Ches

Hi,

Have worked in both Oz (5yrs) & UK (7yrs) and Oz wins hands down.
Less patients. Better health system/had never had to thrombolise a pt in Oz as all went straight to primary angioplasty......god forbid they would be put in the back of an ambulance mid MI to be transfered somewhere with angio facilites like over here in the UK!. Nurses seem to be trained to a different standard and alot more is expected of the nurses (not in a scary way, just a way that makes everyone raise the bar and be competent). Drs give you way more respect, so does the general public.Things more relaxed and less hectic which gives you more time with the patients.
If you work in the country i am guessing it would be a little behind but i think that happens anywhere that is remote.
If your thinking of doing it, go for it. I don't think anyone would regret it, even if it wasn't for them forever.
j

asher

Hi Ches thanks for that

where do you work in Oz?

breezeboylan

Not in WA they dont. The EN's are in Blue while the RN's are in white. yes it's lovely to have nice veiws from work, not quite the same as the views in Manchester
Tracie

Canuck Fan

A very good, balanced posting. Excellent.

Ches

Hi Asher,

I work in the UK. Trying to get back to Oz desperately! When in Oz i worked in Sydney.
If your thinking of it, give it a go. If it doesn't work out jump back on the plane and re-join where you left off.
x

penky

hi shona louise,

which hospital do you work in? im in the process of applying for a spouse visa just now and we might be coming to the central coast, possibily wyong, i too am an accident and emergency nurse,
from your post it sounds like the patients stay in a/e for several days, is this right? and is it the norm??

shonalouise

Hi I am working at Wyong Hospital which a small hospital, the ED sees about 44,000 patients per year (274 bed hospital). I have based my post on the experience I have gained from my New Grad rotations and not just the ED, they often stay overnight and maybe for 24 hours if there are no beds but no longer. I didn't work in ED in UK but here it is split into 7 acute beds, 12 sub-acute beds, resus, 4 paeds beds and 4 house doctor cubicles. Acute is mainly the triage category 2 and patients who need closer monitoring and two nurses in there look after a 3 and 4 patient split. Sub-acute is triage 3,4&5 who are usually not too sick and you look after a room of four patients. This is usually incredibly busy and you can look after 12 or more patients per shift. The kids room takes a wide array of kids and we do not have Paeds ward they either transfer out or go home, very sick kids go into resus and are choppered out. House Doctor is just for people who should go to their local doctor but don't. Wyong Hospital is a trauma bypass which means that as we have no ICU we don't take severe injuries from accidents that can be likely saved, they usually go by helicopter to Gosford, we get the lost causes.

Everybody works 12 hour shifts, a mix of days and nights and 3 per week and a 4th every six weeks. This means you get loads of days off and the occassional run of 8 days off which is nice. I have to say that I love everything about the ED and Wyong is a lovely hospital to work at, I cannot sing its praises enough. I have been made to feel welcome from the outset and have never felt like an outsider. Some people have the opinion that some of the staff have big egos but I think that is the same in any ED.

If you would like any further information, please contact me I will be happy to help.

Margaret3

must be an english thing then, but from english nurses i had worked with in scotland, said we were much better staffed. In aus i have found it much shorter staffed and the drs expect us to be hand maidens, i, but it is probably, as with everything down to where, when and which hosp, state, etc, etc

penky

Hey shona louise, thank you so much,

it sounds like quite a good dept, quite similar to the a/e that im in just now, we too have no paeds so have to transfer them out if they are really sick or require admission, altho we are the trauma centre in the area and have an icu, so we do get quite sickies.
Im so glad you do 12 hour shifts , everyone else ive spoken to about nursing in oz has told me its only core shifts ie early, late, nights, that they do out there and i was dreading going back to that!!

Have only just started applying for visa so not sure when ill be out. Husband is aussie, and has family both in sydney and central coast, so havent fully decided where we ll go yet, one or the other or inbetween maybe!!

penky

ooh, also meant to ask,

what are the uniforms like??

on neighbours and home and away (yes i am that sad!) the nurses seem to wear some sort of white blouse and baggy shorts/cullotes type things - they dont look that great i have to say, but then again, maybe anythings better than my "rustling" and crinkly A&E shellsuit that somehow is boiling in summer and freezing in winter!!

shonalouise

i wear navy scrubs which are very comfortable. There is a corporate uniform which is various patterned blouses with navy skirt, trousers or shorts, not keen on them at all. You also have to pay for all your uniforms, I have just spent $250 on 3 sets of scrubs. Corporate blouses were over $100 each which I think is a real rip off.

wannabauzzienurse

Is it common in all hospitals to have pay for uniforms?

kitty4

I had to buy my corporate uniform (expensive, unattractive, impractical rip off!!), although I'm casual and the hospital policy says that when you leave, the uniforms are hospital property

tracey.d

Thats a bit rubbish

asher

only if they buy them back off you surely otherwise a total rip off