straight4

hi, i am a second-year nursing student in victoria, and i was given a choice to do a clinical placement (for community health nursing) in regional and interstate clinics. i have been frustrated by the lack of exposure to different clinical settings and patients in my previous placements that were allocated by the school. i have not been too lucky--allocated to wards in small hospitals that were not too different from aged care facilities. i have been proactive in my learning, but there really is a limitation, as compared to my other classmates who dealt with acute care patients. i am considering: (1) borroloola community health centre (nt) this is a tiny community of 700 people, mostly indigenous, and i thought that alone would make this a unique experience. but summer temperatures seem harsh. (2) atherton hospital (qld) (3) diabetes tasmania uncertain as to how 'happening' this place could be (no offense to anyone). (4) country health south australia (i realise that my choice would depend on my area of interest, but at this point, like most students, i do not know what to specialise in. i have been drawn to ed, icu, cardiology, and palliative care.) on the other hand, regional clinics in vic include: 1. mornington peninsula maternal and child health centre 2. st vincent's correctional health --port phillip prison (intriguing to me, since law enforcement was my other career choice, but i have heard that it is not too 'happening'--is that true?) 3. glenelg shire maternal and child health centre if anyone has any advice or recommendations about my placement site, it would be greatly appreciated. the placement dates are somewhere between nov-jan, for a period of two weeks. but i need to decide by this friday! thank you very much in advance for your help.

Hi, thank you both for your replies. I am always confused about the length of program Vs the hours in each subject-- The impression I got from reading this forum is that immigration looks at the length of your program first; even if you cram the same number of hours (in a 3 or 4-yr course) into say, 2 years, they will not grant you a work visa. In any case, if I were to do make-up courses, will I be able to work overseas? International nurse recruiters have told me the length of the program does not matter, while others have told me they "believe their client in XXX country does not accept accelerated degrees." (Unfortunately, these recruiters are one of the few sources of information, since nursing boards never reply to my inquiries.) I know I would want to go back to school again to get a Master's. Would that help me in terms of meeting the minimum length of program that governments require? Say, 2 years BSN + 1-2 years Master's = 3-4 year nurse education? I realize it depends on the country, but I was told Saudi Arabia, UK and US (assuming hiring freeze/retrogression were lifted many years later) accept 3-yr degrees. And how are Australia-trained NPs viewed? They are still relatively new. Btw, one of the reasons I am studying in Australia is because I was granted a scholarship for a 2-yr degree (the only thing that would make schooling possible for me), and I am facing the dilemma of whether I should do the 3-year degree (but having to pay for 3rd year and living expenses that I am already paying for the 2-yr degree would be a huge challenge). On the other hand, I have found a full scholarship to study medicine (graduate in just 4 years, compared to 3 years for nursing), but as much as I am passionate about helping people, the doctor's lifestyle does not appeal to me. I have been criticized about this, that I am choosing nursing because it is an "easier" job. But I do not understand why it would be hypocritical or selfish of me to want to take care of my own well-being (and family) while also doing that for others. Besides, I believe nurses and doctors have different roles. Thanks again!

Hi, I was wondering if 1) anyone has been successful in being employed overseas (any country) with a 2-yr (Graduate Entry) degree from Australia? 2) If not, then is there any way to remedy the situation, such as taking extra courses? 3) What if I go back to another year of school to get a Master's degree? 4) Australia has 1.5-yr Master's course to become NPs, provided I have finished my 2-yr Graduate Entry program. Would that allow me to work overseas (after a few years of post-grad experience in Australia)? I have had different answers from international nurse recruiters. Thank you in advance for your inputs!

Thank you ghillbert; hope you don't mind, but I have decided to PM you instead =)

Hi ghillbert, I believe you did your first degree in nursing in Australia. Would you happen to know, if: let's say I got my BSN in Australia, work here for 1-2 years, and let's say I get registered with the CA BON, and I start working as a nurse in CA. Then I do a graduate degree in the US. After that graduate degree, when I try to work in different states, would those states still view me as a foreign grad, i.e. I need to go through the whole registration/evaluation process to be able to work in a different state? (I am trying to weigh my options... For me, getting a full tuition waiver and eventually a PR in Australia are good incentives to study there, but it will be a 3-yr degree, compared to a 12-18 month accelerated degree in the US. Suzanne4 has mentioned that the very few countries that are accepting 3-year foreign degrees are starting to require a 4-year degree, which makes me think that the Australian degree wouldn't be too versatile, and which also makes me wonder if that means Australian nurses working overseas would pretty much be unheard of in the near future??) Thank you in advance!

