madascanbeRNtobe

Yah, I kind of understand what you are getting at Joanna, but I do like the weather here with our four distinct seasons. The winters are cold like they are supposed to be, and the summers are hot like they are supposed to be. :) I'm also saving up quite a huge chunk of my pay right now, while my costs are low being child-less and all, who knows what the future holds with job security, and children etc. Anyways, Joanna, I don't think you have applied for your license yet, but when you are ready to, and have questions about the process, feel free to ask me as I am going through it right now. But just so you know, with the fees for the english exam, you are looking at spending about $750 just for the license, and the visa is a whole other process. Mad.

Also one thing to keep in mind is that overall Australia has a much higher cost of living than Canada. Like I have just over 2 years of experience, and I make just over 30 dollars an hour, but to go to Australia and to make 30 dollars an hour, and to pay significantly more a month for rent, groceries etc is pretty much taking a pay cut. I just want to do it for a few months, so it does not factor too big in my decision, but it may in someone else's Mad.

There may be many many agencies Joanna, but I got my job by contacting the hospital directly, and so did everyone I work with. I have never even worked with an agency nurse filling in because we were short. So I am really not sure what role the agencies play, but I do know one person who lived in the Toronto area worked in several different hospitals through an agency because she was desperate. She was a new graduate and found it very stressful, working in all these different hospitals, and all different units filling in when they were short-staffed. Luckily she found a permanent part-time position at one hospital through a job posting on their website. She did not need an agency to get this position. Anyways that's been my experience. Mad

Peace all I got an e-mail from them in early December stating they have received my application, and the next step is a criminal history check. I have not heard from them since, I don't think they will e-mail me to tell me the check is done, and now they are moving onto the second step whatever that may be. And I'm sure things slowed down a bit over Christmas break and stuff. If I don't hear anything by the end of January, I will call then to see what's going on. How long did it take you guys to receive another email after the email stating they have received your application?

So, I have not heard anything from AHPRA for quite some time. Last they contacted me, they said they were doing a criminal history check. Hopefully, we will be moving on to the next step early next month. But life goes on here, with working full-time, studying for my certification exam, and enjoying my friends. But some days, I am soo excited, I want to scream.

That's disappointing, but I guess you cannot have everything. Here we do 75 hours of work every 2 weeks, and with my schedule in 12 weeks time I have averaged 75 hours in a 2 weeks period, but some are more, some are less.

Peace So i have submitted my application, and yesterday, they sent an e-mail confirming acceptance of it. I have not applied for the work and holiday visa yet. I might be planning way ahead of myself but I am getting very excited. Quick question. How does scheduling work? Here I am employed full-time, do 12 hour shifts only, 50% days 50% nights. 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Working all 12 hours is amazing, coz you get so many more days off. Am hoping to get something similar whilr working part-time. Will need days off to travel, Mad

Hi. I could not find an e-mail address at all even when i clicked on the postings to get more information. I guess I don't have to worry about the grade system right now. And over here hospitals hire nurses directly, full-time, part-time, and casual staff. And then there are agencies that hire nurses. These nurses will go to any hospital/nursing home in the area, if that hospital/nursing home is working short, and just cannot get any of its own staff to meet that need. You never go through an agency to get a full-time or part-time position at a particular place coz they don't exist Thanks for your responses, I have a few more busy days, but I will keep you posted. Mad

peace all found something. staff contact: some queensland health employees have access to email for work-related correspondence. the correct address is required to ensure delivery. you will need to establish the correct email address before you send your message. personal email is generally written as: [color=#0000cc][email protected] we cannot provide contact details for queensland health staff. please telephone the switchboard on 07 3234 0111 during office hours i will try this with the names i find in the job posting, and give it a week or so, to see if i get any replies peace mad

