LPN in Australia?

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Sorry if this has been covered before, I couldn't find much info on it since most of the threads here are about RNs. I am an male LPN in the United States with about 1 year experience under the belt, with 3 years as a Certified Phamacy Tech. Can I get a job as an LPN in Australia, or do they just take RNs? Living in Australia has always been a dream of mine, and I would love to make it a reality. Plus, what is the attitude toward males in the nursing field in Australia? Many doors are "unofficially" closed to me in the US as a male nurse, and I was wondering how bad it is or isn't in Australia.

Thank You for any help

Medmaster

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Specializes in ICU.

Depends on the State you end up in but you will be either an Enrolled Nurse (endorsed for pharmacy here in QLD) or Registered Nurse division 2.

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Thank you for the quick reply. Moving to australia will still be a year or 2 off, but at least I know what some of my options are.

Does anyone have a link to a site or thread that talks about the requirements/responsibilities/pay for Enrolled Nurse, Registered Nurse division 2, and others

Thanks

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Getting a license is not an issue, but getting a visa that will permit you to work is another. Right now, immigration rulings in all countries require the RN for a working visa.

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I'm going to tag myself into this post since I have the same question as well, but found much more threads for RNs.

Hopefully I'll find the answers that I need here since it's been a while, 4 years ago, especially this coming July 1st as the whole nation will change from state-wide to nation-wide.

Thanks!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

Hey Medicine man

Did you ever end up moving here?

What did they employ you as if so?

Just curious

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Hi

I currently live in Canada and near to finishing my LPN. I have my residents visa for Oz and aim to move out by 2013 - I'm not getting any replies from nursing institutions when I ask about informatation on my LPN and Australias EN and challenging/converting the qualification.

Can anyone shed some light on this please?

Last year I visited Oz and got my visa stamped, I called in a nursing college but couldnt get an appointment to chat with someone about this. Feeling rather preturbed!

Look forward to some advice!

Julie

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Specializes in icu.
Hi

I currently live in Canada and near to finishing my LPN. I have my residents visa for Oz and aim to move out by 2013 - I'm not getting any replies from nursing institutions when I ask about informatation on my LPN and Australias EN and challenging/converting the qualification.

Can anyone shed some light on this please?

Last year I visited Oz and got my visa stamped, I called in a nursing college but couldnt get an appointment to chat with someone about this. Feeling rather preturbed!

Look forward to some advice!

Julie

Your best bet is to go straight to AHPRA the registration board - at the moment they have just amalgamated all the different state registrations into one board and are still shaking out the termites and this is why no-one else will give you an answer - until they know which way AHPRA is going to swing on each issue they will not want to second guess them

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Remember, many nursing organisations, whether this be hospitals or nursing homes or education institutions, have never heard of a LPN or a LVN, so you are going to get blank looks or shrugged shoulders.

Our 'second level nurse here is called an Enrolled Nurse....some state they were called RN division 2 but that is now gone...alll called Enrolled Nurses some years previous, Enrolled nurses did not give any drugs, so when the extra courses came in they got the tag, Enrolled nurse - Endorsed or ENE, but now all 'Enrolled Nurses are expected to do the drugs and some now Ivs or they have a notation on their registration as not approved for medication administration.

Recently the course in most states is now called a Diploma of Nursing and is 18 months to 2 years and they include all the medication and IV care in the one course. EN's are now working in ICU, CCU's, and if the Midwives allow them, Midwifery units. Their course is much cheaper because it is partaken in what you would call a community college or tafe over here. It seems waste of time for some of us old EN's to now have a education debt to become RN. :lol2:

The bottom line is, from what I have read all you guys over there have a fine line between RN and LPN as well, this means your nursing education, I would expect, as an LPN will be more than enough to have you register as an EN over here. The only ones that will be able to give the full answer is AHPRA after they have assessed your nursing education, but I think it will be 'no worries':D if you took your education in Canada.

Its the RN degree that is different from country to country.

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