Hospital/clinic recommendations in Sydney for US RN?

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Hi, I'm currently a nurse in San Francisco and am planning to move out to Australia for a year with my husband after the New Year. I've been a RN for about a year and work on a telemetry floor with 1:4 ratio. We are required to cannulate, titrate drips, do emergent EKGs, read basic tele., dress wounds, give meds among other things. Our patient acuity definitely has shot up. We try to get our CABG patients out the door in 5-7 days post-op. They often come out of the ICU direct to us in 1-2 days.

Just wondering:

1) how does Australia nursing compare. My unit is considered "floor nursing" which is 2 steps away from the ICU (we have ICU, step-down unit, then floor).

2) Any suggestions on good places to work. I don't really mind either way to go back to telemetry (maybe even rehab or clinic work might be a nice change) - just as long as it isn't quite as stressful as my current job. I literally RUN all 12 hours of my shift and am in a constant state of panic not entirely attributed to my recent new grad. status (the experienced RNs also run around trying to get everything done). I am thinking it may be because I work in a State hospital so we do get people who leave it until they are deathly ill to come in. Perhaps private hospitals have lower acuity (and better pay)? I am also mainly looking for good staff. I have been spoilt by the most wonderful co-workers ever. Pretty much everyone is into mentoring, teaching, and teamwork. I never feel that I don't have back-up and I love to hang out with my co-workers.

I will probably apply by an agency so any recommendations for those would be great to. Thanks!

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Specializes in ICU.

Are you wedded to NSW?? There are lots of other places in Aust you know. As a general rule the opposite is true here - our Goverment hospitals are better staffed.

This link is for new grads

http://www.nursecon.org.au/

This might help

http://www.nursecon.org.au/NSW/NoticeBoard2005.htm#INTERNATIONAL%20STUDENTS%20IN%20AUSTRALIA

This site lists the Sydney Hospitals (public)

http://www.healthstaffrecruitment.com.au/nsw_health.htm

My standard warning to all overseas nurses - do NOT accept any job that is "rural/remote" until you have done at least 6 - 12 months here in a major city. Our rural is very remote.

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Are you wedded to NSW?? There are lots of other places in Aust you know. As a general rule the opposite is true here - our Goverment hospitals are better staffed.

This link is for new grads

http://www.nursecon.org.au/

This might help

http://www.nursecon.org.au/NSW/NoticeBoard2005.htm#INTERNATIONAL%20STUDENTS%20IN%20AUSTRALIA

This site lists the Sydney Hospitals (public)

http://www.healthstaffrecruitment.com.au/nsw_health.htm

My standard warning to all overseas nurses - do NOT accept any job that is "rural/remote" until you have done at least 6 - 12 months here in a major city. Our rural is very remote.

Thanks Gwenith - i'll check out those links. The reason we are headed to Sydney is because my husband is Irish and he has a couple of friends over there (as do I). I doubt we will go rural as I don't think that is the experience either of us is looking for. In a city, he'll be able to find more trades jobs I think.

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Specializes in ICU.

One of the problems here at the moment is that house prices are through the roof. It will come down soon I think but we will have to wait and see. You might be better from an economic standpoint heading for one of the larger nearby cities.

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One of the problems here at the moment is that house prices are through the roof. It will come down soon I think but we will have to wait and see. You might be better from an economic standpoint heading for one of the larger nearby cities.

We plan to rent and am prepared to rent a room in a house. Not the most ideal conditions but unfortunately both of us will be making a lot less than we do here but the plus side is we are going for the experience so getting to know people might be easier with roommates. I could go to any city but I have a feeling my husband wants to be near his friends. Thanks though.

By the way, what are the shifts like there? I currently do 12 hour shifts though some other hospitals in San Francisco have moved to 8 hours. How many hours do you work a week? We do 36 (work 3 days a week). Holidays are about 10 a year and we get only about 13 days vacation a year.

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Specializes in ICU.

Not too sure about NSW they are on a different award as it is a different state but full time here is 381/2 hours/week with any number of hours for part- time.

Part time you will get the same "benefits" as you do full time it is only casual (and agency) that you will not get benefits such as holiday pay and long service leave. Don't forget that for you you will need to take out health insurance as I don't think Australia has a reciprocal agreement with the USA (It has will a lot of countries that have free health care such as Ireland and England). What sort of work does your husband do?? Oh! And as for trade jobs the regional areas are screaming for qualified tradesmen.

I know in QLD we have a "transition to critical care" program that is 1/2 a graduate certificate in critical care and is open to anyone working in Qld health. I think NSW has the same.

Hours are very dependant on where you work - 8 - 12 hour shifts and even some 10 hour shifts.