Sorry, two more questions. I have been looking at the website for Queensland Health. Each job listed has a name and phone number with it. Would this be the manger, or a contact in human resources? Also, i prefer to go the e-mail route, as I tend to sound a bit stupid on the phone, is there any way to obtain an e-mail address if its not listed in the job posting? Because it would also be good for me to have an e-mail in reply too, as I can reread it later to see what I need to do, rather than rely on memory from a phone conversation. Third, im seeing jobs for nurses with grade 1,2,4,5,6 etc. Again not a system we use here. I have read into it, and I think, I am at least a grade 5, but I can't quite understand what makes you a grade 6. As I said earlier, all my experience is in general medicine, but I have some extra training, like ventilated patients (they come up from the ICU once stable, but will remain on the ventilator long-term), we have patients on telemetry, so im used to that, and in January, Ill be doing a 1 week course at work, so I can take care of patients that need to be on cardiac monitors. Also, as long as I pass the exam in April, I will have a certificate in medical/surgical nursing. My reason for asking is, if i do qualify for grade 6, I don't want to limit myself to grade 5 positions. I don't even know if I can apply to both. Or, am I jumping the gun here, and they will tell me which grade I am, when and if I get my nursing license. Thanks so much, Mad.

Peace all. I also have another question. We don't have nursing agencies in Canada to find part-time or full-time jobs. So its not something I really know how to deal with. I prefer to deal with hospitals directly, and if unsuccessful go the agency route. Am I putting myself at a disadvantage this way? Also, I am not familiar with a 2-tiered system of health-care (public and private). I am assuming, there are both private and public hospitals. I am not sure I could work in a private hospital, goes against what I ethically believe in. Again, am I putting myself at a big disadvantage? Thanks Mad

Thanks Marty, that's a great website. Mad

Thanks so much Carol, and Talaxandra. You have certainly helped. So the kinda place I am looking at is not very rural, and remote, because I don't think I have the correct set of skills for that. But Im also not looking the suburbs. I was thinking one of the smaller towns in Queensland. And if my travel plans involve needing a car, I am assuming I can rent one for the few days I need it. Im pretty sure, I won't need one every day. If I can find a place to live within 4-5 km of my workplace, I can bicycle it. I have to work 5 12 hour shifts in a row, but ill get back to researching it once my crazy week is over. I was thinking of e-mailing a few hospitals directly, to get some idea of their hiring process. One thing I am worried about is spending the money, to my get license and visa, and then nobody hiring me Mad.

Hi everyone and peace. Thanks for taking the time to read and answer my question. I am a nurse in Canada, I graduated from a 4 year degree program in January of 2010, hence I was a graduate nurse. In February of 2010, I wrote a registration exam, which I passed, and then became a registered nurse. I have been working full-time hours since my graduation, in a general medicine unit in a large city teaching hospital ( large by Canadian standards, just under a million people), and am now looking for some travel opportunities before i get old and settled down. I have been considering Australia as one of my options, as a place to come live for 6 months, but I want to work as a nurse while I am here. Basically, my plan is to apply for an Australian Nursing License, and to apply for a 6 month work and holiday visa, and apply for a part-time nursing job in general medicine, to also give me time to travel. I want to stay out of the major cities (no, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane etc, coz i'm a small-town girl at heart) I have done some initial research, and have the online application to apply for an Australian nursing license. It seems, I meet all the requirements, but im confused as to whether once (and if), my application is successfully processed, I have to write a registration exam? (or such a thing does not exist in Australia, because I can't find any mention of it). Also, if I do decide to go through with this, I am planning for about October 2012 to make the move. In your opinion am I giving myself sufficient time? Also, in your opinion (as you guys live and work in Australia), is my plan totally ludicrous or can it be feasible? (like would someone hire me, knowing i'd be leaving in 6 months, would they be more willing to do that in a smaller town vs a city?) Thanks so much Mad

I have heard of hospitals down here in Southern Ontario making the move to following a specific nursing model, and some already have. I know Ross Memorial in Lindsay definitely does, but i can't remember which one it was. Im just a nursing student. Maybe a nurse that works in Southern Ontario would throw some light