Leela81

Ah, 2.5yrs experience! You'll be fine. You'll find a job quickly. I hear you about the waiting though I think AHPRA are slow because they just transitioned to a national nursing board less then a year ago. Good luck with everything!

Hopefully once you get those letters in from your school your registration will go through. If you have the name of the person that is processing your application you can send it to that person's attention and the process seems to go faster. In terms of moving it wasn't a big deal for me because my partner has been living in Melbourne for the past 11 yrs and already had a place. Some hospitals will sponsor you and help with housing but usually you have to go to more rural areas. Where were you thinking of moving to? In terms of interviews, it wasn't that difficult. At the nursing agency they didn't really ask any questions, I just had to fill out tons of forms and do a math/medication test. And at the hospital that I'm working at they did ask some scenario questions. So just be prepared as you would for an interview in the States. Because you have a work and holiday visa you can try working for a hospital for 6 months and if you like it and they are happy with you then usually they are willing to sponsor you so that you can continue to work and live there. Are you a new nurse? Some places are a bit reluctant to hire new nurses without some experience. Most of the nurses and midwives in Australia do a grad year, which is like a paid internship. So, you might want to start looking into that. It's always better to be prepared and have letters of recommendation in case they ask. In terms of my experience they just emailed or phoned my references though.

Yes, my application took a very long time as well...about 9 months to get processed. They say they try to process applications within 90 days, which it seems you are approaching that limit. You could always call AHPRA and ask them for an update. But probably going to just have to wait. I found that hospitals and agencies didn't really want to have much to do with me until I got my registration and then finding a job was pretty easy. They are always in need of nurses. And you can always start working with an agency to get your feet wet and see what the different hospitals are like. Nursing is different there then here in the USA. There are no nurse's aids to do vitals or ADL care, you have to do it all. It's helpful if you already know how to put in IV's and draw blood b/c often it's your responsibility to do it. And terms, names of medications and lab values differ but you will get used to it once your in it! No worries, I found most of the nurses and midwives to be very supportive and willing to help you out. You can still move there in August even if your registration hasn't gone through...as long as you have an appropriate visa. That's what I did. I got a work and holiday visa. Visit the Australian Immigration website if you haven't already. Let me know if you have any further questions.

There are tons of agencies. Pick the area that you want to live in and then just google search for agencies in that area. But many agencies may not take you if you don't have at least one years experience as Carol mentioned earlier. But contact them and see what they say. I'm not 100% sure but I think you may need to be outside of Australia to apply for the skilled migrant visa...but a immigration lawyer would know better then I.

University of Massachusetts, Amherst campus has moved to DNP

Baystate Medical Center Midwifery Education Program, Springfield, MA

Hi Zoe, How's student midwifery going? I'm a newly graduated midwife from USA and just moved to Australia a couple of months ago. Still learning lots about the different midwifery roles here in Australia and trying to find my first job. In anycase I would love to hear what midwifery school is like here.

I'm going through a similar situation right now. You need to go to the AHPRA website: http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/ AHPRA is the national nursing and midwifery board in Australia. Go there to get your international application and list of required documents. Now it depends on what your plan is in terms of immigration. Are you just looking to spend a year in Australia or do you want move more permanently here? I would go to http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/medical-practitioners/ to look at the various visa types. If your under 30yrs of age then it's easy to get a work and holiday visa, which allows you to work and stay up to a year, but can only work for one company for 6 months...a bit stupid if you ask me. However, a lot of hospitals are willing to sponsor a nurse for a more permanent position and that allows you to stay up to 4yrs. So you have time. Do your research. Since you will be a new nurse you should also look into the graduate nurse programs they offer at the hospitals. They are kind of like a year long paid internship that a lot of the new nurses and midwives do here in Australia...a bit different from the States. Also keep in mind that it may take a few months for your nursing registration to get processed. Good Luck with everything!

Right you are...the hell with their stinky attitude! And that's just it, there's so many agencies to choose from I don't know who to go with...so just trying to see who gives the best benefits and treats me well.

Well I sent in my application in May and it's just about finished now. But for you it will be shorter because from July-October they weren't processing international applicants due to the disorganization of being a new National nursing board. They say that they will try to process the applications within 90 days. But really making sure that all your paper work is in order, all the documents are properly certified and etc will make a big difference in preventing delays.

