Laurendd

Hi Sunshine, I am an american nurse but did my degree and training in Brisbane and I will tell you that the area you are going to is absolutely beautiful. When I first went to Australia I lived in Taringa (one suburb away from Toowong) which is so nice and quiet but close to the city. If you choose to live out that way you not only have Toowong shopping center but Indooropilly (which is a big mall) as well. If you live anywhere in that vicinty you should have no problem getting public transport back and forth to work. One thing I might do when checking out potential properties is check the public transport timetable (http://www.translink.com.au/) and use the journey planner on the right. This might help with a decision if you are split. One of my best friends from uni works at the wesley in the oncology unit and she has always been very happy there. Enjoy your time in a foreign country, I am so thankful for my experiences there. If you should have any questions I would be more than happy to answer. All the best of luck to you and i'm so glad you have already made a contact in BNE.

I should have phrased it differently, apologies for any misinformation. The USA does not like for a person of American Citizenship taking the oath of another country and will not recognize it as such. If you take citizenship in Australia you will be expected to vote in elections, as voting is compulsory there, pay any taxes due, etc. In the end I decided not to take citizenship as I wasn't prepared to deal with the legal issues it may have caused. It is better now, Australia as of 2002 allows their citizens to have dual. That wasn't an option for me when I was going through the immigration process. In the end if I were you Marissa I would probably go to school in the USA and try to do an exchange or something of that nature. Even if you get a bachelor's degree in Australia it may not be recognized as a full bachelor's because of the 3 year nursing degree. I haven't started trying to go to graduate school but I might have to go back to undergrad school to meet requirements. You can always get a visitors or working holiday visa as well if you wanted to go visit Australia. If your heart is in it you will find a way. Good luck on your journey. I first visited when I was in high school and fell in love- I ended up living there for a few years. I hope to make it back again one day. All the best

Just remember though that becoming an Australian Citizen would mean giving up your USA citizenship. They don't like to share you with another country. Skilled stream migration allows you to have permanent residence, right?

Well then good luck with your last semester.

Hey gapeach, I am currently applying to hospitals and facilities in Atlanta. There do seem to be many hospitals that offer grad programs and are accepting apps for March. I'm just trying to get a foot in the door any way I can and not getting too caught up in applying for strictly grad programs. Good luck with your search! Have you taken the NCLEX yet?

I wanted to post separately that I PASSED! I passed with Suzanne's plan and 75 questions. Now all I have to do is find a job!!

Debbie, I am so sorry to hear that it wasn't your time. You have Suzanne's plan and my advice would be to stick with it again. Of course, the choice is yours. You have been such a source of support to us here, thank you for that.

So I took my test today, 75 questions (I had a feeling it would shut off at 75, i don't know why). Last time I had all 265. This time I feel better because when I sat down to do the test I felt like I actually knew some of the answers (they didn't mostly feel like stabs in the dark like last time). Even if I have to take it again I know for a plain and simple fact that Suzanne's plan is the way to go. It's the only explanation for why I knew what some of the questions were looking for. So if I haven't passed this time I will definitely be using the plan again. Have to wait until Friday to see. Good luck to everyone taking it tomorrow. Sirisiri I hope you feel ok about taking the test today. To Aggy, I was trained in Australia and found the NCLEX very difficult the first time too. Suzanne's plan was originally developed for foreign trained nurses just like us. I found it so helpful. Good luck! Lauren

Yes sirisiri, we will do this and do it well. Soon we will have passed! Lauren

Thank you so much for your prayers angelavenice, it is much appreciated. Congrats to nurseghel too. Good luck to all of us about to take the NCLEX! Lauren

Tomorrow is my big day! I've had a bit of a cough so I hope I get better by resting today. I guess I'm ready (can you ever really be 100% ready?). Good luck to all of us!

Well done Winny and all of you who passed in December. I just got my Prioritization book yesterday, I only have a week to go so I'll be supplementing Suzanne's plan with it and using it to make sure i'm on the right track with my thinking. Suzanne's plan is definitely working, I'm understanding the question rationales and after reading the question know what it is asking for. I can now look at a set of answers and weed out wrong ones too, I wasn't really able to do that before. Maybe i'm ready for this...

