Finnish registered nurse trying to obtain registration in Australia

[Hsarkki]

Hi all,

I have encountered an interesting problem while I have been trying to gain my nursing registration in Australia.

This is a loooong story but I am trying to make it short and simple. I graduated as a RN from Finland in 2007. I have 6 years of experience from nursing from Finland and Switzerland. I moved to Australia in Feb 2014 (my partner is Australian) and since that I have been in the process of obtaining the nursing registration here.

AHPRA assessed my application and qualifications for 1,5 years. I was referred to a bridging course in October 2015. I applied to Monash bridging program recently but I was told in the interview that my nursing knowledge is not on the required level.

I have contacted Aphra and ANMAC about the matter. AHPRA says the course provider should just enrol me (they won't) and ANMAC tells I should try and look into other course providers courses.

Here is my question: what is the required level of knowledge in Australia?

This is the answer by Monash: to be successful in the application process I need to be able to remember by heart all different kind of medical conditions from all different specialty areas of nursing (medicine), the symptoms and treatment & medication. Also I must know all the post operative care plans for any operation "from head to toe". I was also informed that as a RN in my clinical placement I would be the only nurse responsible of the morning medication round of 46 (?!) patients and I only would have time to do it 45 minutes.

I must admit I don't remember by heart all the theories and symptoms of different medical conditions. What it comes to medication my work experience is from countries where working language has been Finnish or French so I am not sure even if the medication here would have the same names. I doubt.🙄 Also I do admit I don't remember or even know all the after care plans for all different operations. I wonder if any nurse does?

I just would like to get an opinion from someone who works in Australia and knows the system. What are really the knowledge requirements and the conditions of work? If anyone has experience from different bridging courses here in Oz that info would be much appreciated too. 🙂

Thank you in advance.

Cheers 🙂

[asmallangrycermet]

I am an Australian nurse - although I have moved abroad and haven't worked in Aus for approximately 1.5 years now. Your question is incredibly broad but, in essence, the advice you received from Monash is correct.

In my experience, the care plans don't need to be known by heart because you will always have the paperwork for the surgical procedure your patient has had - so knowledge of post procedure care, signs of deterioration and complications etc is basically all that's necessary there. With regards to medications it's a bit more complicated due to the language change - the generic names for medications should suffice but you may have to study a MIMS for a while simply to translate.

I have no idea what they're talking about regarding the clinical placement medication rounds... in Queensland there are laws that protect patient loads and your union would bacl you up most of the time. I worked in a hospital for 3 years and did all of my university placements in hospitals and the max number of patients I had was 8 - 10.

It doesn't make sense that Monash is rejecting you on your bridging course though. I would try a different university! I remember some girls doing a bridging course at my university (the university of queensland) in my final year... good luck with that one!

It might help to know that AHPRA are pretty useless in general. I lived in Australia my entire life. I have an English name. I attended school in Australia and did my university degree in Australia... and AHPRA tried to make me do an IELTS because they hadn't seen any evidence that my schooling was in English and to prove it I would have to send them a certificate from every single year of school stating that it was done in English... w.t.f.

[Rikupekka]

Deakin university in burwood Melbourne was a great course provider. I highly recommend then for the bridging course.

[YeXinZhi, BSN, RN]

Try contacting IHNA, they have a campus in Melbourne and in Perth and they do the IRON course which is the bridging program for overseas-trained nurses.