New grad Filipino nurse wanting to work in Australia/New Zealand

drednag · Aug 25, 2010

Hello guys....my batch is pretty much caught up in the transition process under AHPRA right now. Registration is pretty much rough sailing as of the moment. There is a lot of confusion going on. What I'm going to type here is based on the ANF Victoria branch website http://www.anfvic.asn.au/issues/news/26440.html as well as information from my BP classmates. My classmates have been told (at the AHPRA office) that to get registered they have to start from scratch & submit a new AHPRA application form along with the required certified documents and it will take 3 months to process . My classmates & I have been already assessed by NBV, completed the BP but wasn't able to get registered under the old scheme because we graduated after July 1 (start of the AHPRA transition). If this information is verified & true then all of those who applied with NBV (& did not gain registration before July 1) will be required to re-apply under AHPRA. The bitter pill to swallow here is the 3 month wait as told to our classmates. Anyway, nothing is definite as of the moment as all of this are 2nd hand info. I will post asap our course of action & as well as the outcome of our registration as soon as we have exhausted all the means to get more information & verified everything.

Oh no!!! :uhoh3: What happens to our BP? :crying2:

cioman94 · Aug 25, 2010

Hi Cioman 94 and everyone
Kindly help me with my concerns, I only finished nursing in 2 years and 4 months (2nd course), no problem about IELTS and I am planning to apply for IRON program, I am currently working with 3 years experience .Do you think
my papers will be accepted by the ANMC if I finished nursing in less than 3 years. What visa is given for BD and how many months is the process of application .Thaks so much .

markchrist,

this matter of less than 3 years nsg course was discussed a few pages ago, and one of the thread members here replied that it's not a problem becoz he/she was approved by the board even if less than 3 years nsg course.. of course that was before july 2010.. however i belive the situation will remain the same such that it will not be a problem really.. i hope you get wat i mean.. guess you're from brokenshire dvo? :rolleyes:

3 years experience is major major great....

"BD" did you mean"BP"... apply for 456 short stay visa multiple entry... it takes less than 1 week to process, sometimes 3 days fast..

Unsolicited advice,should you decide to pursue Oz nursing, for your own good, read patiently and completely the website www.ahpra.gov.au , really you should read it patiently completely coz it's your future and money that is at stake..

ANMC has nothing to do with your/our application... unless you will directly apply (now or later) for PR then ANMC

will be involved, but as for licensing, forget ANMC as of now.. read AHPRA website.. :smokin:

good luck.. just shoot your questions here, and pls read the website... :up:

cioman94 · Aug 25, 2010

Oh no!!! What happens to our BP?

pre, the government health department and hospitals in Oz disclosed in their website about MMR vaccine that we must have 2 documented MMR vaccination which at least should be 1 month gap each.. i already have 1 shot of MMR, and im thinking i'll need 2nd shot next month comply with the health policy..

did you have 2 shots? any plans of getting the 2nd? kasi that is the policy of the government health dept. in Oz..

cioman94 · Aug 25, 2010

pre, the government health department and hospitals in Oz disclosed in their website about MMR vaccine that we must have 2 documented MMR vaccination which at least should be 1 month gap each.. i already have 1 shot of MMR, and im thinking i'll need 2nd shot next month comply with the health policy..
did you have 2 shots? any plans of getting the 2nd? kasi that is the policy of the government health dept. in Oz..

hi to everyone, :coollook:

could you also share your opinion to my question.. :confused: :uhoh3:

thanks..:redbeathe

ceridwyn · Aug 25, 2010

Hi Cioman 94 and everyone
Kindly help me with my concerns, I only finished nursing in 2 years and 4 months (2nd course), no problem about IELTS and I am planning to apply for IRON program, I am currently working with 3 years experience .Do you think
my papers will be accepted by the ANMC if I finished nursing in less than 3 years. What visa is given for BD and how many months is the process of application .Thaks so much .

I have read the new regulations are any undergraduate nursing course must be 6 full-time semesters long and these are to be nursing subjects. Masters is a different story. Lets face it the Phillipino course is not completely a nursing course, has many other subjects, literature, language etc, etc, that is not in any other countries nursing course, a nursing degreee everywhere else has completely nursing subjects. General education is done at school.

We have graduate nursing degrees that take 2 years, that are secondary courses to a non nursing undegrad, but these are taken at masters level not bachelor level and every subject pertains to a nursing discipline.

