New grad Filipino nurse wanting to work in Australia/New Zealand

gingerbreadman0214 · Sep 1, 2008

I am in the Middle east now.
Caregiver or Assistant in Nursing you mean? You can do that ,however, you still need a visa that will permit you to work. As far as I know, that would not count as an experience for a registered nurse. But you can work your way to nursing by studying again. You can start as an assistant in nursing then become an enrolled nurse then work your way to become a RN. Or you can start as an assistant in nursing then enroll in a pre-registered nursing degree to become a RN.
But like what I said before, you will still need a visa that will allow you to work and/or study. You can choose to study now and apply for a student's visa but it is really expensive that is why most are aiming for the bridging program which is so so much cheaper. If you really want to study, there's a scholarship program however, you will be required to go back to your own country after you graduate - which I'm sure is not what you want. :)

Well, well...fellow hopefuls are popping up as well. I'm also a second courser/transferee. It shows how accommodating you seem to people. They won't be disappointed.:wink2:

Middle East...yeah, I figured.:wink2: Is the weather there tolerable? I have a cousin in Dubai. Why didn't you apply as a nurse there for experience? The pay as a nurse is good in the Middle East, right?

gingerbreadman0214 · Sep 1, 2008

Im joining this boat ride. I, too, am a fresh grad and just passed the 2008 board exam. Has anyone here started working on his/her application? Ive been wanting to start this long process asap, unfortunately, i still do not have my license number and it will be released in november. By the way, I-e mailed an agency in australia, and the consultant suggested that i try applying in victoria since i do not have any experience yet. What would be the difference between queensland and victoria? and which could be faster?

It'll be best if you ask aelith and the others. They're very accommodating.:wink2: Hmm...Victoria...you mean they accept fresh grads in Victoria and not in Queensland? I thought it's the other way around. It's good that these consultants reply immediately.

pinkshadoe · Sep 1, 2008

Im joining this boat ride. I, too, am a fresh grad and just passed the 2008 board exam. Has anyone here started working on his/her application? Ive been wanting to start this long process asap, unfortunately, i still do not have my license number and it will be released in november. By the way, I-e mailed an agency in australia, and the consultant suggested that i try applying in victoria since i do not have any experience yet. What would be the difference between queensland and victoria? and which could be faster?

thanks a lot. like you, i am a fresh grad and just passed this JUNE 2008. so they told Victoria is the state for us? my relatives are in California but i already figured that it will be longer for me to try my luck there so i'm thinking of australia too. will it be ok if i have no relative there? id really appreciate your help guys. i dunno where to start.

Trion08 · Sep 1, 2008

You might want to try this one. Check it out.

www.thinknursing.com

Hope it helps.

Aelith · Sep 1, 2008

Hello everyone :)

Wow! It seems Australia's becoming more popular now, especially with the US retrogression.

@gingerbreadman0214: I'm actually in Kuwait. The weather is okay - extremes actually (highest 50-60 degrees and lowest 0 to -4 lol). Yes, the pay is good if you are working in any oil company however it's hard to get into and they do require experience. So that's why I ended up working in the office lol. Pay's really good too anyway so can't be bothered much about that lol.

@Trion08, pinkshadoe, pastasana, shish: Since you guys have not started yet, maybe all of you can go altogether That's good since you don't have relatives there so all of you can stay in one house or unit. I don't have any relative there too but what the heck! lol.. I want to pursue my dream so yea, I need to be strong right?

Funny thing is, I'm not really going for the registration yet. Actually, I'm not even planning to do that particular pathway. I am, however, going to take the other path - enrolling in a pre-registered course. I'm just not confident enough to take the CAS program and it'll take as much time anyway.

CAS and the sponsorship will take approximately 2 years to finish. The pre-registered course will take 1-2 years to finish. But if you take the 2 years one, you can easily apply for a permanent visa after you graduate and register (if you also satisfy the other requirements), or you can apply for a graduate visa which will let you stay for another 18 months :). So, basically it's really the same thing. Studying is just a bit more expensive so yea.

As far as I know, it is not stated that they require the applicant to have an experience prior to application. It's really a case to case basis. The success of the application is not based on working experience alone. The degree and the University you graduated from plays an important part on the success of your application. I'm not sure if you are aware that not all Colleges or Universities in the Philippines is considered as similar or at par with the Australian Universities. And that is where the main problem is. If the University or College you graduated from is not similar to an Australian University, your so-called degree may only be considered a "diploma" or "certificate" only. However, most of the time the board will just nominate you to take a competency assessment program.