We are more holistic in that we have fewer Enrolled nurses in acute care and more RN's with virtually no CNA's. Things will be a little different down here - including the language - it is not an MAR it is a drug chart:p

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Not too sure about NSW they are on a different award as it is a different state but full time here is 381/2 hours/week with any number of hours for part- time.

Part time you will get the same "benefits" as you do full time it is only casual (and agency) that you will not get benefits such as holiday pay and long service leave. Don't forget that for you you will need to take out health insurance as I don't think Australia has a reciprocal agreement with the USA (It has will a lot of countries that have free health care such as Ireland and England). What sort of work does your husband do?? Oh! And as for trade jobs the regional areas are screaming for qualified tradesmen.

I know in QLD we have a "transition to critical care" program that is 1/2 a graduate certificate in critical care and is open to anyone working in Qld health. I think NSW has the same.

Hours are very dependant on where you work - 8 - 12 hour shifts and even some 10 hour shifts.

We are more holistic in that we have fewer Enrolled nurses in acute care and more RN's with virtually no CNA's. Things will be a little different down here - including the language - it is not an MAR it is a drug chart:p

Wow, i can't imagine working without CNA's here - I simply don't have the time to get everything done. I know on our oncology floor though, the RNs do everything but the ratio is 1:3 instead and the patients are pretty self-sufficient most of the time. I don't think we could even do it if we had 1:3 since many of our patients require a lot of help for cleaning etc.. Our CNAs are a vital part of the team and can make or break a RN's (and patient's) day.

My husband is a plasterer by trade though he is currently doing carpentry as the need for plastering is quite low here in SF. He is hoping to go back to it but he'll do carpentry if not. We are really excited about our future Australian experience. I have actually visited NSW before (drove up and down the coast) and hope to visit other places this time. My husband has never been so he's extremely excited.

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Specializes in ICU.

I gather the ratio is higher though and some places do have PCA's but their role is very limited. I think you will probably like working here though and don't worry about the language - just look puzzled and we will translate:D

Oh! And don't believe what anyone tells you Drop Bears are a myth - at least around Sydney:chuckle

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I gather the ratio is higher though and some places do have PCA's but their role is very limited. I think you will probably like working here though and don't worry about the language - just look puzzled and we will translate:D

Oh! And don't believe what anyone tells you Drop Bears are a myth - at least around Sydney:chuckle

Drop Bears? Haven't heard about that. Thanks for the advice on the language. I went to secondary school with some Aussies (in Hong Kong) but I'm sure the slang has changed somewhat since then. I've already had to pick up the Irish slang so I'll just continue to look puzzled and hope people help me out rather than play jokes on me... which has been the case when I moved to the States, when I started hanging out with my husband's friends, and oh joy, now the Australians will have a bit of fun too!

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Hi,

I have just started my grad program in Syd.

The agency nurses I have met around our hospital make pretty good money, the rent is pretty resonable and I don't think that our private hospitals have lower acuity patients, just less backup w/out Docs around. I suppose what you call floor nursing is about the same here, only our ICU patients come straight to our wards so we don't have a step-down as such. We don't cannulate at my hospital there is a team that does that all day as their job. Basically on my surgical ward we mobilise patients, make beds, give out meds, hang IVs, give a few shots, do care plans and charting, manage IDCs SPCs and drains and then do anything else that we are asked from ECG's, Underwater seal drainage management - we have patients that belong to our specialty but then we get outlies from other wards that we may have to manage something we are not familiar with (in that case its also ok - we ring the ward that normally manages them for advice and if your lucky they will come show you how to do something). Normally we aren't run off our feet for our 8 1/2 hour shifts but you do have 1-2days a week that you have a bit of a run around but we sort it out.

I am not sure about nursing agencys but there are some good ones with Rewards programs and stuff. And the great things about agency nursing is that you can try heaps of different specialties and hospitals so it could be trial and error for you to find somewhere you like to work.

Out of interest a full time roster when permanently employed by my hospital is 5 X 8 1/2 shifts with an allocated day off each 4 weeks (to make up for the extra 1/2hrs). We get penalty rates for lates, nights and weekends. We get 4 weeks holidays a year plus another 2 weeks for working a rotating roster and then you can also get about another extra week for nominating to get time off instead of extra pay for working public holidays.

Our ward is mostly RNs with a few ENs, trainee ENs, undergrads and students.

Hope this helps!

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Hi Chimera,

Thanks for your information - it was very helpful and give me a better idea of what nursing is like over in sydney.

:)

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You might also want to do an internet search for australian nursing agencies. I am in your boat as well except that I will be marrying an Aussie next year. There are some steps you need to take and the agencies will help make it easier from what I can see.

I have a bachlor degree and have been an RN for 10 years...... and the help I am getting from some of the agencies and my boyfriend [he's equivalent to an LVN here] has been priceless.

I would love to share the email address/websites if you would like... just email me. [email protected]

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