To any RN's in southern california looking to work in Australia

This would probably receive the replies you seek by being posted in the California forums!

good Luck!

Ironically I am an Oz nurse wanting to move to a California but i think its cool that your looking for someone to go into this with cos it is a little overwhelming. Good Luck

hey mclovin (haha love the name...)

I'm a Southern California RN who just got a job overseas with an Australian hosptial. If you have any questions about the process don't hesitate to message me. I'm not going until July, but I'm happy to answer any questions you have about the process.

Jules

HI, Jules,

I am interested in moving to Oz at the end of this year. I just graduated in last Dec, and passed my RN in this Jan. I am working at a non-profit hospital in AZ. Could you please let me know how I should start the process? I have read so many posts and I am confused. Do i need to take the bridging course? oh, I am Chinese. I don't know if it makes a difference when I apply NSW board Although I had my education in the U.S?

Thank you very much,

Annie

Hi There,

I actually started with my licencing process. I am going to be working in Melbourne though, so I can only speak toward the process to getting a licence in Victoria. From everything I've heard and read, if you had your education in the U.S. you probably won't have to do the bridging course. But I'm honestly not 100% sure. I would contact the NSW board directly.

But my timeline went a little like this:

July 2007: Passed my NCLEX/started working as an RN in a hospital setting
Sept-Oct 2007: Started getting all my paperwork together for the licencing process
Early November 2007: Submitted my application for licensure to the Nurses Board of Victoria
mid-January 2008: Received notice from the board that I had been approved
Jan-March 2008: Contacted hospitals and applied for positions in Melbourne, went for an interview in-person in Melbourne and was offered a position
Late March 2008: Started the Visa process for a 457 employee sponsored temporary visa

Hope that helps I'm not sure the specifics about the different boards so I would contact them directly regarding bridging courses. But no, I did not have to take one.

Sorry, one adendum to this I wanted to add: Australian nursing boards only recognize BSN degrees, not associates. Its the minimum requirement for nurses to work in Australia. So if you have an associates, it might be a whole other story.

Thread moved to the International forum since it is specific to getting thru licensure and immigration for Australia. There is a banner at the top of that forum that asks for posing only for nurses that are already living and working there to be placed there concerning issues specific to working there. Not all nurses that are local to therre are aware of the licensing and immigration requirements and it is easier to keep all under one forum, where it will also be helpful to others.

Thanks for your understanding on this.

And the above poster is correct, most other countries require the BSN so that your training is at least as long as the one that is required for their local nurses. Australia and most of the EU has at least three year programs for licensure.

So you are going to need the BSN.

mclovin,
I don't live in California , actually, i'm on the opposite side of the country in pennsylvania but i also want to work as a nurse in Australia. I've been in almost every state in this country and i'm having a hard time as to which one i want to work in so i want to travel out. I decided i wanted to work down under in 06.
I love travelling to different countries and i think it' time I try a continent i haven't visited before.
Maybe we can do this together, Lemme know.

Thank you Jules. I got my BSN degreen in the U.S. Thank you so much for your detailed information. It is really helpful. I think I will start my application in this Sep.