Can a US RN work in Oz for a year or two?

barkles3579 · Oct 13, 2008

Oh my gosh!! You've given me hope!!! Thank you! My sister has lived in Australia for 15 years...miss her desperately. So hope this works. :yeah:

NurseJewels · Oct 13, 2008

When I was applying I was told by the board that you needed a minimum of a bachelor's degree and not necessarily in nursing, sorry for the confusion there. Then again things may have changed over the last year. Definately contact the Nurses Board of Victoria. With the amount of experience you have they might not require it, but the only way to find out is to contact them. I actually have a Bachelor's in biology and was in the process of finishing my MSN when I applied and had no problems. But yea, definitely e-mail them and I'm sure they could give you a straight answer.

Melbourne is awesome! I've been coming here the last 4 years because that's where my BF is from, so I can't speak for the other cities in Australia, but it's incredibly livable and diverse and accessible. I've had a pretty easy time settling in and found the Aussies I work with to be very warm and welcoming. I'm sure this is a trait you will find in any city though :)

Silverdragon102, BSN · Oct 13, 2008

The state will hold the final say so on your nurse training as you will need to be registered with them before you can work as a nurse as they are the ones issuing license

Kosmonavt · Oct 14, 2008

I actually have a Bachelor's in biology and was in the process of finishing my MSN when I applied and had no problems. But yea, definitely e-mail them and I'm sure they could give you a straight answer.

Thank you for sharing! For how long did you work as a nurse in the States? How smooth was your transitioning to Australian realities? Can you afford the same quality of life in Australia as you had in the US?

Grace Oz · Oct 15, 2008

Hoping these links might be of some help: .....................

http://www.nmb.nsw.gov.au/

http://www.nbv.org.au/web/guest/home

http://www.nursesboard.sa.gov.au/

http://www.actnmb.act.gov.au/

http://www.nmbwa.org.au/

http://www.qnc.qld.gov.au/home/index.aspx

http://www.health.nt.gov.au/Health_Professions_Licensing_Authority_HPLA/index.aspx

http://www.nursingboardtas.org.au/

I would strongly encourage those folks seeking to live and work in Australia to look beyond the states of New South Wales and Victoria.

Australia is MORE than just Sydney and Melbourne.

Those are two of THE most expensive cities to live in.

Further, be very cautious if considering rural and remote nursing in Aust. It's very different to anywhere else. In some places you will be working solo and in the remote outback far away from the nearest town. You would need to thoroughly investigate this before ever committing yourself to it.

Quality of life here in Australia is second to none. Even our poor live a reasonable life compared to the poor in other countries.

You will however, have to pay a LOT of money to live in Sydney! Both rents and food are very expensive. As I say, be willing to explore other cities.

Wishing you all the best! :)

barkles3579 · Oct 15, 2008

Thank you for the info. My sis lives in Victoria, so I'm pretty much stuck on that location. I've seen the cost of living first hand. When I've come back to the states, and tell people how much a car costs, or a liter of gas, or a pack of cigarettes (those that smoke), there jaw hits the floor. We are definitely overindulged in the states. Anyways, I will check some of the sites that you have listed. Thanks again for your help.

Kosmonavt · Oct 15, 2008

I would strongly encourage those folks seeking to live and work in Australia to look beyond the states of New South Wales and Victoria.
Australia is MORE than just Sydney and Melbourne.
Those are two of THE most expensive cities to live in.

Give us some cues :)

Djuna · Oct 15, 2008

My friend I worked with was from England and she was sponsored for her visa plus she had free accommodation for 3 months so she could find a house and save money to set it up. She certainly found it easy to relocate to a whole new country with that kind of assistance. This was in rural NSW, in a town of 24,000 people. NSW is more than just Sydney just as Victoria is more than just Melbourne.

allnurses Guide · Oct 15, 2008

Quality of life here in Australia is second to none. Even our poor live a reasonable life compared to the poor in other countries.

....unless they are indigenous!

I give another vote for Melbourne - it's my hometown, and I love it. I've lived in both Melb and Sydney recently, and I could have rented a 3-4BR house in Melb for what I rented a 1BR apartment in Syd for.

AussieRNinHI · Oct 18, 2008

Pay is dependent on which State you live in, how many years experience you have and whether you work in the public or private sector. It is not dependent on whether you live in a large city or a small rural town.
ACT pays the highest rates, then NSW, I don't know who comes after these two States.

Queensland

AussieRNinHI · Oct 19, 2008

personally i love Brisbane :-)but i am biased because im a queenlander :-), its not as big as Sydney, but its lovely just the same.It doesnt cost an arm and a leg to fly to Sydney, there are quite a few airlines that fly to the capital cities, so competetition is fierce. It cost me $150 return to fly to Sydney in Feb. this year.

Grace Oz · Oct 19, 2008

....unless they are indigenous!
i give another vote for melbourne - it's my hometown, and i love it. i've lived in both melb and sydney recently, and i could have rented a 3-4br house in melb for what i rented a 1br apartment in syd for.

are you referring to white indiginous australians or black?

all australians have choice.

choice on how to spend their money be it hard earned money or welfare money.

even our homeless can obtain a meal provided by charitable organisations. no person living in this country needs to starve from lack of food. hence my post regarding how in this country, our poor are better off than in some other countries whereby people starve to death because of poverty.