Working in ICU in QLD.

[Vlad I.]

Hi there,

I am an RN currently working in ICU in Canada. Planning to relocate to Brisbane by the end of the year.

At this point I am already registered with QNC and exploring job opportunities. The idea is to continue working in Critical Care.

Now, most of the jobs posted on Queensland Health website for Crit. Care offering Clinical Nurse Nurse Grade 6 (NO2) positions. I am not sure if every nurse working in ICU is a Grade 6 RN or there are simply no Grade 5 positions available at this time. Any chance you can clarify this?

Assuming there are some Grade 5 positions, how likely that I could be accepted into one of the Grade 6 positions being fresh off the boat RN, but with several years of ICU experience and nearly 10 years in nursing?

What kind of rotation do ICU nurses work in Brisbane hospitals? 12 hour shifts? 2 days-2 nights-5 off?

Thanks for the input. Greatly appreciated.

[iowarn13]

Vlad, I'm looking to head to Oz also with the family . What is your draw to Brisbane? Any web sites that you've come across that may help deciding what city to head to? I'm trying to find ED positions in QLD but was advised by agency to go to Perth. Are you using an agency or going on your own?

Steve

[Vlad I.]

I am doing all paperwork myself. No agents. The process is fairly straightforward and should you able to collect all the papers form work and educational institutions (which agent cannot help you with anyway), it all comes down to filling the webform and emailing the scans.

Brisbane IMHO is a way to go. Sydney too big and expansive for a private house family lifestyle, Melbourne to windy and cold, Darvin is a bit of a sh$%thole, and Perth, while generally seems to be a very nice place to live, is somewhat too faraway from the rest of Australia. So Brisbane, with its easy access to Gold Coast and warm ocean is my place of choice.

Sure, there are some other smaller communities like Adelaide and Canberra, but they are too small and hot in the summer.

Check out http://www.britishexpats.com Lots of sharing and info on Au.

What part of the world you are coming from?

[iowarn13]

Right now I'm in 19F and hating the midwest (USA-Iowa). How about you?

How are the hours and jobs in Canada? Our hours are getting cut more and more each week so I'm wondering how Oz is doing with their jobs.

I'm thinking about using Healthstaff Recruitment. A friend of mine used them and said they really helped her with getting a sponsor in NSW.

Thanks for the web address

[Vlad I.]

Generally, there seems to be work shortage around here. Any RN wishing to work will be employed. As of my unit, we tend to be permanently understaffed even though all the lines are filled (first time in many years). We work 12 hour shifts - 2 days, 2 nights, 5 off. Great schedule as far as I am concerned.

Once I am ready to move down under I think I will get in touch with the large hospitals that have ICUs. I hope I wouldn't need to go through the recruiting agencies.

[Vlad I.]

I have generated a bunch of ICU related questions hoping that some of them could be answered by readers here.

What is the ratio between grade 5 and 6 nurses in ICU?

Would it mean that grade 6 nurses be the ones with most seniority in ICU who do charge duty and certified for everything (PA cath, CRRT, etc) or there is another special consideration for Grade 6 promotion?

Do RNs start art lines? Periferal IVs? PICCs?

Do RNs fully manage ventilators? Meaning that you would get an order to wean off ventilation/extubate and based on that you would carry on.

What is the patient ratio in ICU?

Do you have all multitraumas/head injuries concentrated in one centre or they are spread across several facilities?

Is a current ACLS part of the requirement? Do you think the Canadian Nursing Association Critical Care Certification would be recognized and valued?

Who runs codes in the hospital? ICU/CCU nurses or there is a dedicated code team?

What brand IV pumps do you use (Baxter,ect)?

Do they let RNs wedge Swans?

How many ICUs are in Brisbane hospitals? Do they need nurses?

How is cafeteria and staff parking in the hospital where you work?

Sorry for all this questions, but getting a reliable specific information from across the half of the Earth is somewhat a challenge.

Kind Regards,

[ceridwyn]

Do not work in ICU but know it is 1:1. everywhere in Australia in Icu s, well it is in wet and windy old Melbourne. Hope Brisbane is everything you hope for...

[Vlad I.]

Correction.

In my posting above I actually meant to write that "there seems to be NO work shortage".

[ghillbert, MSN, NP]

Many of the answers to your questions are unit/hospital-specific. I worked in Sydney and Melbourne, not Brisbane but here is my info.

Do RNs start art lines? Periferal IVs? PICCs?

Unit specific. At my old unit, we did arterial sticks but not art lines, definitely did PIVs, IV team or docs did PICCs.

Do RNs fully manage ventilators? Meaning that you would get an order to wean off ventilation/extubate and based on that you would carry on.

In my ICU, yes. We would get O2/CO2 parameters and adjust ventilator settings to maintain. We certainly did the weaning and extubating.

What is the patient ratio in ICU?

1:1 for ICU pts, or 1:2 for stepdown patients.

Do you have all multitraumas/head injuries concentrated in one centre or they are spread across several facilities?

There are different level facilities, usually traumas are concentrated at 1-2 centers in a city.

Is a current ACLS part of the requirement? Do you think the Canadian Nursing Association Critical Care Certification would be recognized and valued?

ACLS is an annual requirement in my old unit. No idea about the Canadian certification.

Who runs codes in the hospital? ICU/CCU nurses or there is a dedicated code team?

The code team included ICU nurses. Again, hospital specific.

What brand IV pumps do you use (Baxter,ect)?

Depends where you work. We used Baxter, Alaris.

Do they let RNs wedge Swans?

At my unit, yes. At others I worked at, no.