As you can tell by my title I have a lot of things going on with this question. My main question is what are my chances of getting a fully active, non-probationary license in Australia with a DUI on my record?
Now a little background on my story: I graduated in December 2013 and just got my RN license in February 2015. I got my DUI well before nursing school in 2009. My DUI was fairly standard, for lack of a better word, meaning there were no injuries or property damage. I was young and dumb and now I no longer drink because of it, enough said. California's BRN has strict rules on licensing nurses with any sort of criminal past so therefore I am on "nursing probation". This entails getting random drug and alcohol tests, attending weekly AA meetings, attending weekly nursing support groups, doing a 6-9 month outpatient rehab, getting physical and mental exams, and visiting a therapist/counselor on a regular basis (all of these are at my own expense equaling to about $500-$600/month). Last but not least, my probation requires any health care employer of mine to fill out tons of paperwork and perform special evaluations on me on a regular basis. Now you are probably asking who in the world would hire such a nurse with all of that baggage? Exactly my point. I have pretty much zero chance of finding a job here in CA which is why I want to get out of here.
So long story short I would like to move to Australia. For one, my boyfriend lives out there so I would love to be with him. Secondly, I have heard Aus is more lenient as far as licensing nurses with a criminal past similar to mine. Thirdly, it's Australia.. who wouldn't want to live there?!? I, for one, loved it there when I visited. Anyways, can anyone tell me if they know anything about the process/outcome for a nurse trying to move there in my situation.
More specifically:
1. How long does the U.S. to Aus nurse licensing process take? I know for nurses without a criminal past the wait time is about 3-4 months. Am I looking at waiting a year possibly??
2. Is there any probable chance I would actually get denied licensure there?
I thought I had more questions but now I can't think of them.. UGH the stress is getting to me! Anyways I greatly appreciate anyone's time who is able to add to this thread. Any relevant info, no matter how small it is, is better than nothing.. so PLEASE write stuff!! THANK YOU! :)