The whole process takes a whole lot of time, so, if you are really planning to go to Australia, better prepare the necessary documents now and apply. The application fee is not expensive anyway so I guess it'll be ok. Also, you may want to consider the additional fees for the bridging program that you will most probably take after you lodge your application. The board will notify you about this if you need it.

As for the CAS program. I know one person who has just finished taking the Part A of the challenge test. He is just waiting for his visa so he can take the Part B of the test which is clinical placement in Brisbane. He said Part A was fairly easy as long as you study (of course lol). But he did give me sample questions and I'd say it is not that hard. On the other hand, another friend chose to take the education modules. In CAS, you have two choices: education modules or Challenge test. My friend, one who took the modules, said the modules was a bit hard. He told me this: "Mahirap siya talaga, pero kaya naman.." (translation: "It's really hard, but it's bearable/passable." -err.. can't think of any other word lol)

The challenge test is faster than the modules. You just need to pass the part A then proceed to part b which will only take a month to finish. However, like I said, the clinical component will be done in Brisbane.

If my memory serves me right, the modules should be finished within 2 years. It does not mean that the modules will take 2 years to finish but that is the limit or the maximum time for you to be able to finish those. The modules are done off-shore and you can do as much modules as you want. Each module takes approximately 12 weeks to finish. You can take one module at first to check the difficulty level and decide whether you would be able to handle more than one module at a time.

Anyhow, as long as you have the drive, I'm sure you'll be fine. You wouldn't want to fail so, I'm pretty sure you'll work very hard for it. :)

About the advice of the agency, I can't really tell you that Victoria would be better than Queensland or that it will be faster to do it in Victoria. I suggest contacting other agencies. I'll give you again the link for the agencies and you can choose from the list.

http://www.rcsa.com.au/aanra/

Anyway, if you need further info about Queensland or Victoria or NSW, just tell me.

gingerbreadman0214 · Sep 1, 2008

It's good that you're already there in the Middle East because you can look for a job as a nurse there. But I get the vibe that you really want to do Australia, noh?:wink2: How is living and working there in Kuwait?

Goin' back to Australia, what do you suggest is the cheapest path with the least resistance that I can take to get anywhere there? Forgive me if I'm being much of a bother. I can't remember if you've told me that already. I'm actually a mess as well, most likely worse than your case. My credentials are not that good, that's why I can't decide yet on which path to take. I can't waste time and money, especially money. I'm not a university nursing graduate. But my first course (BS Biology) I got it from UST. I envy the graduates here, actually...

hotpotato101, RN · Sep 1, 2008

Guys, i heard there's this review center in the Philippines which cater nurses who wish to take the challenge test , anyone familiar with it?

by the way, i'm also an aspiring QLD Nurse like you guys and recently i lodged my application to the council. I am residing here in Singapore and will be taking my test A here. I emailed them and they told me my supposed test A will be in IDP Australia so basically i guess all the test A are done in IDP Australia whose branches are located worldwide.

As for the agency, ive been there and attended their seminar when i went home 3mos ago. I suggest you stick on doing things on your own since the package is twice as much as what you will spend on the whole process. I forgot the exact figure but its approximately P380,000. and if you take the modules then you have to pay them $1000AUD/module as compared to the original price of $850/module. I think some people here have infos regarding the process so just take time to research and you'll be fine.

Goodluck to our endeavors. :):):)

hotpotato101, RN · Sep 1, 2008

Double Post sorry

Aelith · Sep 1, 2008

@ gingerbreadman0214: Well, let's just say I can really go anywhere I want to BUT there's one big reason why I want to go to Australia lol My family is here though; rest in Qatar and Phil. By hook or by crook, I would be in Aus LOL. Living here is okay for me. I've been going back and forth here for a really long time now. Nice beaches, green surrounding lol (YES green ). Weather's okay - it's dry here not humid however there are those humid days (which I hate so much cause I can't breathe and I don't know why). Anyway, work is good especially if you're working in an oil company. Benefits here include accommodation and transpo at the very least. And you get a lot of holidays here! All holidays are paid haha and I so love it :) However during ramadan, you can't eat and working hours is reduced to 6 from 8. You'll still get the full pay though lol.

