How would i go about becoming a nurse in Australia if i live in the U.S.?

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Hi, I'm currently a high school student in the U.S. and i plan on becoming a registered nurse (and furthering my studies to get a masters in administration after i get my bachelors degree) after i graduate. I've been doing a lot of research on nursing as a career and i'm very adamant on studying and living in Australia, i was hoping someone on the forum could help me find information about universities with nursing programs and especially information about fees for education & general cost of living there & also if anyone could possibly tell me if it would be worth it to obtain citizenship in australia once i've completed my studies (i've heard that australia is in need of more nurses, so what harm could i cause? :D)

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Specializes in CTICU.

Where do you plan to spend most of your working life? If it's the US, study there. Otherwise you will always be treated as a foreign-trained nurse in the US and have additional requirements to fulfil. In addition, international student fees in Oz are not cheap.

It's relatively easy to apply for a skilled visa once you're trained as an RN if you want to go to Australia to work. You need to become eligible to become a permanent resident before worrying about citizenship.

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thank you ghillbert! i tried doing some more research and i think i'm all good now =]

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If I was you Id study in the USA. You will have a better chance of then being able to work in Aust and USA. If you study here, you will need to do further studies to be able to work in the US. Australia does need more nurses, but like the USA we have plenty of nurses to fill these roles. It annoys me how it is so easy for people to come over to Australia (from the States) and it is so hard for us to be able to work where you live. I fonly it was equal, it would be fair.

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Specializes in CTICU.
If you study here, you will need to do further studies to be able to work in the US.

That is not necessarily correct. I trained in Australia and did not need to do further study to become licensed in the US. Depends what is included in the original degree.

Australia does need more nurses, but like the USA we have plenty of nurses to fill these roles.

That does not make sense. Do they need more nurses, or have plenty of nurses? You can't have it both ways. There is a global shortage of experienced nurses.

It annoys me how it is so easy for people to come over to Australia (from the States) and it is so hard for us to be able to work where you live. I fonly it was equal, it would be fair.

It is not "so easy" to go to Australia. However, they have a different (skilled immigration/points-based) system than the US. There are many more people wanting to get into the US, so they have to be stricter. I agree that a lot of the requirements are kinda stupid, but it's their country, so they get to choose (as does Australia). Noone ever said life was fair!

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I would get your education in the USA.I have dual Citizenship and got my Nursing License 15 years ago.After working in the USA the last 17 years i returned to Australia 6 months ago.The USA Education requirements are much HIGHER than what are required in Australia.You can become a Nurse here much quicker,wages are double,the education is more practical and supportive.The downside is the American Nurses can do more in there scope of practice which makes it hard getting used to doing less here.This is not meant to be a downer on Queensland Nursing.I really hope you stay in the USA get your education then apply.you are young and have your whole life ahead of you.

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Specializes in Medical.

For institutions that offer nursing courses check the Good Guide,which lists every tertary course offered in Australia.

For information on Auastralian costs of living you can see a UK-to-Aus real life example; for more generic information see the government site, here or here, use the calculator, or just google :"cost of living" and "Australia" which is where I got these sites.

For general information on tertiary fees for overseas student check Wikipedia; each institution has detailed schedule fees included in the course information.

The benefits of a citizenship over temporary residency include access to Medicare, being able to vote, serving on juries and the armed forces, reduced university fees, reentry to Australia after long perioods away, and the right not to be deported if you commit a serious crime. Only you can decide if these are worthwhile.

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The benefits of a citizenship over temporary residency include access to Medicare, being able to vote, serving on juries and the armed forces, reduced university fees, reentry to Australia after long perioods away, and the right not to be deported if you commit a serious crime. Only you can decide if these are worthwhile.

Just remember though that becoming an Australian Citizen would mean giving up your USA citizenship. They don't like to share you with another country. Skilled stream migration allows you to have permanent residence, right?

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Specializes in Medical.

I don't know if the US forces you to give up citizenship, but Australia doesn't - I have dual citizenship and so do maybe a third of my colleagues.

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Specializes in CTICU.
Just remember though that becoming an Australian Citizen would mean giving up your USA citizenship. They don't like to share you with another country. Skilled stream migration allows you to have permanent residence, right?

That is WRONG. Please check your facts before posting.

You are permitted to retain dual or even triple citizenships. The US only recognizes you as a USC, and Australia only recognizes you as an Australian citizen. You use the passport of the country in question to enter/exit each country when travelling.

http://www.richw.org/dualcit

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Specializes in Medical.

The husband of a friend has quadruple citizenship - he was born in Hong Kong pre-1999 (UK and Chinese citizenship), moved to Canada as a teenager, and moved to Australia with his (Aussie wife) after a few years in the US. My friend says if their kids had been born there rather than here they'd be eligible for Australian, American, Ccanadian. Chinese and British citizanship, which is something of an embarassment of riches!

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That is WRONG. Please check your facts before posting.

You are permitted to retain dual or even triple citizenships. The US only recognizes you as a USC, and Australia only recognizes you as an Australian citizen. You use the passport of the country in question to enter/exit each country when travelling.

www.richw.org/dualcit

I should have phrased it differently, apologies for any misinformation. The USA does not like for a person of American Citizenship taking the oath of another country and will not recognize it as such. If you take citizenship in Australia you will be expected to vote in elections, as voting is compulsory there, pay any taxes due, etc. In the end I decided not to take citizenship as I wasn't prepared to deal with the legal issues it may have caused. It is better now, Australia as of 2002 allows their citizens to have dual. That wasn't an option for me when I was going through the immigration process.

In the end if I were you Marissa I would probably go to school in the USA and try to do an exchange or something of that nature. Even if you get a bachelor's degree in Australia it may not be recognized as a full bachelor's because of the 3 year nursing degree. I haven't started trying to go to graduate school but I might have to go back to undergrad school to meet requirements.

You can always get a visitors or working holiday visa as well if you wanted to go visit Australia. If your heart is in it you will find a way. Good luck on your journey. I first visited when I was in high school and fell in love- I ended up living there for a few years. I hope to make it back again one day. All the best

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