Registration for NZNC...confused =/

dreamyjean · May 13, 2011

Do you have any family/friends who have managed to emigrate to NZ? The hospitals in NZ are full of fillipino nurses! The 450 hours probably refers to a course NZNC often requires foreign RNs to do to get nursing registration here. I suggest you email NZNC direct.

osbourne · May 13, 2011

hi dreamyjean :) i just know 2 friends who are in NZ now yet they had different program since they graduted 3-4 years ago. The program being offered by the consulting agency is new. Thank you so much for your prompt reply. I really appreciate it. I thought of sending the council a message..only that the site is temporary closed here in our country.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · May 13, 2011

moved to our australian and nz nurses forum...check out links at top of section.

CarribRN · May 13, 2011

Experience as a nursing care assistant will not be honored by NZNC. It has to be an RN experience if you want to try and register as an RN. I have so many friends in NZ working as a NCA and all of them are complaining of how hard it is to save since they are really not earning much. They also went there with the plans of converting or upgrading to RN status later on but none of them were successful in doing so.

osbourne · May 13, 2011

Thank you CarribRN for the info.. I am really confused since consulting agencies in our country may claim that even 1 year experience as a volunteer nurse can suffice with the requirement of NZNC but when I tried to search for relevant details it was stated at least 450 working hours but I really don't know if the council pertains to employment or trainings can be really considered. Nurses in our country are having a hard time in landing a job which is suited to our degree

dreamyjean · May 14, 2011

Hi. For me I am NZ trained and work in NZ as an RN. So for I have never had to go through the process personally. I had a quick look at the NZNC website and there is a lot of info there for gaining registration for international nurses. They say there strongly advise against coming to to NZ before getting into a competency programme. I would agree with that. The nurses I have talked to that have done the competency programme say they are hard to get into. The nursing homes have a lot of international RNs who have not been able to get into a competency programme so have little choice but to work as a caregiver/nurse aide. Hence I agree with your comment about the people you know who have come to NZ who cannot save much as a nurse aide as it is very poorly paid. I do think emailing the NZNC would be your best bet when you can access their website. I gather the process has got more complex over the years for international RNs coming to NZ but this is inline with even NZ trained nurses who have to prove their competence and maintenance of professional every year. In the 13 years I have been a RN, the nursing conditions have got worse in our public health system. That is my opinion anyway. The health system is publicly funded, but very good...that is my opinion also but maybe I am biased. There are a lot of filippino RNs in the hospitals here as well as other nationalities. In fact in NOT unusual for me to go to work and be the only New Zealander on that shift Hope that helps.

osbourne · May 14, 2011

hello dreamyjean :) thank you so much. I sent the council an inquiry regarding this matter yet I haven't heard from them. The counsulting agencies in our country are offering us a level 7 graduate certificate in infection control as well as a working permit after the course of study. I am afraid in taking the risk to go there with this kind of offer since I only have 450 TRAINING hours gained in our country and if ever the work as a nurse/heathcare assistant/caregiver in your country. I really don't have any concrete details =( The consulting agencies say that I should try to apply to nursing homes/hospitals providing CAP when I get there :/ Thanks once again!

dreamyjean · May 14, 2011

Hi hope NZNC is able to answer your questions then. When I did my RN degree in the 1990s the requirements were that we had to do at least 1500 hours theory and 1500 clinical practice (we did more theory and clinical practice hours than that actually) to be deemed fit enough to sit our RN exam.

I agree the hours would need to be as a RN as opposed to a caregiver/nurse aide. However the competency programmes appear good from the nurses that I have "preceptored" on the clinical part of that programme. No doubt you would need to submit evidence of your theory and practice hours as part of the acceptance process in a competency programme. Hope that helps. The NZNC does have a lot of info on it and the times I have emailed them about things (such as the ongoing process for maintaining having a practice certificate) they have always been helpful. GL!

osbourne · May 14, 2011

Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate it :) It helps me a lot. I hope the council will really reply. Though I have 450 hours of training gained in our country, I am not pretty sure if the council will really honor this plus the fact that consulting agencies claim that 1 year experience even as a volunteer is needed to proceed to CAP. Yet, the processing takes time even if you are qualified. One needs to have a slot and it may take even a year to wait . My related learning experience (RLE) when I was a student was more than 2400 hours. [email protected] > am I having the right address for me to have a message?

dreamyjean · May 14, 2011

According to the NZNC website the address is [email protected]

This address is slightly different from the one you mentioned above. There is a lot of info about competence assessment programmes on the website for international RNs, but having just had a scan through it, I agree it is confusing. It may take few days to get a reply as remember that here in NZ we are one of the first countries across the dateline and hence it is now late Saturday night so the weekend and NZNC is likely to only be staffed Monday through Friday. You may want to try looking up nursing schools in NZ and finding out about competency assessment programmes for RNs. I believe most of the nursing schools run this programme. From the NZNC website not all international nurses have to do this course, but it also looks like you will have to do an English course/exam as well. Hope that helps.

osbourne · May 14, 2011

I'm extending my warmest gratitude for your respone. It really helps me :) I will send them again my letter. Indeed international nurses need to take IELTS and have a band score of 7 for each area in order to register I just hope I can get a favorable response from the council and given the chance I am very much willing to be in your country for both personal and professional growth as a nurse. Thank you once again!