I wan tee go oz

Hi, not sure of the difference. But just curious as to who told you, as I haven't heard much from ASNSW for some time. Hoping that will soon change though

displacedsurfer21

Qualified paramedic is the P1 level paramedic. They can cannulate and give some medications. IC Paramedics are the highest level. Anyone have any news on the labour agreement? Haven't heard anything from ASNSW since Nov 09!

fairdinkum

I emailed NSW there is still no date for the labour agreement,also when it does come in they will only be setting on at qualified paramedic level and not ICP.Sorry to be a bearer of bad news guys

I wan tee go oz

That doesn't sound good. Have you been out and done testing, med, interview etc?

fairdinkum

yes went out in October 2008,but didn't manage to obtain visa before last labour agreement ended,gutted!!!

I wan tee go oz

Gutted as well. I take it you were told you'd been assessed/RPL'd as an ICP when you went out there?

Did they give any reason for the change in skill level? Or offer anything in the way of the chance of progression to ICP from P1?

fairdinkum

yeah even received the rpl certificate at ICP.no explanation as to why the change,though they acknowledge we have the skills for ICP.we will have the opportunity to progress same as everyone else as and when courses are advertised and provided we pass the neccesary to get on the course.

displacedsurfer21

Wow! This is all big news! I have the RPL certificate at the ICP level as well. When I spoke to ASNSW, which was several months ago, they stated the new labour agreement would be almost identical to the old labour agreement. I guess some things have changed. I hope ASNSW will be sending out a letter soon detailing all the changes.

its_a_big_jump

Hi everyone, hows it going? Looks like we're all frustrated waiting for this LA! The latest from ANSW received yesterday (3/5/10) is exactly the same as we already know. They say they were expecting the LA to be in place by early 2010 and this has not occurred and at present they are still unsure as to when it may occur. They go on to say that, until it does occur, they are unable to offer sponsorship to any applicants. So basically, we're all stuck in the same boat as we have been for sometime now! I think the department of immigration need to get their acts together!
P.s - I have not heard anything regarding changes to the RPL for ICP or P1. Is anyone here working towards (or already has) the post qualification of DipEd Paramedic science or BScHons Paramedic Science?

teepee

hi everyone. i think the reason you will be coming as P1 is to give the organisation more flexibility to move you to non ICP stations. at present they keep ICP staff at ICP stations which are mostly in the main metropolitan areas but they need staff in rural areas as well. if they need to send you to the country it causes problems with skill levels and pay issues. to be honest it depends on what you are coming over for. if you are coming for lifestyle it wont make too much difference what level you are. if you are still super keen then you may have an issue. main differences are P1 dont intubate, dont have full range of drugs, are on a couple of dollars less but other than that its the same job. from what i hear country staff earn more than city staff anyway because of call out penalties (allowances) but i believe the service are negotiating new penalties that will reduce call out money. if i was coming over in the near future as most of you probably will, i would make sure you get some indication of a permanent station/post before you get here to enable you to research and settle in one area. if you dont get a permanent post you may find you get moved around a bit.

good luck, and hang in there.

I wan tee go oz

Hi Teepee,
Thanks for that. Sounds a logical explanation.

I wan tee go oz

Still no LA in place. Had recent e-mail from ASNSW. Also it does appear to be the case that sponsorship is now for Qualified Paramedic for International applicants.
Suppose the good point from this (If applicable to anyone) is that one is not restricted solely to Sydney on taking employment

teepee

tis a big and beautiful state. lots to see and life doesn't revolve around sydney.

Priority Paul

Hello to one and all,

Although this is my very first post i have been following the thread since the start and want to thank everyone who's posted over the years for the invaluable if not essential advice, guidance and inspiration.

Myself and my partner (who is an Ausi) are both paramedics in London and have been planning to jump ship for some time. Sadly when the time came to submit our applications the labour agreement was lost which through a giant spanner in the works. Up until now the news on the rumour mill hasn't been encouraging with some saying that the labour agreement has been lost for good etc etc.

This obviously has put pay to the hopes and dreams of many a weather weary paramedic looking to better their quality of life and try something new.

As for many others out there this has been a real pain for me, as being a Brit without sponsorship makes it much harder. Yes there's potential to try for a partner visa but where this would leave me work wise i wouldn't be sure.

However for my partner, the lost LA means nothing as being a Ausi national she can apply like any inter-state paramedic.

She happened to be speaking to a recruitment adviser from NSWAS this morning to query her own application and they got talking about the LA. This recruitment adviser seemed to think with a fair degree of certainty the LA would be re-instated within 3 to 6 months.

I know that we may of heard this before but its the most positive information i've heard regarding the LA for some months and thought you may all like to know.

Fingers crossed anyway!

Looking at the bigger picture, the immigration minister has temporarily suspended all skilled migration until the end of june when the situation will be reviewed (which isn't long). This may have some bearing on our own situation.


On another topic altogether, i understand that one of the entry criteria for NSWAS is three years as a paramedic. As you are probably aware, the standard progression in the UK would be firstly some time as a technician then move up to a paramedic. I was wondering if anyone knew if those years as a tech would count towards this three years as a paramedic in Aus? I know there are subtle differences between a tech and a paramedic in the UK but its essentially the same job. I also believe that what they class a a tech in the UK would be classed as a paramedic in Aus. Not to sure how they view the tech status?

If anyone could shed some light on the situation i'd be much obliged.

Paul

teepee

i believe the labour agreement will resolve eventually however the main problem is that the health department is involved and they take forever just to think what day it is. there is a lot of political stuff going on here at the mo and i think it all gets jumbled up a bit. hang in there.

not sure about the tech bit. i think they want 3 years post paramedic qualification.

paul, i f you were to come on a spouse visa you could most likely apply from the street. you would still get rpl for what you have done in the uk. not sure if you could do so on a temporary visa.

big changes with skilled visas. the govt have realised that there are only so many people here and we dont need a hairdresser for each individual. they are taking a look at the skills they need here now. not historically.

any consolation guys n gals but its bloody freezing here now. rain forecast all weekend. grey skies. no central heating or double glazing and roof insulation has apparently been installed by kids.

bye for now. x