Things to Know for Registration

8/3/2019 Things to Know for Registration

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New grad Filipino nurse wanting to work in Australia/NewZealand Part 2

POST # 1 OVERVIEW OF NURSING REGISTRATION PROCESS

Submit all the documents required by AHPRA (Australia NursingBoard) to their office. They will evaluate your application, if okey,then will send you an Eligibility Letter. You will have to undergo a 2-3 months Bridging(Training) Program in schools that offer such

program (BP). That Eligibility Letter will be the proof you present toa school, that allows you to enrol in a BP.

You can choose any BP schools that you want to enrol. However,the application for enrolment is competitive as there are a limitedslots per batch of BP. Moreover, each BP schools have differentrequirements like some requires 2 years experience, some zeroexperience, some 6 mos. experience. Thus, it is possible that you

may not be accepted in one school but may be accepted in anotherschool.

After successfully completing the BP, the school will prepare andsubmit a report to AHPRA about your classroom and clinicalperformance. Presumably, you will pass the BP, then AHPRA afterreceiving the report will consequently process your registration.Hence, you will become a Australian RN.

POST # 2 AHPRA - Nursing & Midwifery Board of Australia(NMBA)

Some of the Basic Requirements for Nursing Registration

Before 01 July 2010, there were 8 nursing boards in Australia. On

01 July 2010, 7 of the 8 nursing boards had merged into one,AHPRA / NMBA. The 1 remaining nursing board is that of WesternAustralia, which will eventually merged with AHPRA sometime latethis year (hopefully so).

Please read the website www.ahpra.gov.au ..

You will find in the website, among others, the following:

- IELTS requirement- laws, rules and policies of nursing registration- addresses/contact numbers of various offices of AHPRA / NMBA- requirements for nursing registrations- documents to be prepared, notarized, and submitted- application forms, sample forms, sample CV..



As a RN applicant for registration in Australia, it is highlyrecommended for your own good (as it is your money that is atstake), to read the website of AHPRA.

Just to summarize, to apply/submit application to AHPRA you:must have taken the IELTS with score of 7 in each subject,must submit all the documents required by AHPRA as you mayfind/read in the website, and;can apply even if you have zero nursing experience (please read

next post for details on experience).

POST # 3 EXPERIENCE, VOLUNTEER NURSE, TRAINEE NURSE

1) Yes, AHPRA will accept (presumably will then approve) yourapplication even if you have zero experience.

2) But, as I mentioned in POST # 1, the BP schools have theirpolicies regarding experience. Thus, some BP schools will not acceptyou if you have zero experience.

3) During hunting/applying for job, it is the hospital/nursing home'sdecision whether to hire you or not regardless of your experience.So, you may find some difficulty finding work if you have zeroexperience, while others find it is easy to obtain job because theyhave extensive experience.

I hope this matter of experience are clear and settled as explained

above.

"Employment Experience" = means your RN experience as a paid

employee."Nursing Experience" = means your RN experience as a paidemployee and/or as a volunteer nurse, and/or trainee nurse.

When applying for job, many hospitals/nursing homes willrecognize your RN experience as a VOLUNTEER or TRAINEE nurse,in the sense that they will recognize that you have developed,enhanced and practiced your nursing skills through your clinical

exposure as a volunteer / trainee nurse. However, when it comes tosalary negotiation, that is totally a different matter. Chances are,they will not count your volunteer/trainee experience, obviously tosave on salary expenses.

When applying for BP in schools, some schools will count volunteer / trainee experience, while I suspect some do not consider it. Better



ask the BP schools and you may also ask other forum members whohad undergone BP.

POST # 4 CERTIFICATE OF EMPLOYMENT, VOLUNTEER,TRAINING

In your certificate/s, it is highly recommended that the

hospital/institution will write in your certificate the TOTAL NUMBEROF HOURS that you have worked in said institution. Also advisableis the phrase/clause that you have worked/served on a "FULL TIME

BASIS" or "FULL TIME EMPLOYEE/VOLUNTEER/TRAINEE" that is if indeed you worked/served full time. Because, there is a differencebetween a RN who worked 600 hours on a full time basis, and a RNwho worked 600 hours on a part-time basis.

