DJ44

Hi everyone

I'm in the research stage of deciding whether to go to OZ, I am a nurse with 9 years experience, 6 yrs in trauma and elective orthopaedics and 3 years in renal, dialysis/transplant, I really would appreciate information and experiences of other nurses that have moved to OZ, I am finding it difficult to get information from other sources although what i have found suggests as a new recruit you would get all the bad shifts i.e weekends and holidays.

there are lots of questions I have but I won't waffle on, I would really appreciate ANY contributions to this thread which may help me make up my mind

thanks in advance

mo33

Hi, there's a specific forum for nurses! Loads of info on there, i spent months & months on it. Click on forum index and scroll down to nursing. You'll be hooked so beware!!
Mo x

mo33

http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=72

chin-chin

sent you a PM

DJ44

Hi thanks for the link i will check it out asap X

DJ44

Oh no it won't let me read a PM as I am new to the site ;0( x

jimmip

Hi, my g/f is busy with the process at the mo.She's going through an agency which means she pays no fees and they find a job for you.Shes about as experienced as you and she has received a great response thus far. The nurse link on this site is invaluable as well-so check it out !

Kapri

Just post a couple more times

I'm moving this to the nurses forum btw

cheshiremark

Hi DJ44,
Welcome to the nurses forum of BE. Where in oz are you thinking of going to?

Can a just ask, I see that your screen name is DJ44 - is the 44 your age? Hope you don't think I'm just being cheeky here but its an important point, if you are 44 you only have until the day before your next birthday to get your PR visa application in - 45 is too old for a skilled migration permanent visa in Australia. I'm 43 so trying to get everything sorted before its too late.

Mark

Mrs JFW

Hi DJ

I am a "new" recruit to the Mater Hospital in Brisbane and I have only been there for 2 months but on the unit I work on everyone wants to works nights and weekends, so although at the moment I still have to do my share of nights, there is no pressure for me to work weekends if I don't want to, also they have given me the whole of xmas off and just an early on new years day It just depends where you end up I suppose.

You sound as though you have alot of valuable skills and experience that would be welcomed out here. If you are eligible I would seriously consider coming out on a permanent residency visa as apposed to a temporary visa, so maybe search some of the previous threads about visa options and the pros and cons of each.

Good luck!

Jackie

Bernieboy

Great advice there Jackie,hopefully see you at the mater next year.

JAJ

Unless you go for employer nominated migration but even then it's harder.

chin-chin

Here's a copy of the private message i've sent you. I just hope i won't get any violent reaction as this is only purely based on my own experience.

Hi! I've just read your post and thought i'll give you my 2c in. I am also an orthopaedic nurse for 7 yrs now and came here to oz recently (2 mos ago). Just a piece of advice, if you are patient enough make sure you come here with PR visa. I came out on a 457 and left me with no choice but to stay with my employer. I have been employed by a private hospital here in Melbourne and now i realized they all have the same problem like there in the UK, understaffed and everything has to do with the hospital budget. Staffing is quite different here as you get to work with Div 2 nurses who does more or less what a surgical assistant does. They don't medicate. No doubt about nurse-patient ratio as they really stick to it. 4-5 patients during the day and 8-10 patients at night. But most of the time you will be paired up with a Div 2 (as they pay them less) who also has the same number of patients as yours. But you have to do the medications for her patients. You'll be lucky if she will help you out with your washing.

Work is most likely the same. I now work in purely elective ortho unit. Can still be very busy with post-ops. They do more out here than the UK as most patients have private insurance so they get to choose when they want to have the operation. In private hospitals there's no HO, SHO or Reg, if there's problems with the patient you go direct to the consultant. And they are really strict these doctors. In our hospital i found out that doctors don't stick up to nurses. When something is not done properly to their patients they go straight to the director of nursing to make complaints. Not a very nice working relationship.

About shifts they do actually have self-rostering. You put in your request and if possible they will grant it. But as you say being new you might get the crap shifts like i did. I have requested permanent night shift which i love. But i ended up doing the busiest nights of the week as the old permanent night staff refused to work on those nights. And they give me this idea that the reason why the hospital hired me is for somebody to work on those nights. So really i wasn't left with a choice there. This is one thing i'm not really happy about. The most senior staff does the weekends when there's no post op patients. So in the end i am working permanently on certain nights of the week. No flexibility at all.

And one more thing that puts me off, they have a lot af agency nurses here. Most Australians steer away from permanent jobs as agency nursing pays much higher. That's why they are understaff so they end up getting agency nurses. You will get to work with different people most of the time. And the salary here is a little bit lower than the UK.

On the positive side of things, i must say my work here is a lot lighter. i used to work in a busy trauma unit there in the UK. But i miss the people i work with back there. I just don't feel the work camaraderie here. Everybody does their own thing.

So if you really want to pursue Oz try and do it with PR visa so if you're not happy with your employer you can always change hospital.

If you have anymore questions just let me know and i'll try my best to help you.

Mrs JFW

I'll be here!

Which area of the mater will you be working?

jackie

Bernieboy

Picu or nicu,will work agency for a while as i get my bearings.Had a good drink in london(purely by chance)with director of nursing and director of itu from the Mater ,who were visiting my unit at Great ormond st kids.Suffice to say i was buying most of the drinks,oh and i was soooo well behaved.So if i can help your carreer at the mater in any way just tell them you know Bernie