US citizen, trained in Australia wants to come back to work in US

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Hi there!

I need any help/info I can get. I am a US citizen that came to Australia to go to nursing school. I am currently in a new graduate nurse program here in Sydney. It is now nearing the end of my first year as an RN and I decided I want to go back to the US. My question is does anyone know what States accept an Aussie nursing degree? I know Cali wants further maternity/peds training, but I am not looking to go back to Cali. I am hoping to find a State that will accept my degree and then I will be free to take the NCLEX. Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks :)

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

All states require clinical and theory in adult, geriatric, mental health, pediatrics, and OB/woman's health, not just California. , in order to be eligible for a nursing license by examination or endorsement

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Hi justbeachynurse,

Thank you for your reply. I have clinical and theory in all those areas, but California does not think I had enough hours in maternity. My degree was acceptable to California a year ago but unfortunately the year I graduated is the year its no longer acceptable. I've heard California and New York were the strictest states to get into and that other states would accept my degree. So I am keen to find out if any Australian trained nurses have applied to any other states besides Cali or NY, and if so were their degrees accepted.

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Re: Australian nurses requiring Maternity Clinical Hours

(Hi, you could try Massachusetts. MA accepted my Australian degree. I did have some maternity clinical hours when obtaining my USA LPN/Enrolled nursing course (not for my RN though). If you want to work in most of the states though, you will need those maternity clinical hours (as required by the Compact States). Please refer to my further post.)

I’ve recently had to go through the process of applying for the USA NCLEX testing and licensure as an Australian nursing degree new graduate. As previously stated in prior posts, in most states it will require a CGFNS verification of your nursing degree to assess compatibility to USA state requirements.

Massachusetts, not being a Compact State regarding nursing licensure, accepted my degree so I was able to sit for the NCLEX test and become licensed there. Many of the nurses wanting to work in the USA usually will work in Massachusetts, California, and New York (all non-Compact States). Refer to link re Compact States. https://www.ncsbn.org/nlc.htm However, working in Compact States can be difficult as there are different requirements.

As with most nurses trained in Australia (and I believe England and NZ), the maternity clinical hours (required by Compact States) were an issue. Finding a nursing program to allow me to take just this specific course was not easy. Some colleges/nursing schools would not allow my taking just one course from within their program; however, my former nursing school (St. Joseph’s where I had obtained my LPN/Enrolled Nurse diploma) and a local university, Rivier, were receptive to my request. I am thankful to these two wonderful facilities for offering me the opportunity to take the maternity course. I ended up taking the course (theory/and approx. 80 clinical hours) at Rivier University, Nashua NH, which is just on the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Everyone within the nursing program was extremely receptive to my request and very helpful. In addition, since time had elapsed while waiting for the CGFNS process, studying for the NCLEX, etc., I felt very rusty with my hands-on clinical practice. The university opened its doors and allowed me to spend time in their lab brushing up on basic skills (Foleys, NG tubes, etc.). It was a wonderful experience, and I really did enjoy the maternity course.

I’m now Compact State licensed, and am working in a hospital-based nursing position. For those nurses working in MA and wanting to work in other states of the USA, please do not hesitate in contacting Rivier University if you require some additional courses/clinical hours. https://www.rivier.edu/ J

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Please be aware the compact license is only helpful if already in the US and main address is in one of the compact states. Otherwise all you do is meet requirements for the state you live and work (or plan) in

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Hello everyone :)

I know this post was from a few years back, but I was curious as to how you went with your move to the USA Leighsa7?

I am a dual citizen of USA and Australia and want to move back to USA as well (preferably California). I'm in my final year of my BON degree at QUT in Brisbane. I first did my EEN Diploma at TAFE (like the LVN/LPN in USA) then finishing my degree at QUT so I'll be an RN. I have been on the phone a bit with the CA Board of Reg Nursing and it sounds like it might be a 7 month wait to even get registered! Any tips on registering in the USA (any states) would be so helpful!

Thanks!

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Hi, I am a US citizen currently studying Master of Nursing Practice at Monash Uni. I am finishing on early 2017.

I would like to move back to California after completion of my course. Any advice?

What is the process like for registering as RN in California.

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It's been awhile since I've been on here :)Well I just now moved back to the US. I ended up staying in Australia working in a busy ER to gain experience before I came back. So now I'm going to take a paeds/maternity class (theory and clinical) in August and then take the NCLEX afterwards. 4 girls (all Americans) I went to nursing school went through this process prior to me so finding a program was no issue. Hope this helps :)

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Hi Leighsa,

I'm currently a 2nd year student at Western Sydney Uni and am thinking of going back to California after graduation. Can you please tell me how/where you're taking the paeds/maternity class? I've heard that many schools won't allow you to take just the one class in order to qualify for the NCLEX.

-Alex :)

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I am considering getting my Nursing degree in Australia. I was curious why you all decided to move back to the USA? I currently have a BS in Engineering, changing fields into Nursing. I am almost done with prerequisites for American accelerated programs but my eventual goal is to end up in Australia.

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Hi there!

I need any help/info I can get. I am a US citizen that came to Australia to go to nursing school. I am currently in a new graduate nurse program here in Sydney. It is now nearing the end of my first year as an RN and I decided I want to go back to the US. My question is does anyone know what States accept an Aussie nursing degree? I know Cali wants further maternity/peds training, but I am not looking to go back to Cali. I am hoping to find a State that will accept my degree and then I will be free to take the NCLEX. Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks :)

What did you end up doing? I would like to return to the US after I finish my Australian nursing degree

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It's been awhile since I've been on here :)Well I just now moved back to the US. I ended up staying in Australia working in a busy ER to gain experience before I came back. So now I'm going to take a paeds/maternity class (theory and clinical) in August and then take the NCLEX afterwards. 4 girls (all Americans) I went to nursing school went through this process prior to me so finding a program was no issue. Hope this helps :)

What are some programs that allow this? Thanks

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