Due to recent changes regarding applications for International nurses to Australia and the combining of the nursing boards to one central nursing board in Australia AHPRA I have started a new thread for people to discuss the new process on working in Australia.
Currently New Zealand is not accepting new applicants from International trained nurses except those that meet the Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement {TTMR} this will be updated once the New Zealand nursing board reopen their books to International nurses.
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency AHPRA
In certifying that your 2ndary education & nursing program was taught in english, do you request this from the school or you need a lawyer to make a letter? do you send this together with your application form or have the school send this to ahpra??
As answered before you must take IELTS, english must be taken at secondary school and nursing school in english speaking country to be excused from IELTS.
I had to be witness once for a nurse with poor english skills in an acute situation at a hearing, not long after the IELTS was elevated to 7.
She thought she spoke well, but no one could understand her and she was not exactly understanding everyone else neither, drugs are different names, iv fluids are ordered differently etc. etc. Telephone orders are quite common in hospital and oh my, when you have someone who does not speak clear english..
We in Australia loathe getting overseas call centres, nobody understands us and we do not understand them at call centre.....bain of life.
correct! i thought i was good in english speaking considering my consistent 7 in ielts and my work background.. when i arrived here, they do not understand me, i do not understand them.. we observed that Indians have such english accent, but i fail to realize that i have a filipino accent that ozies do not understand.. i thought i was speaking good till i arrive here..
on this day, 6 april 2011, i have been granted my 457 business long stay visa. this marks the beginning of my life as a general surgical registered nurse in a private hospital in sydney.
when i joined allnurses during the third quarter of 2009, like you guys, i was filled with hope that i would be able to work someday in oz as an rn and reciprocate all the efforts of my family for me. i was a fresh grad back then and yet i already dreamed high. but along the way, the hope that i would be able to land a job was tainted with doubt. i was discouraged by some of the posts that i saw from this thread. australia is not anymore a paradise especially for inexperienced overseas nurses, according to some of our senior forumers here.
i have nothing but only 3 months of med-surg staff nurse training and 2 months of nurse volunteerism - 5 months combined. i coupled this meager experience with other trainings which i believed were very relevant to my chosen nursing area. the job hunt was never a bed of roses; much more that i am an innate pessimist and a proven despondent. i felt very disheartened whenever i saw adverts stating that they require at least one year of experience. most employers even insisted that this needs to be a paid one. but with frequent communication with god and novena to our mother of perpetual help (as i am a roman catholic), all the hard work paid off. february 14 was when i was able to secure a hospital telephone interview while i was here in the philippines. fortunately, i aced that one and i was offered the job. in addition, i also had two aged care job offers in hobart and adelaide. the employers were willing to sponsor my 457. and just recently, i was scheduled for three more hospital interviews for dialysis, eent, and agency rn works all in south australia - which i already declined.
so to those becoming worried about future job prospects in australia, get it from my own experience. i only have 5 months of unpaid work plus some trainings and yet, i was considered seriously by some employers. just don't stop searching for jobs: apply even if the criteria would not match your profile. you'll never know your luck. of course, the chances of getting hired increase when you already have the ahpra registration. but i reckon you could start job search after your bp. that's what i did. two weeks before i finished my bp, i commenced my online applications. and please, do very well in your interview. like what haoyin said before, your interview matters a lot. don't think of it as set just for formality. it is a make or break moment so express yourself with cleverness, clarity and cogency. once you are done and have passed the interview, your referees are next in line. they would be contacted either thru phone or email, so do your best during the bridging course to get good references. lastly, do not be afraid to go home after the bp, especially the 456 visa holders! i would like to reiterate cioman's statement: think of going home as something because you cannot yet find a job, and not because you cannot find a job. it's way lot cheaper to stay here in the philippines than to stay in australia without work. i myself went home december last year right after the bp. don't rush things. you would definitely have your glorious moment, in god's time.
i am very grateful to those forumers who willingly helped me during those times when i needed assistance concerning the bridging program. to the following people: buttercup99, ceridwyn, cioman94, countmein, drednag, dumb, forumjunkie, haoyin, imsodizzy, jakey, javrn, kuchi, nasruasim, newmac, reiken830, ryan09, scarah, scrubby and terdjay - thank you for bearing with me and my inquisitiveness! and of course, thank you so much to the divine creator and to my ever dearest mother of perpetual help for her endless intercessions. special mention goes out as well to st jude and sacred heart of jesus.
i wish everyone luck. go for your oz dream! don't stop believing for yourself and your loved ones! keep the fire burning! tata for now!
:beer:
for honesty's sake, yes i envy you, and that is really a great success story...
for others, it remains the same, as mooh mooh, javrn, haoyin has believed, finding job is an effort, but there is job, it boils down to small factors, like interview, luck, good timing, referees, cv preparation, patience, and being not to choosy..
good luck to all.. always believe how lucky you are to have the chance to work in aus, as compared to all 100,000+++ of rns in our home country who will wait 5-7 years for their us visa to be approved..
