us educated nurse need help regarding visa, agencies, documentation

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Hello guys.

I am really excited to think about being a nurse in Australia. It seems they have great weather and less stressful working environment. I was thinking to go to Canada but staffing agency told me that only Winnigpeg and Regina area readily hiring internationally educated nurses. I don't think I can handle extreme cold weather there. So I changed my mind to Australia : ) I read many threads here and it looks very much helpful. I was educated in the U.S and had 1.5 year accelerated program for master degree. The program was only for non-nursing bachelor degree and I was trained as a general nurse like bachelor degree students even though I took some leadership and theory classes etc... I completed 92 credits which is 920 hours and 1080 clinical hours.

1. Am I still qualified to apply?

2. I already have my school transcript to send AHPRA but it said only overall class hours (920 hrs) and clinical hours (1080 hrs). Should I ask them to specify each class hour and clinical hour every quarter?

3. I am 33 years old so I can't apply for working holiday visa. Should I look for hospitals where sponsor my visa? I was planning to work for the agencies for couple months like other ppl here but I don't know what to do in my case.

4. Do you pay for the recruitment service to agency? I don't know how it works.

5. When you work for the agencies, it looks like they send you here and there any hospitals. Then you don't get any training? not even a week or day?

6. After I graduated, I worked for nursing home almost 2 years. Like other ppl here, I don't have great experience :( I really want to have hospital experience in Australia. Do you think public hospitals hire international nurse who only have nursing home experience?

7. How is job market in Sidney and Melbourne around September?

Wow I have so many questions. Thanks for your time and look forward to hearing from you guys. : )

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Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

Great weather huh? Floods fires tsunamis?

Please take a look around the Aussie fourm and see how I and others have responded to people with your dream. The Australian nursing shortage is pretty much over esp in Victoria (melbourne). We are in the midst of huge financial cutbacks.

Please investigate properly into this. Contact hospitals and ask them. Put your application into AHPRA and see how it goes. But please do not believe that Australia is the land of plentiful nursing jobs in the big cities.

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I agree with previous poster regarding the not so fun weather in Australia right now. Also regarding the job crisis in parts of the country.

I will answer some of the questions:

In my experience, agencies do not provide any training/orientation. It is expected that when you turn up to a shift at a facility that you enquire and comply with their policies and procedures. Pretty much when your not sure of how to do something, you just ask. The way it works here is you call/email your availabilities then on that day, the agency will call you and send to to which ever hospital/facility needs someone for that shift. You can tell the agency in advance which hospitals/wards you do not wish to be sent to and this can go on your file so they always know.

I would forget melbourne and anywhere In Victoria for work, they are in a terrible crisis right now. Sydney is also very expensive place to live. We do have plenty of other capital cities if you want to research a bit more on them.

Are you willing to work in a nursing home? This might be the easiest way to get work in Aus as nursing homes are always looking for nurses.

As far as AHPRA goes I say just submit everything now and see what happens as AHPRA generally will take months and months to process your application.

All the best

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Thanks guys for the comments. Job market quiet depressing in the Victoria....aaaargh. How about Brisbane?

I have been working at the nursing home for 2 years and I am tired of it. : ( I really want to have some hospital experience.

I should start from med/surge unit, right? I don't know if the agency willing to send me the hospital.

Should I reconsider to go Canada? Winnigpeg and Regina???? Then I have to take IELTS and Canadian nursing exam again... :(

Process will take forever and ever.....and extremely cold weather scares me. Please advise me.

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