American RN moving to Australia

Silverdragon102, BSN · May 4, 2016

You don't endorse to another country you register. You have to go through AHPRA and meet requirements for trained overseas

US RN in Oz · Jul 2, 2016

If you have any questions about the AHPRA application, I did this about a year ago. Expect it to take at least a few months after submission. The supporting documention required is fairly involved. It can take some time to gather.

US RN in Oz · Jul 2, 2016

Are you certified in any of your specialized areas?

RNnomad, BSN, RN · Jul 3, 2016

Clarke Bar, BSN, RN, I am getting ready to send in my application to AHPRA. I would like to hear about your experience with the application process and see if you could answer a couple questions about it if you don't mind. However, I am unable to PM on allnurses.

US RN in Oz · Jul 3, 2016

Clarke Bar, BSN, RN, I am getting ready to send in my application to AHPRA. I would like to hear about your experience with the application process and see if you could answer a couple questions about it if you don't mind. However, I am unable to PM on allnurses.

Yes, absolutely. Ask away.

I found that the worst part of the application process was gathering all paperwork. In particular, I remember it taking some time and effort ensuring my school and board of nursing in America followed the criteria. I also arranged some of these while already in Australia. It is probably best to make sure it is complete before moving.

Also, expect a bit of a wait. Once the application is in, it will sit in a pile for a couple of months before being assigned to an officer. The officer will make sure the application is complete. If it is not, they will let you know what is missing or needs improving then give you a deadline to complete it. Once complete, it sits in another pile until it is reviewed by the board.

How has it been organizing all the letters, transcripts, statutory declarations and the lot?

RNnomad, BSN, RN · Jul 3, 2016

Yes, absolutely. Ask away.
I found that the worst part of the application process was gathering all paperwork. In particular, I remember it taking some time and effort ensuring my school and board of nursing in America followed the criteria. I also arranged some of these while already in Australia. It is probably best to make sure it is complete before moving.
Also, expect a bit of a wait. Once the application is in, it will sit in a pile for a couple of months before being assigned to an officer. The officer will make sure the application is complete. If it is not, they will let you know what is missing or needs improving then give you a deadline to complete it. Once complete, it sits in another pile until it is reviewed by the board.
How has it been organizing all the letters, transcripts, statutory declarations and the lot?

Thank you for the reply!

Gathering all of the paperwork has been tedious. I think the most difficult part is trying to figure out exactly what is required since some of the Aussie terminology is different from what I'm used to in the US. So far in my application I have included my transcript from college, CV, proof of identity documents, my statements of service from employers, copy of NCLEX results, and am arranging for my state board of nursing to send an official copy of my RN license to oz.

I am having trouble figuring out if I for sure need to include my CEUs that I have completed and medication management content from nursing school. Did you include these documents in your application? Any other tips?

Thanks again!

US RN in Oz · Jul 3, 2016

Thank you for the reply!
Gathering all of the paperwork has been tedious. I think the most difficult part is trying to figure out exactly what is required since some of the Aussie terminology is different from what I'm used to in the US. So far in my application I have included my transcript from college, CV, proof of identity documents, my statements of service from employers, copy of NCLEX results, and am arranging for my state board of nursing to send an official copy of my RN license to oz.
I am having trouble figuring out if I for sure need to include my CEUs that I have completed and medication management content from nursing school. Did you include these documents in your application? Any other tips?
Thanks again!

The official transcript must be directly from your school to AHPRA. There are other official documents the school must send to AHPRA. They require course outlines. To satisfy this, I had the school include the official Recommended Academic Plan and Course Descrtions. AHPRA requires the transcripts to include clinical hours completed. This is not common in America, certainly not at my school. To circumvent this, I had the assistant dean of the school draft up and send a Clinical Hours Verification letter.

AHPRA is also a stickler about proving competency in med administration. I do not think competency in this is part of general nursing school curriculum in Oz and is done afterwards. So, yeah, not all registered nurses can administer medications in Oz. Very peculiar. At any rate, you will need to prove that your schooling covered all aspects of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and drug calculations. Again, I had the assistant dean write a letter explaining that those topics were covered in regular course work and that competency in the administration of medications is require to successfully pass all clinical courses.

So, the things that need to be included in the official school documents sent to AHPRA are: transcript, course outlines, clinical hour verification (if not on transcript), and something that shows those three aspects of med administration (if not in transcripts or outlines).

I'm not sure how old your application form is but, an International Criminal History Check (ICHC) is now a required part of the application. They started that about a year ago. It's easy and like, 50 bucks or something. Just go to fit2work.com.au

I do not think CEUs and NCLEX results are required but, it doesn't hurt to have more than less.

If I remember correctly, they may need your secondary school (high school) transcript as well and proof that your classes were taught in english. This was a bit of a hurtle for me because I went to a few different high schools, before digital records, and got a GED. I had to draft up an additional statutory declaration.

I believe the CV must be signed and notarized, as well.