Cheapest path is Queensland's Challenge Test, I reckon. The exam will only require a small amount of fee. And I've heard you will be paid for the clinical placement in Brisbane so you'll get more money. :) But I still need to confirm this. I haven't heard from one of my friends so I can't tell you any exact details yet.

Aelith · Sep 1, 2008

The module cost increases every year I think. From 850, it is now 902. You can check here: http://cas.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do;jsessionid=8a4d179b30da319b0d94429046739c099cb4cf047dfd.e34MaxeRbhuObi0Tbh8LbNeLbxn0n6jAmljGr5XDqQLvpAe?page=655

As for the agency, you may want to check what they offer in their package. I would check for the following:

1. Is the placement fee fixed?

- You should be aware that the Challenge test is way more cheaper than that of the Education modules. As far as I know, the cost of the challenge test will be approximately 1/4 -1/3 of the Education modules' cost. Both pathways will have students go to Queensland for their clinical practice.

2. Will they pay for all the fees needed in the modules or the challenge test?

3. Will they sponsor you or will they provide a sponsor for you?

- How many years will the sponsorship be? (It is important for you to know this as sponsorship is from 0-4 years. That's a wide range.

4. Will they shoulder your expenses in Queensland, most especially accommodation and transport.

- Accommodation and transport is very important as it is expensive. Your food and other allowance usually is not shouldered.

5. Will they help you in obtaining the visit visa you need for your clinical placement?

6. What other fees will they shoulder? (e.g. medical check-ups, POEA, etc.)

Okay, to give you an idea if the assumed "380,000" or approximately 9500 AUD fee is worth it, I'll provide some computations below. Reminder: The fees I'll use are just examples or more or less approximate only.

Assuming that you will take the Education Modules, which is actually more expensive, you will need 902 per module.

Education Modules: 902 x 4 = 3608 AUD

Accommodation for 1 month in Brisbane: 800-1000 AUD

Transpo: 200-400 AUD (give or take as I'm not sure if you'll be living really near your placement or not)

Food (cook at home): 400 AUD

Visa Costs: 100-250 AUD ( I'm not sure if you're going to apply for just a visit visa or an Occupational trainee visa)

Medical Check-ups: 100 - 200 AUD (this is more than enough I'm sure)

Add all those up: more or less 6k AUD only :)

Airfare's not included but you can expect to pay 800 - 1000 AUD for a round trip ticket.

If they'll shoulder your ticket then that's better :)

The temporary Business Long Stay Visa (subclass 457) will only cost around 600 AUD :)

However, if they are going to apply for a Skilled- sponsorship (permanent visa), then it will be ok as it will cost from 2000-5000 AUD.

It is very important to ask all about these things before you sign a contract on any agency. They will tell you flowery words. But you have to be smart enough to research first so that you can ask them the money breakdown and what you'll really be getting from them. You should read carefully the contract too. It is very important to note if you are going to pay any fee if ever you cancel the contract and how much will it be. And what will happen to you if you don't pass the modules or exam. Will you get a refund or not? Also, it's nice to know if you need to pay upfront the 380k or you can pay them in installment depending on the progress of your case.

I hope this helps.

The following links are for Visa purposes. You might want to read more about those.

Skilled - Sponsored (Migrant) Visa (subclass 176)

http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/176/index.htm

Other Visa options for Nurses

http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/medical-practitioners/visa-options-nurses.htm

pinkshadoe · Sep 1, 2008

so, what should i do first? im sorry. but i really want to try this. it seems like i have to enroll myself to a program first? how can i take the challenge test? thanks :)

Aelith · Sep 1, 2008

The first thing to do is apply. Only then you will find out if you will be required to take the competency assessment program or not.

You need the following for the application in Queensland:

Certified True Copies of the following:

evidence of successful completion of a nursing course, eg: degree
the course transcript
evidence of initial licence in the place where the course was completed
evidence of identification (birth certificate or passport or marriage certificate for name change purposes)
evidence of competent, licensed nursing practice within the five years prior to the application
the application fee of A$49.00 and application processing fee of A$109.00

Here is the link for the application form: http://www.qnc.qld.gov.au/upload/pdfs/Application_package_QNC1.pdf

And here is the link for the checklist to guide you:

http://www.qnc.qld.gov.au/upload/pdfs/CHECKLIST_for_Overseas_Applications.pdf

While you prepare the necessary documents, I would suggest that you read more about the CAS program and other options you may have for Australia.

If there's anything else you need, just tell me