For volunteer nurse, if you can, better have a certificate entitledSTATEMENT OF SERVICE, instead of a Certificate of VolunteerNurse. Just the same, indicate the number of hours and "full time" if you are really working full time..

If you can, also include in your certificate a clause/phrase whichwould served as your clearance ".....have no pending liabilities andis cleared from any obligations....etc...".

Depending on the institution you are working/serving, better also toinclude some sort of recommendation like "....Mr. Gwapo Gwapa is

fit and competent to practice as a registered nurse...".

Just remember that in Australia, when someone is called NURSE, it

is either he/she is an ENROLLED NURSE or a REGISTERED NURSE(unless you will really ask or clarify).. In other words, if you can,better indicate/emphasize in your certificate/s the words "registerednurse". Example, if possible I would rather have my certificate withwords "staff RN" or "staff nurse (RN)", instead of just "staff nurse".

Anyway, as i wrote above, "IF YOU CAN".. if you cannot, wellthere's no problem at all, it's okey..

POST # 5 BRIDGING PROGRAM (BP) SCHOOLS

Most of the BP schools are in Victoria: ETEA, VCHN, UB... Others arein Western Australia (WLI), South Australia (UniSA, Curtin).. I amnot sure if the College of Nursing in Sydney is still offering BP.. Asof now, there are no BP schools in Queensland.. Please check thewebsites of AHPRA and ANMC for the accredited BP



providers/schools.. You may also ask some of the forum membershere..

Usual tuition fee ranges from Aus $8,000 to Aus $10,000..Vaccinations are required, please check each school'srequirements.. There are scholarships or study-now-pay-laterscheme for permanent residents ONLY..

BP is a mixture of classroom lectures and hospital/clinical duties.

Written exam and return demo/practical exam.. So far, no FilipinoRN has admitted that he/she failed the BP.. I believe them, and soit means, yes you can also pass the BP, but you must exert effort

because it is definitely not a walk in the park..

POST # 6 VISA

DIAC is the Australian agency that is in-charge of VISA.. Theirwebsite is www.immi.gov.au .. Below are just an overview, betterconsult a professional on visa matters, or read/research about visaparticularly the DIAC's website..

For the 2-3 mos. BP, you can apply for the 456 VISA which ischeaper and faster to process (less than 1 week from date of application).. As a 456 visa holder, you are NOT allowed to workpart-time or full time.. When applying for this visa, better

request/apply for a "multiple entry", it is very advantageous if youare approved of such.

You may also apply for Student Visa, which is a bit expensive andlonger to process (1-3 mos.).. And YES, you are allowed to work

part-time (i'm not sure but i think you can work part-time for 20-24hours a week).. When applying for this visa, better request/applyfor "allowed to apply for extension"; otherwise you are not allowedto do so and MUST go back home and re-apply/process your visa inyour homeland..

REMEMBER.. Please check the EXPIRY of your VISA.. At any giventime, you are NOT allowed to stay/study/work/live in Australia if

your visa has expired..

After you finish/pass the BP, your license will be processed byAHPRA.. Once you are officially registered as RN, then you can nowstart hunting/applying for job.. (again you're visa must have not yetexpired).. If you're visa is expiring and you haven't found a job yet,you may apply for extension of your visa(it's DIAC's decisionwhether to grant you or not), or you may choose to go back your



homeland instead..

If you find an employer who is willing to "sponsor" you for aworking visa (457 visa), then you with your employer willapply/process this 457 visa which will allow you to work inAustralia.. Duration of your 457 visa will depend on the length of your job contract with your employer (maximum is 4 years)..