Hi AussieRNinHI, I'm sorry but I am a bit confused... So do you mean you are a travel nurse who travels to different hospitals within Alaska? I at first thought you were a nurse who traveled to different states, so I was wondering about how complicated/difficult it would be to be approved by the BON of every state you intend to travel to. And may I ask which two subjects you were lacking, where you took those subjects, and how long it took you? Lastly, would you have any advice on whether to attend Univ of Adelaide or La Trobe Univ, in terms of quality of education/life, scope of studies, cost of living, student life, etc? Thanks again. =)

Thank you for your explanation. As mentioned in my previous post, I do have a US green card. I also realize that we need at least a year's experience to be a travel nurse. Currently, I am trying to find out as much as possible to plan for the future. So even for this travel nurse position, I foresee myself possibly doing it...sometime. Eventually. I just wanted to confirm my fear that as a foreign grad (educated in Australia), it would make things very difficult (lengthy) for me to be a travel nurse, if it was possible in the first place. Therefore, I was intrigued when AussieRNinHI seemed to be a foreign grad who was doing travel nursing. So regardless of whether I have US residency, I guess being a foreign nurse will make it very difficult to be a travel nurse?

Hi AussieRNinHI, You mentioned you were starting your assignment in Alaska. I wonder if you are doing travel nursing? If so, may I know how difficult the process becomes if you are educated in Australia? I understand that as a foreign grad, you need to be screened and registered with the BON in the state you want to work in? So if you are a travel nurse, do you have to be Ok'ed by the BON of every assignment destination? BTW, I do have a US green card, but I didn't think it would make a difference in terms of being able to work as a nurse in a state, other than the fact that I don't have to worry about visas. Thank you in advance!

Hi, I was also accepted into a school in Australia, and would like to know how many hours of theory and clinical are needed to meet the US BON's requirements? I am having a hard time finding the exact numbers, hence my difficulty in making a judgment on how wise it would be to attend school in Australia. Thank you all in advance.

Hi Ghillbert, Thank you very much for your input. (i) May I know how it was that you didn't have to take make-up courses when you applied to work in other countries? Is there a good way for me to do the same? (ii) Also, having worked in so many different places, have you noticed a difference in the way employers/patients/co-workers treat you, based on the fact that you were trained in Australia instead of, say, the US? [i am drawn to the prospect of spending time in a beautiful country like Australia, but I was wondering about the practicality of/wisdom in doing so; I wonder if I would be better off (realistically) if I did my training elsewhere and then come back to work in Australia.] As for Q4-6, someone else's reply to my post on the "Australian Nurses" Forum coincided with yours.:)

Hi everyone, I have a non-nursing B.A. from the US, and have been considering pursuing my nursing degree in Australia. But I was wondering if anyone could enlighten me about the differences between the Graduate Entry program and regular 3-year Bachelor degree. I realize that the length of the program is different, and that only those with a university degree could apply to the Graduate Entry program, but what would be the advantages/disadvantages? For example, would employers view me differently if I graduated from either one? Also, would doing an Honours year (at the end of either the Graduate Entry degree or Bachelor degree) make a difference in terms of career prospects, further educational opportunities, etc? Is it a popular choice to do an Honours year? I have posted a different thread Under the "International Nursing" Forum, with the title "Versatility of an Australian Degree: PR, working abroad, accelerated degree, etc" So if you could also help answer some of the questions there, it would be a huge help!! Thank you all in advance.

Thank you Suzanne, for your response. I really appreciate it. I have read about Australian nurses working in the Middle East (and especially the discussion about how there is pay discrimination according to where the nurse is from), Canada, and the US. So would it be correct to assume Australia-educated nurses are able to work in these countries as well? Also, if other people could answer any of my other questions above, it would be very much appreciated! Thank you.

