Ask me anything, Australian RN here

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Just trying to give back to the community which helped me get started.

About me:

- Originally from the Philippines

- Bridging program in 2012

- Living and working in Sydney since 2012

- Theatre Nurse RN (Operating Room)

- I compiled and submitted all my visa application requirements from business visa, which was needed when I applied for the bridging program, to Australian citizenship by myself

I will try my best to answer all of your questions.

:)

Hello! Thank you for being willing to help!

1. How much nursing experience did u have in Philippine before moving to Australia?

2. How long is the bridging program?

3. How is nursing in Australia compared to your experience in other places?

Thank you so much!

1. 3 years but at that time, AHPRA and BP schools just requite 3 MONTHS IN THE LAST 5 YEARS experience. It was EASY to find a sponsor in 2012.

2. 3mos in 2012. I think it now takes 6mos.

3. EASY. NO STRESS AT ALL :)

Hi Vivian from PH. May I ask how big is the chance to get an employer that will provide a visa sponsorship for you after the BP? Thanks a lot.

Easier if you have the experience but still that is not a guarantee.

I would say that it was easy to find a sponsor in 2012. There were 40 of us in a class and within a week after finishing our BP, all of us got sponsored.

Hello!

Have you worked with any American theatre nurses? Or American nurses in Australia? If so, how have they described their experiences? Also, how much do theatre nurses make after 2-3 years of experience? Is there a demand for theatre nurses in Sydney and Melbourne? How long did the registration process take?

Do you need to look for a hospital first to sponsor you for a visa? Thanks!

Nope. I havent met a single American nurse.

I was paid as A yr4 RN when I started working here which paid around $35/hr. Year 2-3 get paid maybe around $32-33/hr.

There is a huge demand for theatre nurses here.

Less than 2weeks in 2012.

Of course, the hospital is your employer/sponsor.

Is this salary enough to live in the bigger cities like Melbourne or Sydney? As a US citizen will they be keen on hiring theatre nurses in the bigger hospitals (with experience)? Or even Brisbane? How are you enjoying your career and life in Australia? Thanks!

$60-80k is more than enough. You could live a decent life here in Sydney with that salary.

Fyi, that is just the base pay. You get paid 1.5x of your hourly rate for the first 2hrs of OT then 2x to anything beyond that. Holiday pay is 2.5x if i am not mistaken.

If you want extra cash, you could get agency shifts which pays $55-60/hr. OT, holiday, and weekend shifts pay higher.

Specializes in ED, med-surg, peri op.
What do you mean by "cracked up"?

Australian dollar is higher than NZ dollar so yeah it is all worth it.

I know a lot of NZ nurses coming over to Australia.

Such as Better pay. Better work condition. More oppurtunities to grow you career and get into senior roles like nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist.

Such as Better pay. Better work condition. More oppurtunities to grow you career and get into senior roles like nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist.

Of course but this wont be handed to you. You need to have years of experience and/or a Master's degree to be qualified as such.

It is faster/easier to get a senior role in aged care compared to theatre BUT the pay is lower.

Why are you so worried about the pay rate? You are just a newgrad right?

In general there are people who could live off with $25/hr working just 30hrs per week while there are those who get bankrupt despite earning millions.

I dont know what you consider a great pay rate but here in australia, year1 RN working fulltime gets paid $28-30/hr (80hours per fortnight) depending on the facility. Your hourly rate is higher being a partime or casual staff but your hours would be less. Keep in mind that we RNs are on an hourly wage so the more hours we work, the more money we make. Our hourly rate increases anually until we reach YR8.

You want to earn more, then do agency or volunteer to be oncall, work on weekends/holidays, take OT, etc but most importanly, have the experience first.

:)

Specializes in ED, med-surg, peri op.
Of course but this wont be handed to you. You need to have years of experience and/or a Master's degree to be qualified as such.

It is faster/easier to get a senior role in aged care compared to theatre BUT the pay is lower.

Why are you so worried about the pay rate? You are just a newgrad right?

In general there are people who could live off with $25/hr working just 30hrs per week while there are those who get bankrupt despite earning millions.

I dont know what you consider a great pay rate but here in australia, year1 RN working fulltime gets paid $28-30/hr (80hours per fortnight) depending on the facility. Your hourly rate is higher being a partime or casual staff but your hours would be less. Keep in mind that we RNs are on an hourly wage so the more hours we work, the more money we make. Our hourly rate increases anually until we reach YR8.

You want to earn more, then do agency or volunteer to be oncall, work on weekends/holidays, take OT, etc but most importanly, have the experience first.

:)

yeah I don't think you understand what I said.

