I am an American, and I am looking to possibly work in Australia. I have been a nurse for 10 years, with experience in ICU, med/surg, Emergency, telemetry. I have been to Australia several times, and have fallen in love with it. I am looking to get information on "what it's like to be a nurse in Australia?" I am looking for information on patient to nurse ratios, taxes, salaries, and the different fields to get into. I would truly appreciate any information you might send my way.
Sorry prospectivestu, but what on earth do you think nurses do? When we had enough of coffee and sudoku we might, eventually, check the pulse if we can be bothered, or see if they breathe?
Got news for you, even children and pregnant women have bowel movement, vomit etc. And you get to clean it.
Sorry prospectivestu, but what on earth do you think nurses do? When we had enough of coffee and sudoku we might, eventually, check the pulse if we can be bothered, or see if they breathe?
Got news for you, even children and pregnant women have bowel movement, vomit etc. And you get to clean it.
So maybe you should do that exclusively if you like it. Prospectivestu was just comparing working conditions "here" and "there". In the US most hospitals have nursing assistants that clean, bath, feed patients because nurses are busy doing a million of other things many of which require training beyond wiping somebody's ass. CNA's help a lot, without them our job would be like hell. In Victoria public hospital system's mandated nurse patient ratios of five nurses for 20 patients in a medical and surgical ward. It's good if they are walky-talky, if not, it will be very franstrating for a nurse to handle that group without assistance.
So maybe you should do that exclusively if you like it. Prospectivestu was just comparing working conditions "here" and "there". In the US most hospitals have nursing assistants that clean, bath, feed patients because nurses are busy doing a million of other things many of which require training beyond wiping somebody's ass. CNA's help a lot, without them our job would be like hell. In Victoria public hospital system's mandated nurse patient ratios of five nurses for 20 patients in a medical and surgical ward. It's good if they are walky-talky, if not, it will be very franstrating for a nurse to handle that group without assistance.
boy, are they going to love you in Australia. They adore tall poppies.
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
Prospectivestu is from India but when posting a question like that to me indicates that maybe nursing isn't the job to look at. In the UK staffing is a minimum and many times I would assist the care assistants in cleaning as there just wasn't the staff to pass it on and I would be expected to do a lot of other stuff as well. Only time I wouldn't help was if I was already dealing with something more important at the time.
Well thanks for your suggestions everyone..Actually im very new to this filed so i just want to look at every aspect of this profession and somewhat clearing my doubts regarding the working conditions.Anyways thanks a lot for the information.
woah woah woah!!! You will find the standard of nursing practice in Australia is very high! I believe nursing is team work and RN's do get a patient load/s. Nursing assistants, equivalent to CNA's here work mostly in nursing homes. There are mainly RN's and Enrolled nurses ( similar to LPN's)who work in hospitals. If blood and guts and the like disgusts you, maybe you should evaluate whether nursing is for you?
I am not scared of working within the enviornment of blood and all that.. ive been working as a pharmacist in a hospital and its really good working with the patients n helping them out. Thanks a lot for info..:) where in australia are you working?
Currently the only state with mandated nurse patient ratios is western australia but I don't know what they are
In ICU in australia we the larger units (tertiary referral) are closed units run by intensivists. Ventilated patients are nursed 1-1 and we do everything for the patients except for some physio. By everything I mean physical assessement, titrating vasoactive meds, run balloon pumps and haemfiltration AND wash their butts when the ****hits the fan.
We don't have respiratory therapists. The role of the physio is some chest physio and limb work. In the largest units there are also speech therapist who assist with tracheostomy patients and occupational therapist who help with long term rehabilitation patients.
In NSW there are 47 ICUs but only 11 of the largest and all but 1 are in the sydney metropolitan. However there are some great units as you work your way up the coast. There is lots of research. There are many units in the other states as well but I haven't worked in them. However the nursing is basically the same. Most RN is Australia have a degree and the second teir (enrolled nurse) generally don't work in ICU unless in a specific support role.
The medical staffing is generally a group of intensivists, plus registrars, residents and interns (interns are first year docs in Oz).
Only a small number of units have computerised information systems (CIS) at the bedside.
The National body is ACCCN
If you want to look for registration look for the NMB NSW. This will let you know what you have to do. Just like the US we have a shortage of nurses in Australia and the Aussie embassy in your state should be able to help you out with each state.
Victoria was actually the first place in the world to have mandated nurse/patient ratios (the actual ratio depends on the specialty, level of hospital acuity, and shift).
Zana2
132 Posts
Sorry prospectivestu, but what on earth do you think nurses do? When we had enough of coffee and sudoku we might, eventually, check the pulse if we can be bothered, or see if they breathe?
Got news for you, even children and pregnant women have bowel movement, vomit etc. And you get to clean it.