RNnomad, BSN, RN · Jul 6, 2016

The official transcript must be directly from your school to AHPRA. There are other official documents the school must send to AHPRA. They require course outlines. To satisfy this, I had the school include the official Recommended Academic Plan and Course Descrtions. AHPRA requires the transcripts to include clinical hours completed. This is not common in America, certainly not at my school. To circumvent this, I had the assistant dean of the school draft up and send a Clinical Hours Verification letter.
AHPRA is also a stickler about proving competency in med administration. I do not think competency in this is part of general nursing school curriculum in Oz and is done afterwards. So, yeah, not all registered nurses can administer medications in Oz. Very peculiar. At any rate, you will need to prove that your schooling covered all aspects of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and drug calculations. Again, I had the assistant dean write a letter explaining that those topics were covered in regular course work and that competency in the administration of medications is require to successfully pass all clinical courses.
So, the things that need to be included in the official school documents sent to AHPRA are: transcript, course outlines, clinical hour verification (if not on transcript), and something that shows those three aspects of med administration (if not in transcripts or outlines).
I'm not sure how old your application form is but, an International Criminal History Check (ICHC) is now a required part of the application. They started that about a year ago. It's easy and like, 50 bucks or something. Just go to fit2work.com.au
I do not think CEUs and NCLEX results are required but, it doesn't hurt to have more than less.
If I remember correctly, they may need your secondary school (high school) transcript as well and proof that your classes were taught in english. This was a bit of a hurtle for me because I went to a few different high schools, before digital records, and got a GED. I had to draft up an additional statutory declaration.
I believe the CV must be signed and notarized, as well.

Wow, this is unbelievably helpful! I have spent hours searching the internet and various topics to try and locate this information. It sounds like I have a bit more documentation to gather before I send in my application. What exactly are course outlines? Are they the same as syllabi?

I had my state board of nursing send over a copy of my license to AHPRA but I'm worried they will disregard it since I have not submitted my official application yet.

On another note, how are you liking nursing in oz? Are you working in public or private hospitals?

US RN in Oz · Jul 6, 2016

RNnomad - We did not send the syllabi. I think they sent the recommended education plan, which is a list of all the classes required for the degree. They also sent something that listed the major topics covered in each of those clourses. I also had they sent a detailed 3 column outline for my pharm class.

I had the school send the identical documents to me, as well. I could certainly email you those examples to share with your school.

How long ago did the state board send a copy of your license to AHPRA? They'll create a file with your name and hold onto it for a bit of time. You could send them an email. It generally takes them 2 business days to reply.

To be honest with you, I'm not digging healthcare delivery system down here as either a worker, or consumer. Yes, if you rate countries on their health care in an all encompassing way, Australia ranks higher than the US. From what I understand, this is heavily attributed to the fact that virtually everyone is covered, the access to healthcare is better, and the total cost is lower. On the other hand, if someone is fortunate enough to have good coverage in the US, the quality of care there is second to none.

Don't get me wrong with this next bit. The clinical skills of the nurses, physicians and physios in Oz are nothing short of excellent. It's the systems here that have fallen behind. The system here is quite antiquated for an advanced nation.

My main concerns with the lack of technology here is patient safety issues and the relatively high rate of substandard outcomes in a number of areas. I've witnessed more medication errors and falls here than I care to admit. Nurses and docs are only human. I would put the onus of the medication errors on lack of modern methods and technology.

There's not many audits done here but, when they do them, the results are a bit concerning. There was a recent audit on stroke care. It showed that there was substandard care in about 67% of the cases. That number could easily come down to 45% if they modernized. I would imaging audits in other areas would render similar results. When ever I work ortho here, I literally cringe at how many beds are readmissions for infection. Scary.

I work both public and private. Suprisingly to me, I like public better.

So, yeah, get used to no computers and everything else effected by that fact. Oh, and not rounding as part of an interdisciplinary team.

All said and done, I'm not the kind of person who is defined by what I do for a living. I didn't move here for the sole intention of nursing. We moved here for my partner's career and an improved quality of life. If knew then (before the move) what I know now, would I have still done it? It's a close call but, yes, I think I still would have made the bold move.

If you want me to send those docos, I'll just need to know where to send them.

Cheers

RNnomad, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2016

Clarke Bar, BSN, RN - if you don't mind sharing those documents, you can e-mail them to me at [email protected] . I would very much appreciate it! It sounds like I'll need to be in frequent contact with someone at my college of nursing. I'm guessing they will have minimal experience with constructing such documents too so having a format to work off of would be extremely helpful. I got confirmation that my board of nursing sent out my license info yesterday so I'm going to go ahead and e-mail AHPRA today about it.

I have heard lack of EMRs has been a big change for US nurses working in oz. I have only ever used EMRs as an RN so I'm sure this will be an even bigger adjustment for me having to get used to paper charting. What a bummer to hear about lack of modernization affecting patient care and safety. As an RN in the US I have always been active on committees to help improve patient outcomes and have even been able to make new protocols for our unit to follow. I hope that I'll have the same ability to help with something similar in oz.

Are you doing agency work there? My hope is to get a full-time job somewhere in Perth but I know that it may be easier to get work with an agency just starting out. I would like to be living in oz in about 18 months. I'm expecting the application process with AHPRA to take about 6 months and then finding a job and obtaining a visa the remaining year.

Glad you are not regretting the move overseas. I am also moving for my partner and for a better quality of life. I have visited Perth twice now and feel that being closer to his friends and family will be the correct move.

US RN in Oz · Jul 7, 2016

Sent.