US to AUS questions

suzanne4, RN · Jul 10, 2008

The two year degree is not normally accepted there as there training is a full three years. The two year degree in the US has a year of pre-reqs but those are not done in a school of nursing. So they are not the same.

And the three year BN from there is not the same as the BSN in the US, as it is only three years.

And there is no way that you will be able to move there in January, right after graduation, if you plan to get a visa to be able to work there as a nurse. They require that you have a local license first of all, and that means taking and passing the NCLEX-RN and then you need to apply for a license there and have your credentials evaluatated. But as has been mentioned many times here, the two year degree from the US is not going to meet their requirements for licensure there to start off.

You are looking at probably a year to get things done, same as if they were going to come here. It is never the next month for any country.

And you cannot work with the tourist visa there as well, there is processing for visas added on to the time for the license.

Please take the time to do some reading on this forum, what you are asking for to be able to do, is just not feasible.

luv_n_heart · Jul 10, 2008

I found this on the nurses and midwives board website:

Are you sure they never accept two year degrees?

What are the chances of getting a visa as a pca while I wait to be able to apply?

Applicant J

Applicant J applied for registration in New South Wales on the basis of an Associate Degree obtained in Nursing in the United States of America. In the United States, associate degrees are usually competed over two years of full-time study in higher education. The academic year usually consists of three semesters each of twelve or more weeks of instruction. While the breadth and depth of studies is not at the level of bachelor degrees, it is considered to be close to the requirements for nursing courses in Australia.

The United States of America has high standards of health care delivery, education and professional regulation. Further, all American students must pass the national examination in order to be eligible for registration in that country. The national examination is conducted with such rigour that the Nurses and Midwives Board considers that Applicant J who is educated in the United States, has passed the rigorous national registration examination and was registered on this basis in the United States, would be able to demonstrate safe practice in Australia. Applicant J is eligible for registration in New South Wales.

PhilGN · Jul 10, 2008

Just another US to AUS question, can you only make the move as an RN, or can NPs and other types of nurses apply for registration as well?

suzanne4, RN · Jul 11, 2008

You would have to qualify for basic registration as an RN, then for the specialty. Same as a nurse from another country would need to do to work in the US.

suzanne4, RN · Jul 11, 2008

I found this on the nurses and midwives board website:
Are you sure they never accept two year degrees?
What are the chances of getting a visa as a pca while I wait to be able to apply?
Applicant J
Applicant J applied for registration in New South Wales on the basis of an Associate Degree obtained in Nursing in the United States of America. In the United States, associate degrees are usually competed over two years of full-time study in higher education. The academic year usually consists of three semesters each of twelve or more weeks of instruction. While the breadth and depth of studies is not at the level of bachelor degrees, it is considered to be close to the requirements for nursing courses in Australia.
The United States of America has high standards of health care delivery, education and professional regulation. Further, all American students must pass the national examination in order to be eligible for registration in that country. The national examination is conducted with such rigour that the Nurses and Midwives Board considers that Applicant J who is educated in the United States, has passed the rigorous national registration examination and was registered on this basis in the United States, would be able to demonstrate safe practice in Australia. Applicant J is eligible for registration in New South Wales.

Each state has their own requirements and you are reading only about one of the states. And they still need to evaluate your credentials, not even all programs in the US are accepted in all fifty states in the US with both the ADN and the BSN degrees. Each state in the US also has their own requirements.

You also need to pass the NCLEX-RN as well as have work experience, they normally do not take new grads from the US; those jobs go first to those that have trained there as well. Much has already been written on this, just look for those threads.

I am just being realistic with what is actually happening there right now.

NurseJewels · Jul 12, 2008

Hello ALL!!
I'm an LPN going to school for my RN, I graduate in Dec and would like to move to Aus. in Jan, possibly VIC. I have about a million questions.
I have heard some complaints that as an Associate Degree RN I might not be able to work as an RN there, although have heard that Aus. considers our Ass. Degree RN's equivilant to your 3 year. (i will graduate with 80 credits, I belive your 3 year RN's are 70 or so credits?)
Would I be able to work as an EN if I cant apply for the RN application until I get there? What are their responsibilites, pay and where do they usually work? How is the application process different than RN?
I haven't been able to see anywhere how much the average new grad RN makes, I would start out at about 60,000 (USD) base pay here plus shift differentials.
All these Div. stuff I dont understand at all. As a new grad what will I be able to work? I work on a surgical floor here.

As Suzanne already stated, its a much longer process than a month to move over. Just to give you an idea, I started the process in October 2007 and am just now moving to Aus in a few weeks, July 2008. In addition, I was fortunate enough to interview in person in Australia for my job, which I know not all have the ability to do, and it definitely sped up the process for the visa. Just thought I would let you know about the approximate timeline from someone whose recently gone through the process.

PhilGN · Jul 13, 2008

Nursejewels, despite taking that long, was the process itself very easy? And did you look for a job first, or start the visa process?

NurseJewels · Jul 13, 2008

The process was fairly easy, though I've heard people waiting much longer on their state registration based on the time of year and if they had all their documents in order, etc. If you are going to go to Australia on their temporary work visa (the 457) you must have a job first and the employer to sponsor you for the visa application. Hope that helps. :)

suzanne4, RN · Jul 14, 2008

Immigration is the easier part, much longer for the registration in most cases and that is needed first, a license.