answering all of these. J God speed in all your undertakings J

[hotchicgrace]

hi mooh mooh!!

no worries, its my pleasure to answer all questions from my thread and i always get excited if i receive a notification that somebody replied to my posts. :heartbeat all i want is to help nurses like us to be guided properly on how to apply in nsw australia.

to tell you, australians don't really mind whether if you do or don't have clinical experience since what they are after is the outcome of your nursing bridging program. if you pass their bridging program, it only means that you are competent and you reached the standards to work in oz. more so,you are very much welcome in the australian workforce. it's like here in the phils., whether you graduated from up, ust, st. paul or other competitive nursing schools or from some unknown nursing schools, as long as you pass the local boards then the hospital will still hire you. i hope you get my point. but of course, im not saying that australians dont look into clinical experiences, its just that, they give high regards to your bridging course since it serves as a higher/continuing education and you studied in australia already which is what they are looking for.:)

i suggest better start your application because every year their rules change and what ive learned when i went there few months ago, there will be one nursing board for the whole australia. at present, if you want to apply in nsw then apply to nsw nursing board or if you want in melbourne, then apply with the nursing board of victoria. maybe in a few months time or years, this will really take place.

its really up to you where do you want to apply. both sydney and melbourne are beautiful places. i stayed in sydney for 3 months and explored it by myself :) i havent been to melbourne but im absolutely sure that its also a lovely place, my cousin's gf is from melbourne and ive heard alot about it. i cant really decide for you, but city life is always a city life and that is definitely in sydney hehe:1luvu:

with regards to your questions, i will try my best to answer them precisely

1) if i get past the bridging program in a hospital or school in sydney, would that institution automatically help me to have a job placement as a registered nurse?

the college of nursing or the school where you will take your bridging course is not an agency or employment. it is only the place where you will get your training leading to licensure/registration to be able to work. however, you can apply to the hospital where you will have your clinical placement so they can absorb you right away or be your sponsor or employer. don't worry, there are a lot of nursing positions.

when i went there for a holiday as well as looking for an employer, i just emailed a hospital that im a nurse from the philippines and im looking for a sponsor then they scheduled me for an interview. i passed the interview. they asked me if im done with the bridging course, i told them that im doing it soon. so they advised me to just finish the bridging course then they will hire me.

its like nclex for us, bridging course for australia.

there are heaps of placements and of course the nursing school can guide us or give suggestions on some nursing positions.

2) from what you know, what could be the salary range of an entry-level rn in sydney? (of course, you would spend a lot for this australian venture and so you have to know whether you get properly compensated in the end or not)

you will be well compensated. going overseas entails a lot of finances but come to think of it, you will earn it in months time. instead of waiting in vain here in phils., why dont you sacrifice first hehe

working in australia has a lot of benefits. their government is parliamentary so every financial year (between june and july) they will return some of the taxes that you paid to the govt :)

have a look on this link:

http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/nursing/employment/nurse_award_wage_rates_08.asp

3) how's the economic condition in sydney? are the basic commodities priced high or just enough like here in the philippines?

i can say that the economy is still strong though its recession period. for the commodities, its most likely fair some are cheap, some are not. the food is cheap but dont convert into pesos. mcdo meals are $4 or more and that's cheap in australia but when you convert it of course it becomes expensive (php150) . there's so many stores where you can buy your stuff that fits your budget.

if you are thrifty then you can save up easily. its still up to you hehe

since there are alot of benefits, obtaining money is not a burden as long as you are employed then you can pay your dues.

thanks for your questions!!! good luck!

[mooh mooh]

Wow! That's what I can say. I was awed by the length of your reply to my questions. Good thing, people like you still exist :) I mean, it takes a lot of dedication and concern to help those people you don't even know and see. Thank you very much! I hope you don't mind answering some follow-up questions and that this conversation of ours thru your thread will also enlighten our colleagues who are also dealing with the same situation, faced with the dilemma of where to go.

So back to the story, I haven't been to Melbourne or Sydney, but I have just known that Melbourne is rural while Sydney is urban. I hope I don't get misleading to the readers and that I am accurate with this statement. So everything's settled: where I go is to my advantage, because it is still Australia after all.

However, I still get anxious whenever I think of looking for my future employer because I might get none and all my efforts would be in vain. My problem is this, I would be going to Australia without any relatives there to support or finance my expenses. When do you think should I start looking for an employer or hospital? Is it during the bridging program or after? Can I find them online or I still have to hunt them in person? Coz my plan is this. I would be procuring the business short stay or 456 visa, then I will be looking for a prospective employer who could hopefully convert that to business long term so that I don't get hassled by the back and forth trip to the Philippines.

With regard to the credentials for the initial application in NSW, how can I place the verification of registration, transcript and copy of IELTS scores as one if each would be sent directly to the board? Is it ok if each one is sent separately? Wouldn't that be disorganized and might be ground for denial of my application? Haha. I'm so sorry for sounding naive. I must admit I still have lots of things to discover.

