Lysbeth

When I came to Australia I rang the local hospitals and applied for their bank(casual)roster. I changed to permanency when I decided where I wanted to work. The private hospitals tend to respond quicker than the public hospitals. I was rung to come for an interview and if they had their way I would have been working that day!!! The agencies pay more but the hospitals prefer to use their own staff and only call an agency when they have nobody of their own. I did get my registration organised before I left UK. I've been here since 1992 and apart from missing my friends & family I have had no regrets. Good luck & I hope this helped.

In Canberra, as long as you are reasonably healthy and are qualified you can work anywhere !!! We certainly have all sorts of race, shapes and sizes where I work!

:balloons: I have been working at the largest private hospital in Deakin,Canberra and find the work varied and interesting and the staff very friendly. They are trying to encourage nurses back into the workforce and were trying to set up a 'back to work' orientation programme. I don't know what the response rate was like though. The nurse/patient ratio and nurse skill mixes can sometimes be poor - the exuse being there are not enough nurses in the ACT. They were also experimenting with odd timed shifts to help out nurses with children. Of course the other plan is to start with an agency and work around Canberra doing shifts to suit you then decide which place you like the best! Hope this helps. :balloons: