Meeting AHPRA requirements as a International Trained Nurse from the Philippines

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Since I'm on 456 visa, i will exit before my 3rd month expires then go back here in Australia when my registration is already released.

hi annie_v2g! i just want to ask whether you had a return ticket when you left for melbourne.. is it needed in the immigration? i'm wondering if i should book one..:unsure:

Done with the bridging program. :)

congratulations annie, I would like to ask if how do you find the BP? is it difficult? and can you give us an overlook of it. sorry for my demands but i would to know it. Thanks!

Specializes in Medical-Surgical, General, PACU.

hi annie_v2g! i just want to ask whether you had a return ticket when you left for melbourne.. is it needed in the immigration? i'm wondering if i should book one..:unsure:

i booked a return ticket.. And yes, the immigration asked for it. Im not sure with the others but it happened to me and to my friend. :) just to be safe, i advice you to get a ticket to avoid any hassles on the day of your flight.

Specializes in Medical-Surgical, General, PACU.

congratulations annie, I would like to ask if how do you find the BP? is it difficult? and can you give us an overlook of it. sorry for my demands but i would to know it. Thanks!

It was okay but not that easy..I am not sure with other schools but, in etea there are lot of paperworks (home works,essays) and reporting. You'll be busy,but definitely You can do it esp. if you have a clinical experience.. Aside from that, you've already encountered the lessons in your nursing school so you can adapt easily.

yes you can.i did the processing on my own. after ahpra will give you the LOE,you can start looking for a school in which you will undergo BP.

Hi jems. I see u also worked in ksa. May I know if police clearance from Saudi Arabia is needed when applying for AHPA eligibility? TiA!

Have your passport and nbi photocopied. Go to the notary public and bring the photocopy and original documents then just tell them you want to.have.them.certified

Hi chelseaxyreane, i see u worked in ksa before. Is police clearance from saudiarabia needed when applying for LOE or visa? Thanks.

Hi,

I have a problem with my application to AHPRA. I hope someone could enlighten me with this one. I probably am the only here on this forum who is facing this kind of dilemma. I passed my application (AGOS Form-40) last September 2012 to the AHPRA (VIC), along with the necessary attachments. On October 2, 2012, I was able to receive an email from a Registration Officer (Victoria State Office) requiring me to submit my outstanding documents (Statement of Service and Professional Reference) before the Board could decide on my application.

I complied by sending them my Statement of service (Job description and certificate of employment from my employer) and two (2) professional references last December 2012.

From then on, I haven't received any updates, like acknowledging the receipt of my documents. So I made a web Inquiry (quoting my reference number) this March 2013, asking my current status and if they were able to receive my outstanding documents. A week after, I received in the email a Notice of proposal to refuse registration pursuant to Section 81 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Victoria) Act 2009.

In the email, it states,

'I have received your application for registration as a Registered nurse under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Victoria) Act 2009 (National Law).

Pursuant to section 81 of the National Law, a National Board must give an application for registration written notice of any proposal to refuse to register a health practitioner.

The Registration Committee of the Victorian Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (Board) conveved on March 6, 2013 and has made a decision to propose to refuse to grant you registration as a Registered Nurse.

The Registration Committee has considered your registration application a nurse and proposes to refuse registration on ground that, in the Board's opinion you are not qualified for general registration as a Registered Nurse for the following reasons:

In accordance with section 53(b) of the National Law, you do not hold a qualification the National Board considers to be substantially equivalent, or based on similar competencies, to an approved qualification.'

The Board has published a Framework for the Assessment of Internationally Qualified Nurses and Midwives fro Registration to guide the assessment of application and ensures that the application is assessed as meeting current Australian nursing and midwifery education standards. This decision is reflective of this Board approved criteria. Criterion 3 states:

-

'For registration as a registered nurse, the minimum qualification of a Bachelor degree, or qualification combined with the experience that is comparable in duration and content to the nationally agreed minimal educational standard for nursing in Australia.'

The Board has also approved the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council published Standards and Criteria for the Accreditation of Nursing and Midwifery Courses Leading to Registration, Enrolment, Endorsement, and Authorisation in Australia- with Evidence Guide for Registered Nurses(ANMC Standard). Standard 5 relates to the course content and refers to a range of topics that must be addressed by accredited courses.

We enclose, for your information,a copy of the Framework for the Assessment of Internationally Qualified Nurses and Midwives for Registration and ANMC Standards (PDF files).

