Become a Registered Nurse in Australia


There are many foreign nurses in working in Australia either in a prestigious Sydney hospital, a Melbourne medical center, a Brisbane assisted-living facility, or a Perth nursing home. Have you ever wonder that if you are a foreign nurse, it is important to undergo a time-consuming process to enter the country as a registered nurse?

Nurses who are looking for overseas jobs in Australia should follow the processing procedures set by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC), the nursing and midwifery regulator for Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Northern Territory, and the Australian Capital Territory. You have to understand that the state and territorial nursing boards also implement their own regulations. Follow these basic procedures when you want to process your requirements:

1. Foreign nurses who want to practice nursing in Australia must register with the local state or territory nursing board. So if you want to work as a registered nurse with the Royal Adelaide Hospital, you need to register with the South Australia nursing board.

2. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) sets the assessment criteria for foreign nurses who want to pursue their nursing practice in the country. The applicant must:

* establish his/her identity

* meet English language proficiency criteria for the nursing profession

* be assessed to determine if he/she meets current Australian nursing education standards

* provide evidence of having practiced as a nurse within a defined period of time

* demonstrate that he/she is ‘fit to practice’ nursing in Australia

3. All nursing education and working documents must meet the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (APHRA) Proof of Identity.

4. You have to take and pass either the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or the Occupational English Test (OET).

5. The NMBA will then determine if your nursing education meets their approved accreditation standards. All documents must be certified through the APHRA Certifying Documents.

6. Provide a documentary evidence of your nursing practice to meet the NMBA residency of practice registration standard. All applicants are considered on a case-to-case basis by the state and territory boards.

7. Provide a statutory declaration that you don’t have any criminal history or any disciplinary action taken against you.

8. Once you are registered with the NMBA, you have to be registered with the local nursing board.

9. The next step would be crafting a professional resume that should be sent to as many overseas nursing recruiters and healthcare firms, including Nursing Agency Australia. Practice your interview answering skills whether if you take an online or an actual face-to-face interview. While you’re still waiting for the results of your nursing registration processing, keep yourself busy by doing some research on the possible you may be working with in the future.

10. You have to understand that there are three nursing categories in all states except Victoria: nurse practitioner (NP), registered nurse (RN), and enrolled nurse (EN). In Victoria, RNs are classified into: RN Division 1 (can work in any branches of nursing), RN Division 2 (works under Division 1 and 3 nurses, equivalent to ENs), RN Division 3 (specializes in psychiatric nursing), RN Division 4 (specializes in mental health nursing), and RN Division 4 (mothercraft nurses).

11. For immigration concerns, contact the Australian embassy or consulate for more information. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship provides employment, student, and family visas.

12. If you are registered with one state or territorial nursing board, you can practice freely in other states. But rules and regulations always change so you must always contact the respective state nursing board for current procedures.

13. Once you live in Australia for many years, you can now apply for Australian citizenship once you meet certain immigration requirements.

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