lots of questions re coming to US

madwife2002, BSN, RN · May 22, 2005

Elle,

The best person to answer your questions would be Suzanne, she doesnt seem to be around just at the moment but I am sure once she reads your thread she will respond

Take care

suzanne4, RN · May 22, 2005

You are essentially going to be in an accelerated nursing program. The problem still is if you will have enough hours in each of the clinical specialties required for nursing in the US.

The typical Australian program is 18 months of general nursing, followed by 18 months of a specialty area, such as maternal health/peds or mental health or adult medicine. This is where the problem lies, not with the length of the program at this point. Same thing with programs in the UK. Canada also requires the same as the US. Talk to them at the school, if it is a "specialist" program, it won't meet the requirements. But you can easily make them up over here.

The experience won't make any difference as to where you will get a job offer. It is going to be if your program qualifies.

NCLEX is actually a national exam. Once you are permitted to take it and pass, you will never have to retake it. You just apply for endorsement to which ever state that you want to go to. Each state has its own individual licensure.

Let me know if you have any more questions............ :)

Trixiebell · May 23, 2005

it's not a specialist program, it's general, what they did was cut out all the science courses (ie. anatomy, micro etc) because the only people taking this course are people with biology degrees...

this year i do catch up and next yr do two general nursing, a critical care unit, a pallative care unit, an elective (in paeds) and i think one science and one research...

this yr i do 4 weeks clinical block then 1 day a week (5 hr days)...then 4 weeks over chrissy then next yr i do 1 day for a term, 2 days a week for a term, then 3 then 4...

it sounds like most aussie programs just a condesnsed version of them with the summer block added in...its great for me, it starts mid yr (as in now) and i don't have to do the sciences for a third time (did a science degree and then medicine for a bit)...

okay that makes me feel better, i was just really worried i'd get there and be told 'oh that doesn't count, it's not two years!'

thanks ever so much, its so nice having people answer my many silly silly q's...i just swtiched to nursing and am still trying to get my head arouind the immigration ...

cheers

elle

Trixiebell · May 23, 2005

where can i find a list of hours needed in various dept by the US? and i can compare with the program here (i havn't strarted so still have time to pull out and switch my application to somewhere else)...or they have grad. diploma programs here in specialty area so if i was missing hrs in say maternal health i could do a grad diploma in maternal health and get clinical hrs that way...would that be acceptable do you think

(when you say make up the hours there i presume you mean enrol in a couple of units at a college there and do it that way?)

thanks (sorry again for the numerous q's, don't know what i would do without this site...)

suzanne4, RN · May 23, 2005

I am confused now. Did you actually complete medical school there since you were speaking of emigrating as a physician?

It is up to CGFNS as to what they will accept. And the state BON where you wish to work.

If you definitely plan on moving to the US to work, why not just attend a program here and get everything done at once and not have to make up anything? It is definitely going to take you longer if you are going the Aussie way for schooling. You are definitely going to have to make up some hours in two areas.

My opinion is that you would be better off just coming up here to attend school. It will be easier on you in the long run. Especially if you are planning to do that anyhow. :)

Trixiebell · May 23, 2005

I am confused now. Did you actually complete medical school there since you were speaking of emigrating as a physician?
It is up to CGFNS as to what they will accept. And the state BON where you wish to work.
If you definitely plan on moving to the US to work, why not just attend a program here and get everything done at once and not have to make up anything? It is definitely going to take you longer if you are going the Aussie way for schooling. You are definitely going to have to make up some hours in two areas.
My opinion is that you would be better off just coming up here to attend school. It will be easier on you in the long run. Especially if you are planning to do that anyhow. :)

nope didn't complete med schoo, nowhere near, but i knew the process back to front to immigrate...seeing as i have known since before i started school that i would be immigrating (trouble with decided to marry an american really isn't it?) sorry if that sounded confusing, i think i stop making sense whenever i talk about immigration and just go into stunned mullet mode...

yes i am definatly planning on coming, my fiance is american and he really wants to go home...the timing is flexible, it's kind of as soon as we can do it sort of a thing...

okay so the reason for school here? it's cheaper, i can't afford school in the US, its that simple. we get HECS here which is an interest free loan and fees are approx $4000 a year (i know that the same as soon US programs, but i get a loan here and don't think i can get a US loan)

...plus i don't have the prerequesits to get into grad school in the US, i have a bio degree but not much human bio! it would take me at least a year to get prerequs + 2 for nursing school (or a three yr nursing program), i can't start till next year...the nursing program here starts in june and will finish dec. next yr...so i don't think it will take me longer even if i do have to do some catch up work there...

so which areas will i have to make up and how do i do that? if i get work exp. in australia in those areas (ie. do a 12 month orientation in a hosp. here covering those areas) does that count? or does it have to be a real class, ie. at a US school? what about if i get a MSN (i can do that in clinical nursing, one of the specialities or midwifery here) or a graduate diploma say in critical care or paediatrics or whatever? would any of those options cover me?

can i get a list or an overview from anyone re: number of hours in each area? is there a someone i can call to get this info? i called the school i am going to and they said 'oh of course you can go to the US...' i'm going to call them back and raise these issues with them...but i'm looking for a specific, you need X hours in Critical Care, X hours in ED, X hours in maternal etc. so i can ask specific questions, for instance i get an elective and i i could do general nursing rotations say in OR or whatever if that was what was needed...

thanks ever ever so much

elle

madwife2002, BSN, RN · May 23, 2005

I think the best people to contact are CGFNS they are the ones who set the guidelines. they will decide at the end of the day no matter what you are told on here.

Good luck :)

Trixiebell · May 23, 2005

thankyou, i wasn't really sure who set the guidlines (them, the state etc etc)...

but now that i know who to call i'm onto it!

...thanks all so much for answering innane q's from a confused person...

suzanne4, RN · May 24, 2005

Each state sets their own guidelines, and can be even more strict than CGFNS. Since you are marrying an American, you will not need a Visa Screen Certificate, unless you will be getting your own green card. But just be aware, with any of the programs out of Australia right now, they do not meet licensure requirements for the US and will require make-up courses.

Work experience doesn't fit the bill for training. It must be thru an approved school of nursing. You can try to submit a copy for what your classes are going to be to CGFNS, but you will probably not get much of a response since they would not have received a fee from you. They actually review each transcript on a case by case basis.