There are now two different courses of action available to you:

1. At this stage you may wish to consider withdrawing you application for registration and advice AHPRA in writing of your intention to withdraw your application. You may seek recognition of prior learning with a NMBA approved education provider of a Bachelor of Nursing course that leads to a qualification eligible for registration as a registered nurse. Information relating to approved NMBA education providers is available on the NMBA website.

OR

2. If you do not wish to withdraw your application for registration,under the section 81 (2)(b) f the National Law, the Board must provide you with an opportunity to make a written or verbal submission to the registration committee about its proposal to refuse your application. You may make a written or verbal submission to the Board by 14 April 2013 about the proposal. The Board will make its decision in relation to your application for registration following receipt of any submission about the proposal to refuse your registration, or advise that you do not seek to make a submission or otherwise after 14 April 2013. If the Board do not receive a submission within the given timeframe your application will have taken to be refused under s 82(1) ©.

If you have any queries please contact ______ (Registration Officer) on __________ or ____________ (email).'

I just could not believe the grounds on which they are refusing my application as I have been compliant with all of their requirements. Do they mean that the 4 years I have spent in Nursing here in the Philippines is not enough, when in fact I have a diploma and all other pertinent documents to prove so. I have friends that has done the same process and that their education was not even questioned.

For reference, I have sent them the following documents completely and properly notarized based on their requirements:

  • Birth Certificate (NSO)
  • Passport (photo page)
  • Curriculum vitae (Standard format)
  • School Diploma (UST)
  • Transcript of Record (TOR)
  • RLE Record
  • Academic Record
  • Nursing Course Description
  • Board Certificate
  • Certificate of Good Standing (sent from PRC)
  • Board Passing and Board Rating
  • IELTS result (sent by IDP directly to AHPRA)
  • NBI clearance (for travel to Australia)
  • AGOS Form-40
  • Other supplementary documents (PRC ID, BLS Certificates/ID, etc. to support the ones written on my curriculum vitae)

I just do not know whether they have assessing my application properly. I just do not know what to do. I cannot really accept their reason for refusing me.

I still have to clarify things with my Registration Officer, though. I hope something good comes out of this.

I do hate to be the messenger of bad news,but, because you have a nursing degree from the Phillipines, that it includes all the criteria that is required in an Australian nursing degree of 3 years and that all other countries have to respect this and give you nursing registration rights. As my nursing degree and post grad does not give me even a look in to registration rights in the Phillipines, nor the UK or USA.

It has been advised by someone who does consultancy in the Phillipines that nurses that have not at least 3 months experience since graduating (within 2 years of graduating) or do not have 3 months experience in the past 5 years are not thought to have the skills to only require the BP course and have been refused eligibility to do just the BP course for Registration, this was after he had consulation with the nurses board.

Is your nursing education been through a university, with experience research in nursing lecturers?

Like all countries, nursing is not a shortage and now looking more closely at others nursing education.

On the other hand, appeal, AHPRA, tend to let anyone that states they have a nursing degree in own country - equal to Australian education or not, usually end up getting registration, especially after appeals, its just a formality I think, to keep some people employed and look good for stats.

Afterall they let many nurse applicants into the country 2 years ago and registered them, that had very poor effective english communication skills and they are still allowed to practice.:yes: and give extensions to eligibility letters for bp programs even though applicants are often, at times, are then, not worked in nursing for over 5 years. Locals that have been out for 5 years cannot do that! Seems there are rules for some and not for others.

APPEAL

Hi ceridwyn,

First of all, thank you. I really appreciate what you said here; thank you for taking the time to read through my long post. So sorry for that. It's just so hard for me accept the fact that my education is being questioned here. I have studied Nursing in one of the most respected schools in the Philippines (objectively speaking). The credibility of my school is out of the question. Everyone from my university, who who have undergone the same application process has never encountered such a problem. It's so frustrating to accept something that I'm very sure of I have been compliant with. I will try my best to point this out with my Registration Officer. I just do not know what will happen to this. I'm devastated. I do hope they consider my appeal.

Again, thank you very much.

Good luck, I am sure you will get your eligibility, if you appeal. Its for the statistics I am sure.

i booked a return ticket.. And yes, the immigration asked for it. Im not sure with the others but it happened to me and to my friend. :) just to be safe, i advice you to get a ticket to avoid any hassles on the day of your flight.

Thanks for your help! it's better to be safe.. :yes:

I have always been expected to have a return ticket back to Australia whenever I have visited other countries as I do not have work rights nor a permanent visa to stay in any other country, no matter what I may have been doing there, whether studying, attending a conference or as a tourist.

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