Yes the AHPRA website is a good place to start. You don't have to take any nursing exams or anything like that. You will have to apply for your division 1 nursing registration through AHPRA which you will have to prove that you meet the educational requirements and provide info on your nursing licenses in the States. It's not too difficult but you have to be meticulous and give them EVERYTHING that they ask for. I'm in the process of getting my nursing registration here in Australia and I've been a RN in the USA for 5 yrs. It's taken much longer then expected but that is probably due to the fact that I got caught in the middle of Australia transitioning to a national nursing/midwifery board. So you still have plenty of time to gather all the documents that you need and you'll need to wait til you finish school, pass the NCLEX and get licensed in the States. You can also call or email AHPRA and sometimes they answer your questions. Good Luck with your studies! Oh also you should look into the hospitals near you and see if they offer new grad programs as often they do and they are like a yr long internship that you get paid for. But do it ahead of time as they fill up and usually only occur 2 x a year.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check them out. I welcome any other suggestions as well because I'm just picking these agencies randomly.

I have just arrived to Australia about 2 months ago from the USA on a working holiday visa and I'm still waiting for my nursing and midwifery registration which I started back in May. So the registration process takes a LONG time! Of course I got caught in the transfer from a State based registration board to a national nursing/midwifery board which has probably contributed to the long processing time. But in general health practitioners are in demand here in Australia. You are a new nurse however and a lot of the new nurses here in Australia do a year long internship like type of program....so you might want to work as a RN for a year first before moving to Australia to make yourself more desirable! You wouldn't have any problems working for a nursing agency either. So do your research before making any decision. Good Luck!

I'm thinking of working for a nursing agency and have contacted a couple of agencies. Melbourne Nursing Agency and Belmore Nurses Bureau? The Belmore Nurses agency wouldn't really give me much info about their agency or benefits and the woman was a bit rude on the phone with me. Just wondering if others have had experience with them and can share a better experience? Also if you know what benefits they offer.

I got a certificate in midwifery at the Baystate Medical Center Midwifery Ed. Program (very small program in Springfield, MA) and then collaborated with the Philadelphia University to get my masters of science in midwifery (all on-line courses). At least with a nursing degree you can go any where pretty much and get a decent job. I think Australia is trying to go towards NP's though. So maybe in the future there might be some sort of role for an PMHNP in Australia....in case u return :)

Thanks for the comments Lammy! Yeah, I've been working on the registration part since May! I'm hoping that it will finally be approved by December at the latest (at least that's the time frame that AHPRA is giving me). I did have to take the English test....pretty silly if you ask me given that English is my first and only language! As far as I can tell the training for CNM is more extensive then Australian midwives. I did an observation on the maternity wards in Melbourne and I think your right, the midwives seem to have less autonomy in Australia. But the midwifery role is a bit different in many ways...they act as the labor and delivery nurse in addition to filling the midwifery role (different from USA). But I'm open to trying it cause I'm sick of doing the long distance relationship thing! My boyfriend lives in Melbourne.

I would love to hear your experience and advice as I'm going through the same process. I'm arriving on a work and holiday visa in Nov. and then hoping to find a hospital to sponsor me on a 457 visa. My registation is still in process...been taking a long time since they switched a national board. I've been a RN for 5yrs and just graduated as a CNM in May, so i'm hoping to work as a midwife. How long did it take for you to get your 457 visa? Was it a pretty easy process? How are you liking the New grad program?

Hi, I recently graduated as a certified nurse midwife in the USA and I'm making the move to Melbourne, Australia because my honey lives there. I've been trying to get registered as a division 1 nurse and midwife since May 2010 but have gotten caught in the transition to a national board. Needless to say it's taking a long time and I'm still waiting. Going to arrive in November regardless of registration but hopefully by then or shortly after I will become registered. Planning to arrive on a Working and Holiday visa that allows me to work and stay for a year. The catch is that I can only work for upto 6months for one agency/organization. So, I'm hoping that I can get sponsered with a 457 visa by a hospital. I'm worried about being a new grad midwife and what kind of orientation I will get. It's typical for Australian new midwives to do a New Grad program for a year, however I don't know if I will be eligible for this program or if a hospital will be willing to sponsor me for this program. I attempted to apply for a new grad program thru the Sunshine hospital but they aren't able to sponsor international applicants. I would love any advice regarding these issues. If anyone has been sponsered on a 457 visa, how long did it take for you to get your visa? Was it a pretty easy process?

Thanks for the links. I'm a RN and Nurse-Midwife from the USA and I have applied for registration in Australia this summer and have found the transition to the National nursing/midwifery board very frustrating. I recently was told that they hadn't been processing international applications b/c they didn't have anything in place to do so. But as of the ~2nd wk of Sept they have started. They advised me that it may take another 3 months for them to process my application and that they are starting with the main countries such as the UK and United States. So, to all other internation applicants hang in there!