US-trained nurse looking to migrate to Australia or New Zealand

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Hi,

I am looking to migrate to Australia and/or New Zealand. The Australian cities I had in mind are Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. The New Zealand cities I had in mind are Wellington and Auckland.

I graduated this month with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from a US university. I also have a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from another US university. I have several years of experience as a marketing analyst and as a nursing assistant. I also have 2 years experience as a nursing tutor/ educator assistant. I am scheduled to sit for the NCLEX-RN examination next month. I am enrolled in a Masters of Science Nursing program right now.

- What are some options for me in terms of visa?

- How do I go about applying for these options?

- Do I need to get registered with AHPRA there or will my registration in the US be sufficient?

- Are there any nursing hiring agencies you recommend I contact?

- Should I apply for the masters degree programs there? Which universities have the best nursing programs there?

I am very confused. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you very much.

I agree with aklgap. If you are an American nurse with a Bachelor of Science, you will be overqualied here. You will be unhappy as EVERYTHING needs to be double signed much like LPNs in the states. There is NO autonomy and the doctors have the GOD complex....very archaic. The pay is low and there are very few 12 hour shifts. NZ healthcare is like the USA in the 1920's. I have citizenship here but I won't work as a nurse. I feel that the education system here is pretty bad and essentially nurses do what nurse's aides do in America.

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Hi Julianne,

I recently finished my undergraduate degree in psychology at University of Colorado at Boulder and am now looking into applying to either nursing school or a PA program.

I also lived in Australia for almost 2 years and am trying to find a way to go back and work there in the medical field. After reading your post I would love to chat with you and discuss how you got to where you are and ask you a few questions. This site will unfortunately not let me private message you , but is it possible for you to start a private thread with me?

Thanks so much in advance,

Isabelle

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