Taking the NCLEX-RN for the second time on Dec 17th. Pushing myself to study everyday (and have been since mid-October). I'm using Saunders and Suzanne's plan, I thought about doing NCSBN but i'm really not sold on it. Plenty of people have passed using just Suzanne's plan as it was written. I'm so glad to see re-testers just like me for December. Good luck to us! Lauren

Hey to everyone in my 2nd home of Brisbane. I miss it dearly and hope you guys aren't getting too hot down there! I am an American who went to Australia on a whim about 8 years ago and got my nursing degree there. I moved back to the USA last year. I can't advise anyone on American Visas but I have been through the whole CGFNS and GA BON process as a foreign graduate. It took 6 months for CGFNS to finally get my credentials reviewed- thankfully I stayed in touch with my school's secretary so I could let her know when they wrote for more info and speed things up a little. My 3 year BN is not considered the same as a BSN but thankfully since I had a little theory and prac experience in every area they look for I didn't have to make up any hours. As far as the NCLEX, I don't think I really took enough time the first time to study for it so I am now waiting to take it again (unfortunately the GA BON makes you wait 90 days). I don't know if the 9 months away from anything clinical or the foreign education worked against me but I'm now pushing myself to study everyday without fail. I am keeping my Qld licence up to date if I ever want to go back. I wish you all good luck in traveling- everyone should be able to see the world and experience different places. Maybe I will get back to Brisbane someday.

Thanks Christine and congrats to you.

Taking the NCLEX tomorrow. I've studied as much as I could, did Kaplan + cd and Saunders + a little of the cd. I hope it's what I needed to study, i'm scared of the prioritization/delegation which seems to be most of the test from what everyone is saying. I don't know maybe i'll feel more comfortable tomorrow morning? Good luck to all of us tomorrow and in the future.

Ok guys, I'm going into the test center tomorrow, 8 am. I've read Saunders and Kaplan both cover to cover and did a lot of work with the Saunders cd. I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be. The thing that scares me the most is I don't really have a plan on what to do if I don't pass. At least i'll know more of what to expect I guess! Good luck to all of those taking the test tomorrow with me and to those who are taking it in the future.

As the day gets closer i am so stressed out! I am now studying kaplan as well as saunders and trying to put it all together. I felt i needed the strategies and more practice questions. Next week i will have even more time to throw at it but if i am still really stressed i will put off the test date. Good luck to all of you studying!

I thought about it and i've rescheduled for late September. It gives me a few more weeks at least. Good luck to you and all of us really. With the effort we are putting in i'm sure we will do well.

I waited tables for the first three years then got a call center job in my last year. I really wish I'd had the call center job all along, I loved it, the hours were great and I made really good money with less hours than restaurants. Nothing nursing related but built my people skills! Alot of my colleagues did the Cna thing and It helped them with jobs when they finished. When you learn to live on a student budget though you become really good with money when you start making it.

Aveeno is non-greasy as well. I used to use some Avon lotion called silicone glove when I was in Australia. The hospitals there had lotion dispensers next to the soap which was the best in winter. Now I like burt's bees but it can feel a little greasy. All a matter of preference, really but I love lotions.

It is so spooky but some people know when it's time. I never really took it seriously but after it happend a couple of times I believe them now. It's almost like the last bit of control they have, knowing it is going to happen and they say it so calmly you can't help but shiver thinking about it.

You can't go wrong with Potter and Perry's for your fundamentals. I thought it was an excellent text.

I graduated in December and am keeping my license renewed so I know I will always have a job there. It was great and I miss it all the time, but if I ever want to work in the USA I need a license! I was going to use Suzanne's plan but afraid I don't really have the 45 days to devote to it, I scheduled my test for the 2nd. Maybe I should postpone it so I can get on the program. I just had a good feeling about the 2nd. What day are you testing?

I just want to say thank you for your post, I am kind of in the same boat (foreign educated) and wonder if it is a disadvantage, especially since I am a new grad. And thank you to everyone for your replies, I am kind of nervous about not working for awhile.