ninx72

Do not put a pool noodle up your bum, even if last time you could get it out. You'll only end up in theatre for 3 hours with a surgeon trying to pull it out, and when that fails, they'll have to cut you open and push it out. Do not try to give yourself an enema with a garden hose. A straw up your member is not fun times. But at least you can still pee through it while waiting in hospital all week for an operation to get it taken out. Do not abuse the staff for neglecting you and the doctor for not seeing you during their rounds if you spent the day across the road from the hospital eating pies.

Hey guys, well I'm originally a kiwi but have been in aus for the last few years getting my nursing degree and have now got one years experience working full time. I have a job lined up at the North Shore Hospital in Auckland but am really worried that everything is going to be totally different in nz and I wont know what I'm doing. Can anyone thats worked in both countries tell me if there are big differences between the two???? (other than the ridiculous pay cut I'm going to be getting haha). Documentation?? Systems??? Do they do self rostering or at least get roster requests??? Has anyone worked at north shore hospital?? Is it a good place to work, or would Auckland City hospital be better???? Any advice or info would be awesome!! Thaaanks :)

Basically once you graduate from university you have to get into a one year graduate nurse program to gain experience. During this year you work as a normal registered nurse but you have extra support, do a few assignments, and have regular meetings to check up on your progress, etc. In queensland where I am you have to do one of these years, otherwise no one will hire you. The problem is that there are WAAAAAYYYY too many new grads and not enough jobs. At my hospital they had 170 new grads apply for next year, and only 40 jobs. Thats a lot of unemployed new nurses. Anyways, to work in a hospital, once you have one years experience you'll be able to get a job super easy. But you can always start applying sooner and see how you go. :) But if you want to work in aged care you should be able to get a job pretty easily. Good luck!

Nah with one years experience you'll be sweet getting a job, and once your in the system you can always move around to get exactly what you are looking for. At my interviews they have always asked questions about conflict with a patient or another staff member, team work, medication safety, and its good to have a few examples up your sleave to illustrate how you would react in certain situations, ie conflict situation, also your strengths/weaknesses, what you can bring to the organisation, why them? all that usual interview type stuff. Nothing too tricky. They also often ask a scenario type question, i.e what would you do for a patient with chest pain or whatever.

I am also very keen to travel to third world nations to do what I can to help as an RN. I'm not sure yet where I will go, perhaps africa or south east asia. GHGoonette, does south africa have many opportunities for volunteering?? Also, do you guys think it is best to sign up with an agency, or just go travelling (which I am almost more keen for) and see where I end up and just find my way as I go? OOh and anyone done Mercy Ships??? I think this looks like a fantastic organisation. By the way, GHGoonette, I'm an ex-South African, but now living in Australia :) Family have a holiday house in eersterivier, beautiful part of the world!!! Haha any chance you know wilma or simon bekker? Or the kuschkes? Never know, its a small world

Hi guys, this is my first time posting here. I am a new grad, working in qld. I have a job in a high acuity surgical ward, and really enjoy it, have learnt SOO much after just 9 weeks, and am so thankful to have actually gotten a job this year, as many of my nursing friends didnt manage to get a grad position. But I'm from nz, and miss home so much after a few years in australia! I have another 10 months to go til I finish my grad year, but am considering leaving in 4 months time, before I start my second rotation. Do you think it would be possible to get a job in new zealand (auckland) with only 6 months post-grad RN experience?? Any advice would be great :)