Thank you so much ma'am for spending your time reading and answering my questions. I do appreciate it. May you be able to help more people each passing day.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

The nursing boards will be used to receiving documents separately especially when some have to come direct from the office and not be a copy

[mooh mooh]

The nursing boards will be used to receiving documents separately especially when some have to come direct from the office and not be a copy

Thank you so much silver dragon!

[hotchicgrace]

hi mooh mooh!:wink2:

melbourne and sydney are both in australia and that's the important thing hehe you're already in australia well if you didn't like sydney then transfer to melbourne and vise versa

try royal prince alfred hospital, that's in sydney. its one of the well known hospitals there, really huge! they even have a tv show like rescue 911. that's the hospital im talking about my from my previous post where i emailed them that im an overseas nurse from the phils on holiday at that time then they interviewed me and offered me a position. try emailing them so just in case you are doing the course, you will have an immediate sponsor.

[email protected]

with regards to your question :

when do you think should i start looking for an employer or hospital? is it during the bridging program or after? can i find them online or i still have to hunt them in person?

you can email the one i gave here so they can offer you something. you can look for potential hopitals during the bridging course and tell them that you are undergoing the course. they will still wait for your registration anyway but atleast you have options and have a clearer picture. nobody will hire you if you are not done with the course since thats the path to being licensed.

about the 456 visa being changed to business long stay, im not really sure about that. ive read in this site that it can be changed but i dont have a strong answer to that and i dont know people who did that. they are strict about visa options, if your visa states that you are only allowed for 3 months then that's it. it's better to follow rules than having a bigger problem in the future. it may or may not be allowed but as long as you have a sponsor then going back to oz after your course would be no problem.

honestly, i was thinking about that option too (456 visa then change to long stay) but i dont have enough proofs that it can happen. i understand that money matters is really a big deal here but if its the standard procedure then we must follow.

there are heaps of hospital in australia, you can google them like nsw hospitals list or melbourne hospital list and just look for their recruitment or careers area. that's what i did, i googled it, looked on their websites individually then looked for their recruitment email then emailed them.

your other question:

with regard to the credentials for the initial application in nsw, how can i place the verification of registration, transcript and copy of ielts scores as one if each would be sent directly to the board? is it ok if each one is sent separately? wouldn't that be disorganized and might be ground for denial of my application?

it will be mailed separately by the involved institutions and the nursing board will received it separately as well. you can call them up for follow up and they will accommodate your inquiries. when i call up the board, it's surprising that everything is organized and well-documented. for instance, when i make inquiries, they just ask my birthday and full name and all the transactions ive made are being said by the operator like they sent me an email on this date and that date. probably its all transcribed in their computer systems:up:

just be prepared for all the expenses because the cost of this path is towering but it will pay off and it will be worth it!

thank you for your questions.

[mooh mooh]

Thank you ma'am! I do hope that the next time I encounter a problem that has something to do with my application, you would willingly help me out. Thanks again! 1,000,000 kudos to you! :)

[mooh mooh]

Hey hotchicgrace. It's me again. I'm so sorry if I'm getting too inqusitive about your post. Coz I'm 99% sure that I would go to Australia next year to take the bridging program. Actually, I'm planning to take the IELTS this October so that after two weeks, I could start my application in New South Wales.

Regarding the College of Nursing in Burwood, is it the same as College of Nursing that will come out when you type it in google? I was thinking that there is a hodge podge of colleges of nursing in Sydney, so it may be just one of those institutions. And I searched for the availability of rooms for rent or board and lodging that are proximate to the school. What I saw was an array of expensive hotels and high-class accommodations! When you were in Sydney, did you find affordable places to stay especially for overseas applicants? I could just imagine how much I will spend for the entire 3 months of the program. That's why I'm having second thoughts about it. But hopefully, you know a place where the price is reasonable.

And one thing more, is the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital just near the College of Nursing in Burwood? I get confused even with the help of Wikimapia because I find the streets in Aussie new, strange and hard to figure out. By the way, RPA Hospital is really huge even when you look at it in the picture. How much more if you were there just in front of the hospital's facade? Maybe it would give you jitters about the thought of working there as a staff nurse :)

Again, thank you very much ma'am for being consistent in answering my queries. I hope we could see each other in person :)

[eueu]

hello hotchick thanks for all the information! it saves time web browsing for all the infos!

after reading your thread i got inspired in starting my application for australia.before, i haven't considered austalia because my family is in the US. Well for now, first i have to pass ielts then mail my credentials.i have relatives in sydney so accomodation won't be a problem.

Keep us posted! Thanks!

[rebekah_ash]

Mooh mooh I have the same plan!!! maybe we can keep in touch and help each other with the application process!! I will be taking my ielts hopefully this sept...

[mooh mooh]

Mooh mooh I have the same plan!!! maybe we can keep in touch and help each other with the application process!! I will be taking my ielts hopefully this sept...

wow! so when are you planning to go there? :)

[nursemich]

I just hope I will be able to get 7 all in my IELTS. Im really studying hard for the exam because I also want to apply in NSW. :)