The Scope of Nursing Career in Australia

Unlike in most countries, in Australia the nursing profession is very well appreciated and rewarded. The Australian community values the knowledge and skills of nurses, not only because they can save lives but also serve infants, the elderly and the critically ill. In rural and remote areas sincere and professional nursing can make all the difference between the life and death of patients.

In Australia, nurses may find a large labor market in the various public and private hospitals, for both general and specialized services. Additionally, they are also required to fill positions related to health promotion. All these positions come with an enviable pay packet and are professionally rewarding career options.

What are the steps to be followed in order to join the nursing profession in Australia? There are two ways in which one can go about this. The first route requires one to take up qualifying courses at TAFE(vocational education institutes)followed by an apprenticeship at a hospital for a year , and finally obtain a registration as an enrolled Nurse . A TAFE institute (Institute or TAFE) is a state educational institution offering courses accredited by the Australian Government which are accepted at any Australian university.

A second route is to enroll for a full-time three-year course at a university in Australia, after which one can obtain the title of Nurse, Collegiate or Registered Nurse. Those coming from other countries are required to undergo a nursing bridging program.

After obtaining any of these titles, a nurse may specialize in different areas of care work, such as care of women before and after childbirth, care of premature infants, care of sick babies, pediatric care, care of sick people with cancer, care of people with mental health problems, intensive care and emergency care. They may also develop other specializations such as those of Health Promotion and Surgical Assistant.

So now you have realized the myriad opportunities that exist for any nurse wishing to emigrate to Australia. According to reliable sources, the past few years have seen a huge shortage of qualified nurses in Australia, and this situation is likely to become more acute as 20% of the present workforce of nurses are over 55 years of age and are nearing retirement. The Australian Institute of Health Workers has indicated that it intends to postpone the retirement of a large number of nurses, even if it means affecting the quality of public health services.

This trend has also been reflected in a study which indicates that by 2010 Australia will have an annual deficit of 40,000 nurses. This means that employment opportunities for this profession are increasing in this country. But how can an immigrant practice nursing in Australia? First you must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Australia (Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council), which is responsible for the revalidation of professional qualifications. In some Australian states it is only necessary to develop theoretical and practical tests, others provide access to nurses from the EU, provided they have a good command over the English language (they must obtain an IELTS test score of not less than 7 points out of a total of 10).

Most states in Australia recruit nurses for public health departments and the information can be found on their websites, where they state their requirements, wages, hours and other working conditions. Also keep in mind that nurses can access permanent residency visas through the Skilled Migration Program, the requirements being that the candidate must be under 45 years, must have significant work experience in the field of nursing, must have attended nursing programs in Australia, and must be fluent in English as proven by the IELTS scores.