Several questions about nursing in OZ

[X-treme]

I've debated on moving to Australia (from Canada) for 2 years now and after many debates with myself, I hope to make the trip in a year.

Brisbane is my area of choice to live as it is less busy than NSW and the cost of living is cheaper. I have had the opportunity to visit Brisbane for a month and loved the crowd. Felt like a second home.

Several concerns arise.

Finding a job - What is the best way about obtaining a full-time, 1 year + job offer in a hospital? How long in advance should I begin searching?

Are particular nursing agencies a wise choice for a foreigner, or perhaps contacting all the hospitals directly and seeing what is available? If it was assisting someone in Canada, it would be the latter. I only say 1 year as of now because the temporary working visa only allows of 1 year.

Accommodations - Would any hospital set me up with accommodations for an alloted period of time so that I am given adequate time to find a place to stay? Is it worth while to live near the city and pay more for rent as oppose to living further out and driving in? What is a average price for a nice 1 bedroom apartment, furnished and unfurnished? I've search many apartment rental websites, but because of the vast locations in Brisbane, I am having a difficult time narrowing places down. I am particularly interested in the private hospitals (as they are similar to Canada's health care system).

That's it for now. More questions to come.

Thanks for your help in advance!

[AussieRNinHI]

Hi! i just read your thread and i can give you some pointers with regards to working here in Brisbane. I am an RN with over 10years experience, have worked in the UK and now in the process of sitting my NCLEX exam next month. That NCLEX took a while to organise!! i had to come back here to australia and do a couple of subjects i was short in hours when i did my nursing degree, to comply with the nursing board requirements.

Anyway to cut the story short, i was living in the USA prior to me comming back here as my husband is american. Before comming back here, i was certain i was going to be working in Brisbane as i am a queenslander and i knew this was where alot of work would be, working as an agency nurse. I had googled nursing agencies here and got in contact with a few and within a day or 2 once got back to me saying that they had work for me and when could i start..it was that easy. Im sure you would get snapped by one of the bigger private hospitals here, as there are nursing shortages everywhere. You visa may take a little while but i dont think you would have any problems, just ask the agency you are interested in, they will have all the info.

With regards to accomodation, i doubt private hospitals would provide you with accomodation. Where i am staying is in the city itself, 10 min walk to central station, 10-15min to queen street mall, 5min walk to china town (im sure you know what i am talking about since you have been here) and the brisbane river walk astones throw away. i dont have a car, as i am only here until i pass this exam. i am renting a fully furnished 1 bedroom apartment, very nice for 450 $AU per week. Agency rates are great , i have a speciality so the rates are $40/hour for day, $45/hour after midday moreon the weekends. i hope this helps you. Good luck and if you have anymore questions, just msg me.:balloons:

[talaxandra]

Congratulations on your wise decision (though I'd opt for Melbourne, but I'm wholly biased!).

Like everywhere there are not enough nurses, so you shouldn't have trouble finding a position that suits you. I put the words "nursing" "jobs" and "Brisbane" into google and got gazillions of hits, including http://www.healthstaffrecruitment.com.au/nursing-brisbane-qld.php which offers work permit sponsorship, and the Oxley Nursing service offers accomodation subsidies in some cases.

Everything takes way longer than you think it will, so I'd start well in advance of when you want to start, and make sure your future employer knows when your start date will be.

I don't know Brisbane well at all, so I'm no help on the housing front (Gwenith?), and I think the decision about being close or driving is really a matter of personal preference. For me the cost of maintaining a car, parking and petrol costs, and the environmental aspect mean public transport's my choice. I think the money I save outweighs any rental cost.

Good luck, hope that helps somewhat :)