New Grad Moving from Canada to NZ: seeking advice

[AdventureBound]

Hi All,

In the next 2 months I will have finished my RN education in BC, Canada, and will be writing the CRNE to become a fully registered RN. Then I'll apply for registration with the NZ Nursing Council as soon as I can, as I will be moving to NZ in December 2012 to reconnect with extended family. I am a Canadian citizen and an NZ citizen by descent (so I won't need travel/working visas). I'm planning to live & work in NZ for at least a year and hope to live in the Christchurch area. In addition to reconnecting with family & the beautiful place, I'm hoping the experience in NZ will help me to be a more "flexible" nurse, since I've heard CAN & NZ have different medical systems. My long-term goal is to travel as an aid worker in low-income countries.

My experience as a student nurse (through school and employment) in small emergency departments and medical units has taught me that I love the higher acuity, fast pace, and critical thinking of Emergency nursing. But since I will only be in BC another 6-7 months, I can't be hired in an ER locally. So I'm looking into new grad jobs on a medical unit, hoping to improve my own skills before moving to NZ. (Unless anyone has a different type of fun/acute nursing to recommend apart from ER and medical...?)

I'm looking for advice re.:

- the application process (for registration with the NZNC)

- the differences between nursing in Canada and NZ

- how to make the nursing transition smoother

- what kind of nursing jobs to apply for in NZ/Chch as a relatively new grad who enjoys acute care and interesting learning experiences

- how I might go about applying for such jobs

...and any other thoughts/tips you may have.

Many thanks,

AdventureBound