Student Nurse thinking about moving to Australia

[greyL]

I am thinking about moving to Australia after I graduate. Forgive me if this has been asked elsewhere. I had a quick look and I didn't see anything. I just have a couple of questions I'd like to ask.

First, what is the different between nursing in the US compared to Australia? What about salary and things like that? How difficult is it to find a job as a foreign nurse with not much experience? I would appreciate any information that you could give me.

EDIT: Forgot to add, I'll be graduating next april with a bachelor's.

[ceridwyn]

Difficult if overseas trained with no experience.....Australia has also increased its student nurse numbers over the years and also it is the destination of many New Zealand graduates, after all of these considerations, 2 years ago a walk in the park to get a job just with registration certificate, now even for our own new grads...difficult to get grad program, difficult to get job without grad program, grad program usually only for Australians citizens or pr. as it is funded by the government.

Even with general experience, hard to get other jobs, unless lots of experience in management.....though if you have specialty, midwifery seems to be the go and mental health, dialysis, ICU, but of course you need the post grad or the degree to be considered for positions in those nursing fields here especially as a internation nurse.... Not impossible, city seems to be harder to get a job, country bit easier, though remote I believe you need much experience. If you want to remain in this country after 2 years you also need to get sponsorship which means finding an employer that cannot find a local to fulfill a postion. This of course is often subjective.

It is my belief as US citizen you can get a working holiday visa, join agency, these often take on new grads......network,is network, network, that is the key and find your sponsor that way.

As for the difference between Australian and US practice between nurses, would not really have a clue as many of us here in Australia have never worked in the US have worked with a couple of nurses from there and they said only all the drugs had different names and lots of different spelling for most things medical.

NLSITGA

[felixallskills]

Hi Greyl,

While it is true that there are a lot of new graduates. This does not mean there are no more chances for overseas trained nurses with limited experience to find an emplyer/sponsor to hire them on a working visa. It will depend on the state, the region and the job you are applying for. I had a client who just completed his bridging course this December who had no hospital based experience whatsoever, within just a month got a an employer to sponsor him on a 457 working visa to work in Adelaide. The same was true with his other batchmates.

[ceridwyn]

It is extremely more difficult for a nurse with no experience to gain a job in an acute hospital and be sponsored.

Sponsorship costs employers money and if they can employ someone without going through that rigmaroll they will. Unless they know someone....If you can walk into a hospital or agency with a work permit and can work any hours, casual, part=time or full-time this will allow this person to work a hell of a lot more than someone that in hanging around waiting to find an employer to sponsor as the job needs to be nearly full-time and the employer willing to do all the paperwork and pay the money. this is something that graduates from the UK, canada,singapore, Usa do not have to bother with for a year at least.

A graduate from the USA does not need sponsorship, they can get working visa's so sponsorship is not an issue. So more feasible for someone from a country that can get a working visa and eventually can find an employer for sponsorship if they decide to remain after the working visa is complete due to their ability to actually show their abilities in casual, or part-time or full=time work as they desire and they can also network with others.

If nurses were my clients and my livelihood it depends on painting wonderful pictures of easy jobs and hence sponsorship yes, Original poster was from the USA and does not require bridging program nor an immigration agent if they do research as taught in our nursing degree.

Could you please ask all the 'batchmates' and your client to please post in the Fillipino new graduate forum or here and tell their story, so it is not constantly only the odd second hand sponsorship story. If Filipino nurses want to support each other, why not good luck stories after sponsorship?

[felixallskills]

They have posted their experiences already. It may be true that nurses from other countries like what you have mentioned are easier to employ because of the privileges their passports provide. Most of them being here on a holiday working visa I would guess would not want to work permanently in a regional area away from the big cities being used to living a high standard of living in their first world countries like yourself.

The Filipino nurse on the other hand coming from a poor third world country I would say has more determination and desire to succeed and create a better way of life for their families in Australia. They are willing to work or be assigned anywhere as long as their working conditions and compensation are the same as any other nurse. And no one can take that desire away from them. Sorry for my ignorance but what do you mean by good luck stories after sponsorship?

[ceridwyn]

The present posters ask for others to give information from previous posters but none is forthcoming. Please give others first hand experience so everybody knows just how it is looking for sponsorship?

and when I visit remote areas of Australia and rural areas.....there are lots of hard working Australian born nurses, kiwi nurses, english, nurses, us nurses as well, vietnamese nurses, chinese nurses, nurses from Thailand, nurses from Ireland and nurses from India, nurses from Singapore and.nurses from African countries (who can tell horrific stories of being poor) and........nurses from the Phillipines all with the same desire to work and live in Australia. and hello glio! Many nurses from other poor countries go to Australia to work and have very much desire to do well for their families and choose country hospitals as well!

