UK nurse looking at Graduate Nurse Program

bulletproofbarb · Sep 4, 2011

chances are exremely low since there are not enough places for australian graduate nurses.

ceridwyn · Sep 4, 2011

The graduate nurse programs are usually for local graduate nurses, as the government funds hospitals to have them...they have study days etc. I have known one hospital in Melbourne that has intakes for international students, but these are for international students that attended an Australian university.

Large aged care facilities, talk about having graduate programs and these often have in the past taken many international new graduates, from India the Phillipines etc. but I have been told this is stopping due to economic reasons, they now have enough staff due to the international recruitment and the locals new grads now are considering aged care (pays less) just to get a job and the government has cut back on sponsorship to these organisations as local graduates are available.

The graduate programs also mostly start in January/ February as thats when a new schools/universities begin in the new year.

Gone are the days where if you had an RN certificate you had a job, you now need to offer something to the employer, as experience, or experience in a specialty that the employer needs.

K+MgSO4, BSN · Sep 7, 2011

GN programs are not essential and are geared as a support year for nursing students in Oz that have not had as much clinical placements as UK & Irish students do. they get like 2 weeks in 1st year 10 in 2nd year & 16 in 3rd year. they also attend multiple hospitals so they don't get to learn protocols and how to use they systems. You could apply for a job in a hospital without the grad year but I would advise you to try & get some experience at home first.

Best of luck.

imaginations · Sep 9, 2011

^ What lucky universities get ten weeks of prac in second year and 16 in third? I'd be spewing for that - and I'm supposed to be at one of the good ones!

To the OP - grad nurse programs generally don't offer via sponsorship for international applicants, which might be your biggest stumbling point. There are a huge number of Australian graduate nurses (which grows every year) and the number of graduate nurse jobs isn't growing at the same rate, so there is a LOT of competition for them. Major hospitals in Victoria this year were inundated with applicants. I believe the Alfred had over 700 and Victorian students definitely got preference, even over Australian local students from interstate.

There is certainly no harm in applying (if you can meet their appropriate residency criteria, which differs between some hospitals - you would be best looking up those that you're interested in) but perhaps don't hold all your hopes on it. Another suggestion would be to apply to hospitals that are not the "most popular" as they will get less applicants.

Given the amount of practical experience I understand that you get in the UK you could also enquire about direct job applications, too. There's no harm in asking!