Does Australia have a registration exam?

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Hi everyone and peace.

Thanks for taking the time to read and answer my question. I am a nurse in Canada, I graduated from a 4 year degree program in January of 2010, hence I was a graduate nurse. In February of 2010, I wrote a registration exam, which I passed, and then became a registered nurse.

I have been working full-time hours since my graduation, in a general medicine unit in a large city teaching hospital ( large by Canadian standards, just under a million people), and am now looking for some travel opportunities before i get old and settled down. I have been considering Australia as one of my options, as a place to come live for 6 months, but I want to work as a nurse while I am here.

Basically, my plan is to apply for an Australian Nursing License, and to apply for a 6 month work and holiday visa, and apply for a part-time nursing job in general medicine, to also give me time to travel. I want to stay out of the major cities (no, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane etc, coz i'm a small-town girl at heart)

I have done some initial research, and have the online application to apply for an Australian nursing license. It seems, I meet all the requirements, but im confused as to whether once (and if), my application is successfully processed, I have to write a registration exam? (or such a thing does not exist in Australia, because I can't find any mention of it).

Also, if I do decide to go through with this, I am planning for about October 2012 to make the move. In your opinion am I giving myself sufficient time? Also, in your opinion (as you guys live and work in Australia), is my plan totally ludicrous or can it be feasible? (like would someone hire me, knowing i'd be leaving in 6 months, would they be more willing to do that in a smaller town vs a city?)

Thanks so much

Mad

Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

I don't understand grades, we have divisions here, but when I enquired thru QLD health, I think as a year 3 RN I would be a grade 5, depending upon what the hospital wants to grade you as.

There is usually an email listed with the ads. Are you sure you didn't click thru to the next page at all? If u click onto the job and person specifcation, there is always an email posted there.

Try that first. Don't worry about not sounding good via phone, just give the person a quick call then say, may I get your email and I can get more info off you that way?

Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.
This is so annoying - I wrote a really long post and then my internet went down! Abbreviated recap:

I'd be inclined to contact them the way they've asked. Most likely your first point of contact will be HR, who screen the applicants, but it'll usually be the unit manager or similar who conducts an interview, by phone if need be.

The grading system, confusingly, differs between states. This is Queensland's,the best I could find for NSW, and the levels in Victoria.

Yes my net went down when I was going to post an answer for a university assignment. So annoying! I copy & paste everything now b4 I post so I don't lose it.

Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.
Peace all.

I also have another question. We don't have nursing agencies in Canada to find part-time or full-time jobs. So its not something I really know how to deal with. I prefer to deal with hospitals directly, and if unsuccessful go the agency route. Am I putting myself at a disadvantage this way?

Also, I am not familiar with a 2-tiered system of health-care (public and private). I am assuming, there are both private and public hospitals. I am not sure I could work in a private hospital, goes against what I ethically believe in. Again, am I putting myself at a big disadvantage?

Thanks

Mad

Don't u have any nursing agencies in Canada? That seems really weird. I thought they were all over the world practically.

Hi.

I could not find an e-mail address at all even when i clicked on the postings to get more information.

I guess I don't have to worry about the grade system right now.

And over here hospitals hire nurses directly, full-time, part-time, and casual staff. And then there are agencies that hire nurses. These nurses will go to any hospital/nursing home in the area, if that hospital/nursing home is working short, and just cannot get any of its own staff to meet that need. You never go through an agency to get a full-time or part-time position at a particular place coz they don't exist

Thanks for your responses, I have a few more busy days, but I will keep you posted.

Mad

Peace

So i have submitted my application, and yesterday, they sent an e-mail confirming acceptance of it. I have not applied for the work and holiday visa yet.

I might be planning way ahead of myself but I am getting very excited. Quick question.

How does scheduling work?

Here I am employed full-time, do 12 hour shifts only, 50% days 50% nights. 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Working all 12 hours is amazing, coz you get so many more days off. Am hoping to get something similar whilr working part-time. Will need days off to travel,

Mad

Specializes in Medical.

In Victoria, at least, 12 hour shifts are rare outside ICU and (sometimes) psych - most place work an 8/8/10 roster: AM 070-1530, PM 1300-2130, ND 2100-0730. Because Australia has a 38-hour work week and that's 40 hours/week, permanent staff also get an ADO every month. Agency and bank staff, of course, work whatever shifts they feel like.

That's disappointing, but I guess you cannot have everything. Here we do 75 hours of work every 2 weeks, and with my schedule in 12 weeks time I have averaged 75 hours in a 2 weeks period, but some are more, some are less.

So, I have not heard anything from AHPRA for quite some time. Last they contacted me, they said they were doing a criminal history check. Hopefully, we will be moving on to the next step early next month.

But life goes on here, with working full-time, studying for my certification exam, and enjoying my friends.

But some days, I am soo excited, I want to scream.

Specializes in geriatrics.

I don't understand how you cannot know that Canada has agencies. There are many many agencies here.Just curious....what sort of pay would a second or third year RN receive? I am also hoping to move to Australia at some point.

In Victoria, about 25 Au dollars an hour - from memory last looked at pay rates, I think. But then there are penalties for afternoon shift/night shift and working saturday and sunday and public holidays.

Specializes in ICU.
Here is a link to the Qld Health current wages rates. To give you an idea, I am an RN, and I have been registered for four years, nearly into my 5th. So, to give you an idea, I am at a Gr 5 level, paypoint 5.

There may be many many agencies Joanna, but I got my job by contacting the hospital directly, and so did everyone I work with. I have never even worked with an agency nurse filling in because we were short.

So I am really not sure what role the agencies play, but I do know one person who lived in the Toronto area worked in several different hospitals through an agency because she was desperate. She was a new graduate and found it very stressful, working in all these different hospitals, and all different units filling in when they were short-staffed. Luckily she found a permanent part-time position at one hospital through a job posting on their website. She did not need an agency to get this position.

Anyways that's been my experience.

Mad

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