So there are many nationalities working in our country hospitals and yes many do want to stay in the cities, but there are many that do not.........

The only reason why some rural positions are available in country areas as they do not have the population to have enough nurses or doctors for that matter. Children go away to uni in the city and stay there, some return with their profession some do not, so nursing positions are sometimes more common in the country.

and hello ceridwen glio again I have travelled around Australia a couple of times (size of the USA) working so I have verified first hand that all nurses from all countries have much desire and care to do well. there are some bad applies in all.

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

I will tell you straight, I couldn't get into a General Nursing Program (GNP) here in Oz to gain experience as a RN, and had to go over to Perth in Western Australia. You will not get a job here without experience - even the agencies by law are not allowed to hire ienxperienced nurses, so you will find it impossible.

You could email all the agencies as some hospitals here MAY take you on and train you, but frankly, our new grads need those jobs. I'm an experienced RN/carer/nurse assistant/hospital/theatre coordinator and have worked in hosptitals for 25 years, and all I can get at the moment is agency work. There are NO fulltime, permanent jobs going in South Australia at the mo, don't know re other states. I would suggest you get one years experience first, then come over here. You will also find it very hard going out onto a floor with no experience, as you may be given 2+ students with a full patient load - I had this on my very first shift as a RN!

It's not easy!

[ceridwyn]

Thanks for the support Carol,

When you mention that no experience it will be extremely difficult and that all other nurses from other countries, that I consider even poorer and richer are as caring and as well educated, (as well as the Aussies) and want to move to Australia as well and vying for jobs as well, I am considered to be predjudiced and downing dreams, hmmmm cannot win, just trying to put some reality into the dream, we can make plans, as long as they are based on reality, not fantasy and lack of knowledge and stories.

Apparently us here in the country areas do not live a high standard of living as our city counterparts Mmmmm true for health care, lack of hospital beds and specialists and wee bit more expensive in some foods. Need to look cityward So I can spend all my extra money and extra time on hours of travel and on petrol and parking fees and fares getting to work and breathing in all ....nooo thanks.

[christinemailz]

hello,

i am really new to this this website and really excited to meet with well experienced collegues in the job...well to begin i will be round up with my nursing program this april and really have no idea about where to make a proper application in europe or in america,

i will be appricaitive if someone can hint me on the steps to take if one chooses to aply for work abroad and the agencies responsible..

i will be gald to read from your experiences and advices.

have a super weekend.

christine

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

hello,

i am really new to this this website and really excited to meet with well experienced collegues in the job...well to begin i will be round up with my nursing program this april and really have no idea about where to make a proper application in europe or in america,

i will be appricaitive if someone can hint me on the steps to take if one chooses to aply for work abroad and the agencies responsible..

i will be gald to read from your experiences and advices.

have a super weekend.

christine

Hi Christine and welcome to the site

This thread is about a new grad working in Australia, there are plenty of threads discussing EU and the US in the International forum, suggest you start reading there plus any question regarding working in another country or immigration we ask is posted there as well

[Soon2benurse25]

Hi all,

I'm thinking about doing some travel nursing in australia - either in brisbane, perth, sydney, melbourne, or adelaide (got to narrow this down eventually!). I've already been in contact with the nurse manager (or director?) of a hospital in sydney, and she told me that she would be happy to consider a position for me once I get 1 year experience. I don't really have any questions about licensing/registration/visa's etc because you guys have already provided loads of helpful information about that, but my main question/concern is this: how would I, as an African-American nurse, fare in australia? I know it's kind of a silly question to ask, but I just want to know if I'll encounter any negativity in any of the cities I mentioned above -- im a little nervous about that. Thanks!

[K+MgSO4, BSN]

As opposed to the Irish, English, Chinese, Taiwanese, Indian, Maori, New zealand, Filipino, Japanese nurses that pt see everyday?

Ozzies may have a reputation as being very racist but it is only a very small minority of pt that will have an issue with your race, just as anywhere else.

I have experienced racism here as an Irish nurse but I am not used to it and if I am told to "%#$$ off back to Ireland" I usually respond with can you give me the plane fare or are you not the descendent of an Irish convict Mr Murphy?. it is the exception rather than the rule. Your pt are more likely to be interested in your background and ask questions about it rather than have an issue with it.

As long as they can understand your accent they will be happy! (My brother claims that I have an Ozzie accent but it just that I speak slower than I do at home. My friends say that after I have been home for a break that I have to learn to speak the language again!!)