requirements of a foreign nurese?

What is the requirement of a foreign nurse to work and live in Australia??

what if i passed the ielts?
whta if i speak and write good english?

is thre any way to not take a bridging course? bridging course is way too costly for me..

tnx for the reply guys, it is really helping..

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I have been doing a bit of research on working in Australia and my understanding is if you are from the Philippines or from India then:

1. You need to have an IELTS score of 7.00 minimum.

2. You have to register with one of the 7 states Nursing & Midwife Board (NMB) in Australia.

3. Each one will insist that you give a bridge course which can range from 3 to 6 months. Cost of a bridge course is AT LEAST Aus 7000 $ + travel + cost of life. You need a student visa to go to Australia to do this course.

4. As far as I can make out - no agency funds a bridge course. You have to fund it your self or via a bank loan or a combination of both.

5. If you do pass the Bridge course - then you get a registration in Australia as a Nurse with a State Board. Once this is done - you can get a job and then apply for a visa with the job offer.

6. A visa is easily issued once you have a registration and a job offer.

7. Jobs are available in Hospitals and old age homes etc. Do your research before accepting a job. In Australia - the large Govt Hospitals are good. The smaller private sector jobs may not be as good. Work conditions are apparently much better in the Govt sector than the private sector.

8. There is an apparent shortage of nurses in the old age homes as well. But do your research on the job and the company esp. the private companies before accepting. It is YOUR career!!

9. It is not recommended for a new nurse to australia to accept a rural or a remote posting. This means that you can be on a sheep farm in the middle of nowhere. Do your research before you accept your job.

While a Bridge course is expensive. It is worth the investment. An annual salary for a nurse in Australia is about 50,000 $ + overtime. So you can pick up between 60-70,000 per annum if you work hard. Well worth the investment!!

I estimate that you need to budget about 12,000 $ in all for the bridge course, travel to australia, job hunt, food and stay, visa applications etc.

Best of luck and God Bless

Vivek

Thank you for this useful info vivek!
its a big help for us!

have a nice day!

It IS possible to get a job as an AIN (assistant in Nursing) while doing the bridging course. There are a LOT of aged care facilities looking for AIN's.

Forgot to add - the Royal Children's Hospital here in Brisbane was looking to run a refreher/re-entry course which should (sorry cannot say for sure) but should be the same as a bridging course. They may be worth contacting.