Though the bottom line is how much influence the Phillipino govt has over the Australian to keep accepting second courses really. Dooes not matter if the nursing board says it must trully be a full 3 year undergrad nursing degree or nnot.

mynalla · Aug 25, 2010

@ciaoman. uni of ballrat requires 2 shots for MMR so i guess that's the standard number of vaccinations needed

does ahpra strictly requires overseas nurses to have a least a year or 2 of work experience in their home country?

I'm one of those nurses with nill work experience who were granted an eligibility letter by the nbv. I'm planning to take the bp in etea/ballarat by jan 2011. should i pursue my plans?

I'm taking ceridwyn's advice and review ahpra website but as much as possible I would like to know your opinion about this guys so I can immediately tell this to my aunt who would sponsor me.

ceridwyn · Aug 25, 2010

Here is the link:

AHPRA - Accreditation

go to Registered Nurse accreditatio standards page 10

"mininum length of course (in Australia of course) will be undergraduate 6 full time semesters." Cannot see why it would be different for overseas nurses.

Though, when the second course is 'hidden'" within the title 4 year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree it may '"sneak"through.

Are they asking for course transcripts so they can check up on how many nursing subjects have been actually sat?

imsodizzy · Aug 25, 2010

Ok guys here it goes. Please be aware that we all have different situations & the advice of AHPRA to me & my batchmates may not apply to everyone. I finished my BP last July 30, 2010. As we all know, National Registration took effect last July 1, 2010. So by the time we completed our BP, the Nurses Board of Victoria was replaced by AHPRA. I was initially assessed by NBV and in the past, it used to be that after completing the BP , you just had to wait for your registration after the BP provider has informed the board of your BP completion. At present, here is what we know under AHPRA:

1) Nurses who applied to NBV but did not get assessed by NBV before July 1:

- They were sent a letter asking them to submit a new AHPRA application, some new documents or revisions requested, some not needed since they were already submitted.

2) Nurses who applied & were assessed by the NBV before July 1. Is set to undergo the BP after July 1.

- So far I have not read anything about this with regards to what they should do. Whether they should re-apply with AHPRA or not.

3) Nurses who applied & were assessed by the NBV before July 1. Underwent BP & completed it after July 1. (This is the category where I fall).

- AHPRA advised us to complete the new AHPRA application form (overseas nurses) BUT with specific directions on what to answer & what to leave blank since our documents that we gave to NBV are already with them. Let me also state that there are a couple of corrections on the AHPRA application form. For example, in question number 6 of the application letter, if you answered no, this box actually refers to the place where you were recently employed. Yup, if it was in the Philippines then write the hospital or place of employment in the Philippines. There is also a correction in number 16 where we were advised to answer YES. I know this is quite confusing & a lot of people aren't actually pleased with what's going on. I know it must be quite a daunting task for AHPRA so we have to expect these minor glitches in the transition period.

- That being said, we did not need to again submit new certified documents. The only documents that we were asked to submit was proof of identity http://www.ahpra.gov.au/registration/registration-process/proof-of-identity.aspx which included among others a certified copy of the passport & visa. The certification of completion of the BP as well & a police clearance in your country in our case an NBI clearance. Assessment letter of NBV. All certified true copies. As I read the pdf file of the proof of identity, you will find it a bit confusing as well especially for us who has undergone the BP.

- So here's the bitter pill to swallow. How long is the wait for the registration in our case? It's 3 months. Whether it's under or over 3 months we do not know. The only consolation is that they will try to put us on the priority list due to the status of our visas which are short stay 456 visas. Now I do not know if this will be the same for those who got assessed by NBV & are to commence their BPs. I advise you to ask AHPRA if you have the chance. As soon as you arrive in Australia, it would be a good idea to go to the AHPRA office & ask them if yo also need to submit a new AHPRA application letter.

I might have missed some things but I think this is pretty much it with regards to what I gathered from my classmates who went to the AHPRA office. Don't be disheartened guys, this is relatively a minor setback. I know it's quite a tedious process but hey, persistence is the key to success.