NOW WHILE PROCESSING this 457 visa and your existing visa is

expiring, then you can apply for a "bridging visa" which will allowyou to stay in Australia while waiting for the release/approval of your 457 visa that you have earlier applied for.. Once you receive

your 457 visa, then you can start working legally..

Again, there are specific rules and obligations that you should do ornot do as a visa holder, so better read the DIAC website, it isenumerated in there..

Hello guys...

Before anything else, I have a confession to make... I tried injectinga little bit of humor in this forum before to make it a bit lively in the person of "Lithotomy." Some people took offense of it though which

I and some other people felt was totally funny.

Anyway, I'm posting again to share some information about the

things that transpired during my bridging program here in La Trobe,Bendigo. First off, our class includes 10 Filipinos, 10 Indians, 2

Chinese, 1 Malaysian, 1 Kenyan, 1 Japanese, and 1 Aussie(returning to practice). I finished the course in 10 weeks, which waschronologically comprised of 2 weeks theory class in the Uni, 1

week non-acute clinical placement in aged care, 2 weeks theory class in the Uni, and 5 weeks acute clinical placement. In the Uni,you will have 2 return demonstration exams and 1 written exam,

which I found to be fairly easy. No need to panic as everything will be taught prior to the exams.

Clinical practice wise, it would definitely be advantageous for you if you have experience working in the hospital setting. Then again, if

you don't have experience, as long as you pick up things quick and you do ask questions rather than pretend to know what you'redoing, then you'll be fine. Just an overview of what to expect...1. Plenty of attending to activities of daily living i.e., showering,

cleaning of faeces, feeding, etc 2. Vital signs monitoring3. Administration of medications (oral, subcut, IM, IV infusions, IV push)



4. Clinical procedures (IV bung removal, IDC insertion/removal,epidural catheter removal, ECG, bladder scans, venipuncture,setting up I.V. lines/infusion pumps, wound dressings, etc.)5. Documentations (transfer, discharge, admission, progress notes,clinical nursing pathways, etc.)6. Hand overs to next shift of nurses (via recorder/dictaphone or

live)7. Use of lifting machines as it's not allowed to manually lift patientshere

What I can say is that... Even without experience, you will still befine to get through the course especially if you're enthusiastic and

keen to learn. That said however, it might prove to be hard for jobto come by if you don't have at least 2 years experience in an acutefacility. Take note that there are also plenty of local nursegraduates who did graduate nurse programs that does not requiresponsorship for working Visa applying for jobs. So definitely, your

experience is a plus-plus factor.

Right now, I'm waiting for my registration with AHPRA and I havethe vaguest idea how long it will take. I am starting to apply for jobs online, which is a bit difficult. Most institutions would requirethat I already have my registration while some require a more

specific qualification/experience. And there are some that requireexperience carried out in a country with similar nursing regulationsto Australia, like USA, Canada, UK, Ireland and New Zealand and

some simply don¶t do sponsorships. I am not saying this to instill fear in anyone who would be coming here but I am just laying down

facts. Nonetheless, I am pretty sure that you can still find a job aslong as you try hard enough.

The thing to consider is time. When will you be coming over tofinish your bridging course? I'm sure everyone knows that nursingisn't as lucrative as a profession nowadays as compared to before.

We all have to contend with various things aside from the amount of expenses we have to shell out. So we are really running against time.

Anyway, if I am not mistaken, there will be around 18 or maybe

more Filipinos coming over for the next January intake of La Trobe.I can vouch for La Trobe University for those of you who have yet todecide where they will do their bridging course.

This may just be a personal thing, but the thing I found to be most difficult here is the emotional distress of being far away from home,far from your family and friends... Physical and mental exhaustionfrom the clinical placements is nothing after a night's rest, but the



depression is just really something so overwhelmingly difficult for me to overcome.

Well, that's just about it. See you guys soon and wish me luck.Hopefully I will be able to get over this state of uncertainty. Soon.

Things to Know for Registration

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