Hi, I have been thinking very seriously about studying nursing in Australia, but I still have a few concerns that I cannot find solid answers to, and I would like to ask for as much advice from everyone as possible, in order to make a sound investment decision. I might be asking seemingly unrelated questions, so I apologize if I confused you. I hope to gather (from different people) the answers to all of them eventually! My situation: I have a non-Nursing B.A. from the US, although I'm neither an American nor a citizen of the "highly-impacted" Asian states. I am thinking of studying nursing in Australia, but I am not sure if I should do the 3-year Bachelor degree, or the 2-year Graduate Entry program. I believe both degrees will make me eligible to apply for Permanent Residency upon graduation. 1) But should I be worried about the Australian government changing the requirements for PR by the time I graduate? For example, I believe they changed the length of the academic program from 1 year to 2 years, for international students to be eligible. I also have concerns about the versatility of a degree from Australia (in terms of working abroad). Suzanne4 has kindly answered my PM about this enquiry, and she mentioned that most countries require a 4-year degree for immigration purposes. 2) May I know which countries would accept nurses with the 3-year degree from Australia? Because in my impression, there are many Australian nurses who work in different countries. Please note that I am not talking about the courses I would have to make up in order to be able to work abroad, such as in Paeds and Obstetrics; I have read elsewhere in this forum that foreign governments go by the length of the program, and I would like to know where I could work with a 3-year degree, provided I do the required make-up courses. 3) Alternatively, if I did the 2-year Graduate Entry program, does that make me ineligible to work in other countries (due to immigration issues)? Being a (US) green card holder; would I be able to work as an RN back in the US if I did the make-up courses? 4) Also, if I did the 2-year Graduate Entry program, and did a third year (Honours course), would that Honours year be counted towards the 3-year-program requirement set by many foreign governments (for immigration purposes)? 5) Since I haven't yet figured out my particular area of specialization, if I did an Honours year, what would you recommend (at this point) that I study, so that I would be able to lessen the number of make-up courses later on (when I want to work overseas)? 6) Would employers view us differently if we did an Honours year? If so, may I know how? (I have also read on a university's website that only those who did an Honours year would be eligible to apply for some Masters course that would educate us to become a Nurse Specialist (in some field). So I am even more confused about the significance/purpose of the Honours year option.) I thank you in advance for your inputs, and for reading my post!

Hi Suzanne, I was wondering if you would be able to answer my questions about the EAD, and whether the 5-year wait is for the EAD, or for the GC (after I get the EAD). You might remember me from my previous PM to you, but my reason for going into nursing is not to stay in the US. After trying out different jobs in the nonprofit sector (after my first degree in that field of study) and volunteering at a hospital, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be a nurse, and also wanted to settle in the US (or somewhere outside of my birth country, which by the way is not considered one of the "highly-impacted" countries), due to personal reasons. I do not see one as the means to the other. But if I were not able to find a job (even on OPT) after I graduate, and only to find out that the accelerated program (such as the one I'm getting into) will not be recognized in other countries, then I just feel that I am making a very bad investment. Therefore, I just need to seek as much information and clarity as possible, so that I can make a sound investment decision. Thank you for your kind understanding and continuing support. I really appreciate your prompt and informed responses.

Hi Suzanne, Thank you for your detailed response. I really appreciate how you broke down the numbers and gave us an exact idea of the challenging situation. If possible, I was wondering if you could clarify with me one thing about the green card process: You mentioned the 5-year wait, etc, but I was wondering, let's say the retrogression was lifted, I can now submit my petition. So do you mean that it's a 5-year wait for me to get the EAD, which would allow me to work in the meantime (i.e., EAD would be like a renewable OPT while I wait for the actual Green Card), or do I have to wait 5 years without being able to work in the US (i.e., 5-year wait for the EAD)? If it is a 5-year wait before I can even get an EAD, then it seems like I should not even start my nursing program. You also mentioned about me being ineligible for EB-2 because I wasn't doing a CNS or NP. So if I changed my program, does that mean I would be eligible for EB-2? Thank you so much for your time.