I REALLY want to go to Australia and work as an RN. After 3 years of working in Saudi Arabia as a nurse, I would welcome the freedom and independence that Australia brings.
But here's the screwed up part; yes I have a TBS of 8 for IELTS, yes I have work experience, yes I graduated from a Level 1 school (as considered by Australian university), BUT I have to declare to AHPRA that I worked in Saudi Arabia and the certificate of good standing should be coming from Saudi Council. The language barrier is REALLY unbelievable. I applied for this last 2009 but up until I left Saudi last January, I still didn't get it. Even my employment certificate doesn't indicate that I worked full time and that I worked in ICU. I don't know what to do...
A consultancy is trying to convince me to go through the whole she-bang; diploma to bachelor. I am not rich. My family's not rich either. so, I'm stuck. I'm thinking of taking it, work myself to the grave to meet the tuition and living expenses. But I'm really not sure...
i expect that problem that you had now such that i remind my sister in advance of such problem if ever she would work in saudi.. and indeed as per your story, such problem does exist..
try to find way to really solve it and obtain the documents you must... pray, it helps, i always tell others to pray, see what prayers affected mooh mooh.. if still, things do not work, send me a private message, there is still a way to do it, if you are willing to do it..
do you CHOOSE ONLY ONE? cert. of reg or good standing from US License to be send to AHPRA for NCLEX passers? im Philippine educated so the course description that I will send is from the Philippines right?
by the way, can anyone share a list of schools offering bridging programs in melborne, sydney areas..pls post also if you know the scheds of their future intakes 5-6 months from now.
also can you recommend a credible immig. consultanct who can process process/evaluate nurses for Permanent Resident just in case, cos i have a friend, my classmate in IELTS she want to go as PR in Aus, she is a nurse with 3 yrs exp and has a sister in AUS.
Verification of License, Cert. of Good Standing... it depends on what the US Board calls it, but that's it, let the board send it directly to Ahpra.. im a Vermont RN holder..
yes, your philippine BS nursing course description..
Immig. agent.... are you in davao city? (i am a davao city resident).. or are you in Davao oriental, del norte, del sur?? ...i can refer you.. just send me a private message so i can reply..
Very well said. I couldn't agree more. And with how well you have said your piece, you have simply shown how we, Filipino nurses, have what it takes to step up and show how good we really are. Therefore, despite the fact that we come from a 3rd world country, where the prerequisite of undergoing bridging courses and what not are mostly bureaucratic in nature, we can rise up and shine and show how intelligent we really are. And I am just really proud of you my friend, because I am sure you brought pride to us when you had your interview and I am sure you will send a very good image to Aussies in general that we have what it takes to be great candidates for employment.
I just hope more Filipino nurses will try to step up and be confident with their skills. That way, there will be more opportunities for Filipino nurses to find work here in Australia and elsewhere. Good on you mate! You've done well!
@To the rest
If there's a will, there's a way... Lift your torch up high, and let your light bright and shine til the journey's end.
I do not know why you refer to your home country as third world?
You have a class system, many many many higher education institutions, many many many families find money to send their children to universities...
Many many many nurses and families can find money to go overseas to settle.
Citizens, of third world countries cannot do this....even their doctors cannot afford this.
Most third world countries are in Africa where health care is very poor......is the Phillipines like this.....and citizens of third world countries can rarely get to or have health care.
Diseases are rampant and many women die from childbirth and children die at a young age from disease.....Does the Phillipines have this?
Here is a link from the United Nation on third world countries in various themes, from freedoms to healthcare.........The Phillipines does not rate a mention.
What makes the main difference is no unionism and no legislation about right of workers, poor wages, other countries making the most of this cheaper labour at any cost, some companies loose customers over using these overseas call centres and slave labour, but it is all organised and approved by the Phillipines government so it is not third world, where everything is done haphazard and the population allows this. People in power tend to abuse it...this backer system for nurses and having someone in government allows you favours if you need it. Happens here too, but they usually get caught out in the end.
The Phillipines has depended so much on exporting people so that they can send money as an import back, that it has not looked inwards to stand on their own. Coz the rest of the world is not needing as much labour anymore, everyone is populating as well and making their own workforce.
Do not put your country down all the time as third world.....or does it make it easier the reason why you need to leave to call it 'third world' when you are leaving not for better health care or for a longer life or in fear for your life but for economic reasons, this is not a bad thing...a country needs workers so why not come, all Australian immigrants come for economic reasons, refugees come from third world countries for a better life for food and better health care and freedom.
BTW good to here some goodluck stories, finally. I still do not reckon Australia is the paradise to fall into a job and sponsorship as everyone would hope that it is or that it once was. The Good Lord can only do soooo much.
I think you do not expect a wikipedia-copy-pasted definition of the term third world country but a pragmatic definition of the term and facts that will explain how the Philippines falls into the category of a third world country.
The term third world country simply means a poor country. As terms evolve and diction catch up with the times, contemporary writers have developed a growing appeal to terms that are more scholarly, universal, and less discriminating. Contemporary writers prefer the term "developing country" instead of the biting term, "Third World Country." So I stand corrected if I used the term 3rd World instead of developing country which is basically just synonymous to each other.
Facts regarding nutrition, disease, and mortality that are essential to support 3rd world category of the Phil. may be be found in the Wikipedia, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, World Health Organization, National Statistics Office (of the Phils.), National Economic Development Authority (of the Phis.). Google their websites for your convenience.
P.S. The next pharagraph is copy-pasted from wikipedia
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned or not moving at all with either capitalism and NATO (which along with its allies represented the First World) or communism and the Soviet Union (which along with its allies represented the Second World). This definition provided a way of broadly categorizing the nations of the Earth into three groups based on social, political, and economic divisions. Although the term continues to be used colloquially to describe the poorest countries in the world, this usage is widely disparaged since the term no longer holds any verifiable meaning after the fall of the Soviet Union deprecated the terms First World and Second World. While there is no identical contemporary replacement, common alternatives include developing world and Global South and more recently Majority World.[1]. However, there are still scholars who use this term on purpose to point out and challenge the huge gap between the poor and rich of the world.
And "many many many" thanks to you Ceridwyn for always trying to go off topic and respond to messages not directly pertaining to you. Yes, this is a forum and you are free to respond, yet I am speaking to my Filipino country men who are reading this part of the forum, thereby, boosting their confidence so that they will be inspired and still have that burning fire to continue holding on to their dreams. 3rd World wasn't the point or in any way significant to what my previous post was trying to convey. I am so sorry but your lack of reading comprehension made you go off topic and hence made you fail to get to the main topic of my message. That said, I wasn't even in anyway putting my country down. It is how you are biased deep inside to single out from my message the words 3rd World and suggests that I was putting my country down. Because if you go so far as deciphering the idea of my post, I was actually proud to say how we Filipinos are intelligent and actually very qualified to practice elsewhere even without the need of a bridging program. If you go back to my previous posts, I even often get back at some forumers who uses condescending tone and jests about how Filipino culture, education, etc are way behind and less compared to other countries. And another thing... This is how Philippines is spelled out. Thank you.
do you CHOOSE ONLY ONE? cert. of reg or good standing from US License to be send to AHPRA for NCLEX passers? im Philippine educated so the course description that I will send is from the Philippines right?
by the way, can anyone share a list of schools offering bridging programs in melborne, sydney areas..pls post also if you know the scheds of their future intakes 5-6 months from now.
also can you recommend a credible immig. consultanct who can process process/evaluate nurses for Permanent Resident just in case, cos i have a friend, my classmate in IELTS she want to go as PR in Aus, she is a nurse with 3 yrs exp and has a sister in AUS.
a course description comes from the school were you studied. i was asked for a certificate of reg or good standing to be sent directly to AHPRA by our PRC. apart from that, i was asked for another cert of reg from MBON since i'm also registered in MD.
you can find the list of schools offering BPs and their intake scheds in AHPRA's website.
God knows how much I would love to work and eventually reside in AU.
I heard about the saying 'if there is a will, there is a way' but I dont know where to get the necessary amount of money to go on and at least start the processing of papers for aphra, how much more the ginormous amount for the bridging program.
im about to take my ielts next week, for my visa screen, but im not confident enough to get the much coveted score of 7 for writing. im really having a hard time on this part.
so, instead of enjoying the beautiful scenery in AU, i might be leaving the country this month, or the next, for mid east. i have to live life like a nun for three years, because of their culture and restrictions. even my dad does not want me to work there, but reality bites...we cannot afford it.
i really envy all of you guys. but im happy for all of you as well. im glad that there is a silver lining amidst all of the negativity of not finding a job. that there are still job offers to grab and interviews to go to.
good luck to all of you guys. i hope you dont mind if i still lurk around the forum, or say my two cents if i feel like it :)
cioman94
1,037 Posts
As answered before you must take IELTS, english must be taken at secondary school and nursing school in english speaking country to be excused from IELTS.
I had to be witness once for a nurse with poor english skills in an acute situation at a hearing, not long after the IELTS was elevated to 7.
She thought she spoke well, but no one could understand her and she was not exactly understanding everyone else neither, drugs are different names, iv fluids are ordered differently etc. etc. Telephone orders are quite common in hospital and oh my, when you have someone who does not speak clear english..
We in Australia loathe getting overseas call centres, nobody understands us and we do not understand them at call centre.....bain of life.
correct! i thought i was good in english speaking considering my consistent 7 in ielts and my work background.. when i arrived here, they do not understand me, i do not understand them.. we observed that Indians have such english accent, but i fail to realize that i have a filipino accent that ozies do not understand.. i thought i was speaking good till i arrive here..