American nurse studying in Melbourne

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Hi everyone,

I currently live in NYC and I am a US citizen. I completed a BS in kinesiology ( in hopes of becoming a PT), but somewhere along the run I decided that was not what I wanted to do, and so I went back for school and got my LPN license and have been an lpn for almost 3 years. After endless unsuccessful trials of trying to get into an accelerated BSN program, i got into a school in the city from which I withdrew after being highly desastified with the system/school structure as I was learning absolutely nothing. In an attempt to get to the finish line I retook some of my a science classes (got all As ) and decided to apply abroad as well as here in the US. To my surprise I was granted admission into U Melbourne, master program. Which makes more sense that taking the offer that might be on the table for me ( 2.5 years for another BS degree) My question is: how long does it take to transfer the license to the US ( I've heard is 8 months at best)... and would having a foreign degree affect my employment applications although I'm American (assuming I pass NCLEX)

thank you you very much for all your help

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Hi payitama,

I'm an American citizen currently living and working in Melbourne as an RN. Iwanted to say hi. Melb'n Uni is a fantastic school in one of the world's best cities.

As an American citizen and after passing NCLEX, you should have no problems with the masters degree being from Oz. The higher education system here is top notch. Melb'n Uni has one of the best medical schools in the world.

Sorry, I'm not sure how long the process of getting Oz licensure to America will take. I did that in the opposite direction.

The whole thing sounds like a bold move. Legend.

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Thank you very much for your insight. 😊 How do you like working over there? And how much is the pay rate/cost of living ratio as staying there permanently has also crossed my mind. In NYC a bsn nurse earns a good salary but it is also an extremely expensive city.

thank you again.

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I've found that LIVING here is wonder. However, working here as a registered nurse really stinks in comparison.

The pay is pretty crappy in Melbourne. The median rate for a registered nurse here is equivalent to $22.50 US. Median rate in NYC is about $37. Melbourne is also quite expensive.

I wouldn't recommend moving here permanently if the sole intention was to work as a nurse.

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The Masters of Nursing Science is a great course. But as an international student you would have to vigilant about finding a graduate year job if you wanted to stay in Melbourne/Australia. International students cannot take part in the Victorian state computer match system, which is how most Victorian nursing students are matched with their graduate jobs. You would have to apply to private hospitals if you wanted to work as a hospital based RN. After completing a grad year you would be able to move around more freely. That being said as this course delivers more content then a standard bachelor of nursing, the international grads still do well in terms of attaining grad years.

In terms of transferring the degree to America, Australian nursing courses are different to American courses. I'm not sure of the specifics of US courses but I have noticed you do a paediatric or obstetrics rotation. This isn't mandatory in Australia, you can do paeds rotations but there isn't a great deal of course content on paediatrics. So if your goal is to transfer the degree back to the US, make sure you are covering all content that would be needed.

Australia does not have the equivalent of a NCLEX so the course wouldn't necessarily prepare you for NCLEX style tests. Course work in this course is primarily essay based (8-11 thousand words per semester, APA style) with end of semester exams. There is a heavy emphasis on science and research.

The pay for Victorian nurses is one of the lowest in the country, but as this course is a master's level I think there is a slight increase in graduate wage. An added benefit of nursing in Victoria vs the US is that there is a legislated nurse to patient ratio of 1:4. Overall I think the course is fantastic for international students who want to work in Australia, but I am not sure of how transferable it is to the US. Good luck with your decision.

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