Firstly i understand you need a masters and need to work for senior roles. Never asked for them to be handed to me. I just want the oppurtunity. In nz there's only 200 working nurse practitioners despite over 10,000 nurses holding the qualification to be a nurse practitioner. There just aren't the jobs available for them. To get a senior clinical role is really really hard here.

Not sure where you got age care and theatre from either. Neither are my interest. Having the highest paid role isn't my concern. Fair pay is a concern. But I want is a senior clinical role in women's health because that's my passion. It's what excites me.

Yes a new grad currently earning $23.79. As is every new grad working in a hospital. Then there are health care assistant with 4 years experience who earn more than new grad nurses. I'm not worried about pay. Just want what's fair. $28-$30 is fine. Also I will have at least 1 years experience before moving.

I was more worried about work conditions than anything. often time you are working in unsafe staffing levels here. 6 months in and I already feel like I'm close to being burnt out.

yeah I don't think you understand what I said.

Firstly i understand you need a masters and need to work for senior roles. Never asked for them to be handed to me. I just want the oppurtunity. In nz there's only 200 working nurse practitioners despite over 10,000 nurses holding the qualification to be a nurse practitioner. There just aren't the jobs available for them. To get a senior clinical role is really really hard here.

Not sure where you got age care and theatre from either. Neither are my interest. Having the highest paid role isn't my concern. Fair pay is a concern. But I want is a senior clinical role in women's health because that's my passion. It's what excites me.

Yes a new grad currently earning $23.79. As is every new grad working in a hospital. Then there are health care assistant with 4 years experience who earn more than new grad nurses. I'm not worried about pay. Just want what's fair. $28-$30 is fine. Also I will have at least 1 years experience before moving.

I was more worried about work conditions than anything. often time you are working in unsafe staffing levels here. 6 months in and I already feel like I'm close to being burnt out.

Where did you get those NP numbers from? Seems a lot. Maybe those 10k NP who are not practicing as such do not want to got to rural places. It is impossible to get a NP job in the cities as there are just too many doctors around.

If you checked my first post here, I stated there that I am working as a THEATRE RN here in Australia for 6years now. Also you asked about salary and aged care RNs have the lowest RN hourly rate because in a way, they have the easiest job.

These are the reasons why theatre and aged care nursing came up.

I have no idea about women's health or any other areas of nursing as these areas of nursing are not my expertise/interest.

If you want to come to Australia, attend a bridging program, work in theatre, apply for a working visa then PR then citizen then surely i can give you advise. Otherwise, i cant.

Goodluck :)

Good day! I am currently employed in a tertiary hospital here in manila since 2015, I am very interested to take the bridging program in Australia but I really don't know where to start. like do I have to sign up with an agency or just do it by my self. and how to apply to a university there in australia?

Good day! I am currently employed in a tertiary hospital here in manila since 2015, I am very interested to take the bridging program in Australia but I really don't know where to start. like do I have to sign up with an agency or just do it by my self. and how to apply to a university there in australia?

Hi

Which hospital? Which area of nursing are you specializing in? Theatre and ICU trained nurses are quicker to find a sponsor than ward nurses.

No, you dont have to signup with any agency. I did everything on my own.

Pass your IELTS first because school which has a bridging course wont entertain you if you havent passed your IELTS yet. The main reason for this is you wont be able to register with AHPRA anyway if you havent passed the test. No IELTS = no APHRA registration. So the schools wont accept you without it.

So first things first, pass your IELTS. Then find a school which has an international nurses bridging program course. Check the AHPRA website to search of these schools. Contact the school. Pass all the requirements thru email and/or express mail. Pay your school fee thru bank transfer if accepted.

Goodluck

Hello! Thank you so much for those information. It is very informative. My area of exposure are Labor And Delivery and Operating Room.

May I ask after paying sending all my requirements how long will I have to wait for the AHPRA registration? Cause I already searched for the school and the start of the semester is this Feb 2019.

Also, another question is after the bridging program do I have to take a nursing examination to be a registered nurse?

Thank you so much!

Hello! Thank you so much for those information. It is very informative. My area of exposure are Labor And Delivery and Operating Room.

May I ask after paying sending all my requirements how long will I have to wait for the AHPRA registration? Cause I already searched for the school and the start of the semester is this Feb 2019.

Also, another question is after the bridging program do I have to take a nursing examination to be a registered nurse?

Thank you so much!

You can only get registered to AHPRA once you have finished your BP and your IELTS result is still valid.

Submit your requirements and payment ASAP for you to secure a slot. What school offers the Feb 2019 intake?

There is no nursing examination here in Australia. Once you finish your BP and have all the necessary requirements for AHPRA, then you are eligible for registration.

I am not sure how long is the waiting time for AHPRA registration upon submission these days but in 2012, it only took me 2weeks while others got their registration in a week's time. It varies but it shouldnt take long.

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