mooh mooh · Aug 25, 2010

Ok guys here it goes. Please be aware that we all have different situations & the advice of AHPRA to me & my batchmates may not apply to everyone. I finished my BP last July 30, 2010. As we all know, National Registration took effect last July 1, 2010. So by the time we completed our BP, the Nurses Board of Victoria was replaced by AHPRA. I was initially assessed by NBV and in the past, it used to be that after completing the BP , you just had to wait for your registration after the BP provider has informed the board of your BP completion. At present, here is what we know under AHPRA:
1) Nurses who applied to NBV but did not get assessed by NBV before July 1:
- They were sent a letter asking them to submit a new AHPRA application, some new documents or revisions requested, some not needed since they were already submitted.
2) Nurses who applied & were assessed by the NBV before July 1. Is set to undergo the BP after July 1.
- So far I have not read anything about this with regards to what they should do. Whether they should re-apply with AHPRA or not.
3) Nurses who applied & were assessed by the NBV before July 1. Underwent BP & completed it after July 1. (This is the category where I fall).
- AHPRA advised us to complete the new AHPRA application form (overseas nurses) BUT with specific directions on what to answer & what to leave blank since our documents that we gave to NBV are already with them. Let me also state that there are a couple of corrections on the AHPRA application form. For example, in question number 6 of the application letter, if you answered no, this box actually refers to the place where you were recently employed. Yup, if it was in the Philippines then write the hospital or place of employment in the Philippines. There is also a correction in number 16 where we were advised to answer YES. I know this is quite confusing & a lot of people aren't actually pleased with what's going on. I know it must be quite a daunting task for AHPRA so we have to expect these minor glitches in the transition period.
- That being said, we did not need to again submit new certified documents. The only documents that we were asked to submit was proof of identity http://www.ahpra.gov.au/registration/registration-process/proof-of-identity.aspx which included among others a certified copy of the passport & visa. The certification of completion of the BP as well as a police clearance in our case an NBI clearance. Assessment letter of NBV. All certified true copies. As I read the pdf file of the proof of identity, you will find it a bit confusing as well especially for us who has undergone the BP.
- So here's the bitter pill to swallow. How long is the wait for the registration in our case? It's 3 months. Whether it's under or over 3 months we do not know. The only consolation is that they will try to put us on the priority list due to the status of our visas which are short stay 456 visas. Now I do not know if this will be the same for those who got assessed by NBV & are to commence their BPs. I advise you to ask AHPRA if you have the chance. As soon as you arrive in Australia, it would be a good idea to go to the AHPRA office & ask them if yo also need to submit a new AHPRA application letter.
I might have missed some things but I think this is pretty much it with regards to what I gathered from my classmates who went to the AHPRA office. Don't be disheartened guys, this is relatively a minor setback. I know it's quite a tedious process but hey, persistence is the key to success.

Now this is becoming very bothersome.. :uhoh3:

cioman94 · Aug 25, 2010

@ciaoman. uni of ballrat requires 2 shots for MMR so i guess that's the standard number of vaccinations needed
does ahpra strictly requires overseas nurses to have a least a year or 2 of work experience in their home country?
I'm one of those nurses with nill work experience who were granted an eligibility letter by the nbv. I'm planning to take the bp in etea/ballarat by jan 2011. should i pursue my plans?
I'm taking ceridwyn's advice and review ahpra website but as much as possible I would like to know your opinion about this guys so I can immediately tell this to my aunt who would sponsor me.

mynalla, this matter was discussed somewhere pages ago, and the opinion/conclusion reached after the discussion was that there was no clear and strict requirement on experience as far as AHPRA application is concerned, there was a proposal prior the july 2010 about such requirement but eventually they decided to still accept nil experience because the BP will cover this concern, so to speak..

the issue of experience is crucial when looking for BP schools because most of them require experience.. therefore you must check whether ETEA/ballarat requires experience or not.. if they do, then you must find/apply to another BP school which accepts applicants with nil experience...

it would have been better though if you had at least a volunteer nursing experience than nothing at all..

good luck.,. and thank you..

cioman94 · Aug 25, 2010

my opinion...

those who were assessed by NBV prior to July 01, and yet to commence BP this year, for preparation purposes, better expect (at least) the same documentary requirements which are presently demanded from imsodizzy..

better think of it that way, than be caught flat-footed.

major major good luck guys..

cioman94 · Aug 25, 2010

Here is the link:
AHPRA - Accreditation
go to Registered Nurse accreditatio standards page 10
"mininum length of course (in Australia of course) will be undergraduate 6 full time semesters." Cannot see why it would be different for overseas nurses.
Though, when the second course is 'hidden'" within the title 4 year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree it may '"sneak"through.
Are they asking for course transcripts so they can check up on how many nursing subjects have been actually sat?

just to share and add somethings....

- usually, i dont know in some cases, usually the BSN degree as a second course is clearly separated in the transcript of records..

- prior july 01, in most of the previous nursing boards, besides requiring transcript of records, they also require another type of form where the applicants list down only the nursing subjects/courses and the corresponding number of classroom teaching hours and clinical duty hours.. in this way, it will clearly show everything.. i did this too..

thanks.. :twocents: