I've had a look and can't find any threads which relate to this specific question - hope someone can help!
I am a student nurse due to qualify in April 2007. As there appear to be no jobs in the UK for me I am hoping to go and work in Sydney. I have heard different things about how much experience you need to work as a nurse in Australia - does anyone know if you can get a job with no prior work experience? Also, is it possible to get a job directly with a hospital without going through an agency?
the NHS is a mess! yet they keep advertising in Oz for nurses to go over to UK! promising the world to the aussie nurses if they go over to UK... while UK nurses r fleeing UK! strange world
have you tried ireland? seems like there's a need there... a lot of advertisements asking for nurses to go to ireland... it'll be easier for u to go to ireland than come to oz i think.. esp if u have no experience.
you can try applying to "transition" or "graduate" programs in oz. but in oz, graduate places are limited as they have to be paid for by the government, and are usually given to 1)local students from the particular state, 2) then interstate students, 3) then international people. internationals will always get picked last coz the domestic people have to be covered first. also visa application takes ages, requires sponsorship and costs money and a lot of paperwork.
transition and graduate programs are free as the costs are covered by government in the public hospitals and investors in the private hospitals.
be prepared to wait for a long time for the approval to come through. you have to apply to the state nursing board for approval before you can apply for any program or job in the country. this can take many many months. and if you change states, you will need to apply to the new state you change to. it is true. i know people who after 8 months are still waiting on approval. each state has a different nursing board. and different ways to apply for the programs. and different number of places available. you won't be guaranteed a place. i think there's on average at least 2 to 6 on-shore people applying for each available graduate position.
consider this: if u apply for the graduate or transition program, the place employing you has to shell out more money coz training, etc involves costs. but if you go straight into a position without being in any program, you are paid the salary and benefits and that's the end of it. to train a transition or graduate costs about $80,000 or more for each person. so there is a limit of positions available. the normal salary without training costs the hospital only about $50,000 a person. expensive thing training.
you can still apply for jobs without experience. as long as your degree is accredited and approved by the relevant nursing boards. the problem is this takes ages. so betweeen approval and getting the job, you'll probably have months to spare. what will you do then? you would not be able to work in Oz without approval. but i guess you might be able to work as auxiliary or domiciliary nurse. that's what most people do while waiting for approval. problem is how will you apply for immigration visa?
if you apply to the particular hospital you want to work for and they are willing to sponsor you for the visa, then they'll probably let you apply to work there as auxiliary nurse while your accredition is being approved.
usually if you do a program in one place, they want you to stay there for a few years after. coz they invested in you. if you leave they have to train someone else. esp in private hospitals. it's a waste of money to them if you leave with the skills they gave you. but in public systems, you might be able to change between facilities as they are under the same umbrella, so to speak.
i wouldn't necessarily say private or public is better. the standard is pretty much the same. the thing is private hospitals are usually not as large as public hospitals, so you don't get as much general exposure to differnt types of trauma or diseases. plus large hospitals are usually teaching hospitals so there's more diversity in cases and programs. private hospitals are more personal. everyone knows everyone. public hospitals being such huge places and staff being more or less "civil servants" are not as "intimate" as private hospital staff. i wouldn't necessarily say public has more support either. i find private hospitals to be just as supportive. preferably you'll join the nursing union to cover your ass whether you're in public or private. there are some really exceptional private hospitals around. and some good public ones too. each facility is different. and there's different personalities and cultures as well.
as a new grad without experience, if you get approved and accepted to work in oz, you'll most likely be on the med-surg general floor or mental or rehab wards. no ER, OR or ICU places. coz all the ICU, OR and ER places are even more expensive to train due to being specialties, and these places are usually given to domestic people...
hope this all helps!
:monkeydance:
I know this sounds stupid, but can one direct me to some primer in applying or at lease getting a job in Australia? I am a registered nurse here in the Philippines. Do you have a licensure exam which I have to pass before I can work there? Any reply would be appreciated. Thank you.
BTW, I have relatives in Sydney which I suppose would add some points on my application.
Hi there. I graduated in NZ and went straight to sydney with no experience and did a new grad programme with a private surgical hospital called St Vincents Private based in Paddington. It was such a great supportive environment with a great new grad programme. They employ a lot of Kiwi and Irish nurses. Worth giving them a call...
Hi there. I graduated in NZ and went straight to sydney with no experience and did a new grad programme with a private surgical hospital called St Vincents Private based in Paddington. It was such a great supportive environment with a great new grad programme. They employ a lot of Kiwi and Irish nurses. Worth giving them a call...
Hi, i am an nursing student in the U.S., and because of the visa retrogression here (i am Cambodian), i don't think i can stay and work here. i am thinking of moving to AU. Can you please tell me what I should do to move there? did you pass any test before going there? how did you contact the hospital? Thanks for your response.
Im in the same boat right now. Just qualified as a BAND 5 and no job to go into. The NHS is playing funny buggars with jobs and budgets are shocking at the moment. My Uni that i attended to do my training has cut their intake also because of this outcome but at the moment im having to look for a job out with nursing to pay my bills. I am seriously thinking of Emigrating to Australia but cannot find any decent links to sway me in the right direction an get the ball rolling.
Being assessed to be a Registered Nurse by the National board so that you are eligible for a work visa if you find a sponsor job, may be the first thing to do.http://www.ahpra.gov au
I am hoping to go and work in Sydney. I have heard different things about how much experience you need to work as a nurse in Australia - does anyone know if you can get a job with no prior work experience? Also, is it possible to get a job directly with a hospital without going through an agency?
w_padre, LPN, LVN
122 Posts
I know this sounds stupid, but can one direct me to some primer in applying or at lease getting a job in Australia? I am a registered nurse here in the Philippines. Do you have a licensure exam which I have to pass before I can work there? Any reply would be appreciated. Thank you.
BTW, I have relatives in Sydney which I suppose would add some points on my application.