lots of questions re coming to US

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

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...)

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

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...