Moving to Australia 2011

K+MgSO4, BSN · Feb 9, 2011

Welcome to Melbourne!

The city of 4 seasons in one day! that is saying something seeing I am Irish!!!

NorthWestern Mental Heath (NWMH) is part of Melbourne Health, which is pretty much like an NHS trust. It delivers hospital and post hospital care to Northern and Western Melbourne and rural Victorian patients. It serves approx 1/3 of the city of Melbourne so it is a huge area.

However GP care is delivered separate.

I know that a lot of services including Orygen the youth care are based at the Royal Park campus on Sydney road in the heart of Parkville right beside a huge park. the specialised eating disorders unit is located in the Royal Melbourne City campus .

Northern and Western Melbourne has a hugly diverse population including Italian, Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese, African etc to name a few. A lot of these immigrants are either recent immigrants and have limited English, or a lot live in a very small geographical area and do not learn much beyond the basics.

I work in the Royal Melbourne Hospital on a surgical ward, where we see quite a few of the self inflicted injuries that end up as either psych inpatients in the John Cade Unit at RMH or go off elsewhere to you guys.

Registration seems to be taking ages even for those of us renewing it. I am registered apparently but still haven't got my new practicing certificate! But I am registered online so all good. Melbourne Health has its own immigration consultant who is awesome! I am working with her at the minute - in the process of getting PR ( another long haul). Once you put your applications in for 457 it is pretty quick though. Just keep emailing everyone so that they know what is going on.

OK I think I may be rambling now as I have just finished nights and cannot sleep!

Let me know if you want to know about Melbourne (trams, Hook turns and good food!)

aussie2011 · Feb 10, 2011

Thanx for the info! I'm still in the UK.....wanna wait till registration goes thru before taking the plunge as I've heard so many stories about nurses in Australia still waiting for their registration so can't work! I hope to be there in the summer but hey thanx for the insight!! Ooh I had a call from OPG Agency and I've got an interview with "The Thomas Embling Hospita" it's a forensic hospital. Have u heard of them and did u go to Australia via an Agency or direct thru an employer?? Thanx for all ur help!

K+MgSO4, BSN · Feb 11, 2011

Your welcome!

I came over on a Working Holiday Maker Visa, I didn't bother registering till I came over here as I planned to backpack for a few months which I did and loved! I had been to the Down Under Expo in Dublin a few months before I left and I met a rep from a small Sydney Nursing Agency. I told them that I would call into them once I had got back from travelling, which I did and they set me up with AIN (HCA) work while I got my registration in NSW sorted. I had all the paperwork with me and had the letters sent from the registration board in Ireland to the NMB NSW.

It took a week for it to come through but that was due to an error on my passport not any issue with the nursing side of it. I never noticed that my middle name was incorrectly spelt on my passport...........but the board did!!

I worked agency in Sydney for a few months, got offered sponsorship by 2 hospitals while I was working there. I then asked the agency for a rural placement. I went to a really rural (NOT outback!) area of NSW for 3 months. It was terrifying as the only RN in the hospital and only limited GP services and we had an ED as well as aged care! THe locals obviously liked me as they kept trying to marry me off!

I then rang my hospital at home to see if there was any chance of me getting my job back. NIL! So a friend who had worked at the Royal Melbourne sent me the international recruiters' email and Bob's your uncle! I had a phone interview from where I was and had a job and a 457 visa!

I have never heard of that hospital or agency but my hospital knowledge is more acute medical and cancer based! Plus I don't know any of the agencies really in Melbourne as I had a job before I moved to VIC.

aussie2011 · Mar 14, 2011

Thanx for all the info...sorry I've been off line just been doing extra shift in preparation for big move. I received my "Eligibility for registration letter" sooo excited at the moment. I have been allocated a migrant agent so have filled in me forms but waiting for police clearance which i should be getting any day now! Do u know how long the application for 457 visa takes once submitted. could you recommend any nice areas to live in melbourne. Thanx!

K+MgSO4, BSN · Mar 16, 2011

Congratulations!!! no worries! my 457 took 2 weeks to come through. I was in the country at the time but un-contactable in the outback!

The south eastern & eastern suburbs are the nicest to live in. But they are slightly more expensive. If you are young you might want to try St Kilda area which is where all the English & Irish end up but the landlords play on that & it is quite expensive. I am living in Glen Iris / Ashburton area. however, they are dry suburbs but plenty of bottle shops :) Brunswick is a northern suburb where a lot of students & hippies seem to live. It has some really cool bars & cafes & shops.

Just avoid Footscray at all costs! It has the worse crime rates for the city! Congrats & hope to see you over here soon. Just in time for winter! Mind you our summer was pretty poor this year. Only about 35 degrees most days :)

Which part of NWMH are you going to be working in. Just looked it up on mh.org.au & they have a few different sites the Northern Hospital, Craigiburn, Broadmeadows, Bundoora, Sunshine hospital & the Western hospital. These are pretty spread out in the NW of the city so you might need to get somewhere close to work.

If you got the job with Thomas Embling hospital Fairfield is ok to live in as well. Kew

& Kew East is just the other side of the freeway, I used to live in Kew & it was lovely.

If you don't have a car don't worry, the public transport system is pretty good with trams, trains and buses. Also Melbourne is flat so plenty of people cycle. there are bike racks at most workplaces.

aussie2011 · Mar 16, 2011

Thanx for all the info! I decided to take the Northwestern mental health post instead as they offered me 4 years rather than 2 years with thomas embling. I haven't been told where I'll be working only that it will be acute inpatient unit. I will be travelling with hubby and 2 kids so trying to look for a family friendly neighbourhood with good schools. I should get my police clearance by this Friday. then wait to hear from them when to take medicals...God knows how long that's gonna take! :confused: oops time for work...........

K+MgSO4, BSN · Mar 17, 2011

I think that you need to ask them where you will be working as NWMH covers a large area & has a few different acute inpt sites that are in different areas. Kew is defiantly a good child friendly neighbourhood. Plenty of parks and good schools. So is Bundoora as far as I know. Ashburton has plenty of parks and bike tracks as well.

K+MgSO4, BSN · Mar 20, 2011

Just had a thought! Have you looked at the Poms in oz website? I haven't used it cause I came over here backpacking & stayed. Have a look.

aussie2011 · Mar 21, 2011

Thanks for the info. I've now joined PIO and they've got so much information. I've sent an email asking where I'll be working so will check my mails tonite. Hope somewhere nice!

aussie2011 · Mar 23, 2011

Hiya, Will be working at Sunshine Hospital St. Albans, will be doing medicals on the 18/04/2011 so things are finall progressing slowly but surely. Thanks for everything!:)

Rachi321 · Mar 31, 2011

hey i know this is from awhile ago. im in the process of trying to work in oz. i was just wondering if you knew how long did it take for you to be eligible to practice from ahrpa from the time you sent in your documents. I sent my documents into them about 3 weeks ago, and they told me that i should allow 4 weeks for them to even receive them. just wondering how long it took you