Graduate programs

[das729]

Hi, I recently moved here and transferred my nursing here from Canada. I have done 2 years in canada of nursing school and finishing my last year and a half in queensland Australia. So I will graduate at the end of July 2015. I am a bit stressed and see you basically need to get into a graduate program to be a nurse here, but in order to get into a graduate program you basically have to be Australian cause they look at them first. I am worried I came here for nothing.

[bindawang]

this is also what I worry about. i am going to there study 3 year long nursing course. I don't know if it is a good decision.

[student_kate]

I am an Australian student nurse in second year, and yes what you said is true. Most international students will not get a graduate year position because the hospitals only receive funding from our government for Australian citizens or permanent residents. You will have the most luck by 'joining bank' at a major hospital and you will be covering casual shifts across the hospital, this is probably your best bet if you are wanting to get a job at a major hospital or work in the acute sector. If worst comes to worst, there are plenty of jobs in aged care for RNs. I am not saying that aged care is a bad place to work, heck, its where i work currently as a carer and I love it however, I understand that straight out of nursing school a hospital is where most RNs want to start off.

hope I helped!

[imaginations]

This situation is particularly bad in Queensland given the current political environment and the major public service cuts. If you haven't seen what is happening between the Newman government and the medical fraternity in QLD and are wanting to work in the public health system in QLD then you are living under a rock.

However there are ways around the citizenship requirements. I don't know how available these options are in QLD but in other states such as NSW a number of non-acute care settings (i.e. not major teaching hospitals) are beginning to offer graduate programs, particularly in the aged-care sector. Also consider private hospital providers such as Ramsay and Healthscope and start doing your research now for what is going to be feasible for employment when you graduate.