Step one?

Mcadamia · Jun 16, 2011

I will be a new grad nurse from the US in may 2012. I will have graduated with an associates degree (2 year). I am interested in moving to Australia to pursue a career in nursing. What are the steps to go about the employment process?
Thank you

Step one is to apply to AHPRA http://www.ahpra.gov.au/ and be prepared to wait. We have only just recently gone to a central Australia wide registration board and they are still shaking the bugs out.

You will probably need to do an examination IELTS and apply for a visa. However if you get registration you can apply for a position at a hospital and they will look after the visa application for you - or at least assist you with it. I know the hospital I currently work at will do that.

Oh! And NEVER EVER apply directly to any facility in Australia with the words "rural and remote" in the title - you have NO idea how remote some of our facilities are!!

Rachi321 · Jun 17, 2011

i am in the process of moving to australia.. and yes it is a long tedious process. I am in the middle of it.. I thought i had to take the ielts test.. but i called and all you have to do is send a letter from your high school and university stating that you were taught and assesed in english.. and you can hopefullly by pass it. Good luck with everything!

ICU_nurse · Jul 3, 2011

Hello lsid. Hope this can give you some direction!

1. Start the registration process (and start it early!). Give yourself a good 9-12 months (being generous) to get your registration sorted. As Mcadamia said, the national registration board is only new, and ever for our Australian registration there have been major headaches and delays. Be patient, and i know its obvious, but make sure you send everything that is asked for (saves you time and hassle)

Visit AHPRA and open the pdf on the Internationally Qualified Nurses and Midwives page. It details what you need to be able to prove in order to gain Registration as a Nurse/Midwife in Australia.

2. Research your responsibilities regarding Visas and immigration requirements.

Have a look at the website of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship

3. Figure out where you want to work. How much experience will you have before moving here? Considering you need to have completed your studies in the US to apply for registration here, I assume you'd plan on working your first year in the US while AHPRA take their sweet time to process your application. Gaining employment is hard with no experience, and new grad positions arent as freely available as you might think. Plus, you'd be competing with Australian new-graduates, and most applications for these positions start mid-year (open around June/July and close August/September).

If you know which state (at least) you would be looking at working in, visit their health department website. You will find links to their employment pages. Have a scroll through them to get an idea of what's on offer. Remember that essential criteria are just that- essential, and if you can't meet them you won't get a look in. Giving yourself time to read through lots of RN positions will help prepare you for writing your application (you will see some common criteria repeated in each job ad)

Links to some State Health departments:

Oh! And NEVER EVER apply directly to any facility in Australia with the words "rural and remote" in the title - you have NO idea how remote some of our facilities are!!

Very true! You can literally find yourself in the middle of nowhere. Do your research

i called and all you have to do is send a letter from your high school and university stating that you were taught and assesed in english.. and you can hopefullly by pass it

No, you need to satisfy the Board's English Speaking requirements regardless of where you were born, educated or worked. You sit the IELTS test and need to achieve a score of 7 in each section.

We have had articles in the media recently of "outraged" nurses who come from English-speaking countries who are required to take IELTS. I know, it sounds ridiculous. But they are covering themselves, everything needs to be proven these days!

See the link posted above to the "Internationally Qualified Nurses" section of AHPRA for further info (open the pdf, it's criterion 2)

hope that helps!

Rachi321 · Jul 5, 2011

Parko.. you should try and get your facts straight before you start advising people. Seeing as I am in the process of AHPRA registration and have been in direct contact with my registration officer who specifically stated she needed a letter from my secondary education stating I was taught and assessed in english.. and that was sufficient enough proof, She has told me and other AHPRA employees told me I do not need to take the English test... just FYI.

ceridwyn · Jul 5, 2011

IELTS requirement for applicants from English as first language Country changed in octber 2010.

Now all applicants are trying out this requirement. Mind you the UK wants IELTS from any applicant outside EU! That includes AuNZ and the US.

Did not realize all nurses in the EU spoke and wrote great English!

Rachi321 · Jul 5, 2011

to clarify.. i am from the US. Just wanted to set the record straight for any future applicants from the US :)

ICU_nurse · Jul 6, 2011

Parko.. you should try and get your facts straight before you start advising people. Seeing as I am in the process of AHPRA registration and have been in direct contact with my registration officer who specifically stated she needed a letter from my secondary education stating I was taught and assessed in english.. and that was sufficient enough proof, She has told me and other AHPRA employees told me I do not need to take the English test... just FYI.

Just forwarding on information as is current on the website. No need to be disrespectful.

Glad my help was appreciated

Rachi321 · Jul 6, 2011

i wasn't being disrespectful.. just didn't appreciate you completely disregarding my statement . i apologize if i offended you.

talaxandra · Jul 6, 2011

AHPRA are a nightmare - one of my friends is in the process of re-registering after letting her registration lapse; though it says this nowhere on the site, her witnessed documents were rejected because the person authorising that they were true copies was a pharmacist (who she'd never met before) and having another health professional as a witness is apparently a "conflict of interest"! She'll now be starting work after her job starts.

I tell you this because there's no such thing as being too careful when applying for registration - and I think that includes factoring in the possibility of IELTS. As parko reported, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (link) has a "Framework for the assessment of internationally qualified nurses and midwives for registration" (link).

Criterion two (p. 9) is unequivocal:

English language proficiency is a regulatory criterion for registration, and is essential for safe care and effective communication.
Criteria: The internationally qualified applicant must meet all the criteria of NMBA English language skills registration standard including :
i) the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examination (academic module) with a minimum score of seven in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking)
or
ii) completion and an overall pass in the Occupational English Test (OET) with grades A or B only in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking).
Assessment of criterion:
• The applicant must have obtained the results within two years prior to applying for registration
• The results must have been obtained in one sitting
• The applicant can undertake the test either onshore or offshore
• The applicant must make arrangements for test results to be provided directly to AHPRA by the testing authority

Regardless of what Rachi321's registration officer says, that's what the current requirement is, and it's unequivocal.

Rachi321 · Jul 6, 2011

ok this is what it says on the AHPRA website ... to further prove my point.

All applicants must be able to demonstrate English language skills at IELTS academic level 7 or the equivalent, and the Board may require this in a number of ways.

An internationally qualified applicant or an applicant who did not undertake and complete their secondary education to the requisite level required for entry into a nursing or midwifery program, taught and assessed in English must demonstrate that they have the necessary English language skills for registration purposes by achieving the required minimum score in each component of the IELTS academic module, OET or specified alternatives (see 'Definitions', below).Test results will generally need to be obtained within two years prior to applying for registration. The Board may grant an exemption in specified circumstances.

If You did NOT complete your secondary education in ENGlish.. then you have to IELTS test.. FROM AHPRA Wesbite itself... I am not crazy.. and it is not just my registration officer.

I completed my secondary education in English.. and proved that with a letter.. as did a few other US nurses I have talked to who are nurses in Australia.. on this thread! So i really hope this helps with all the confusion.. and everybody pretty much discounting what I'm saying.

Rachi321 · Aug 10, 2011

Just letting everyone know.. i have recieved my letter of eligibility.. and did not take the IELTS test.