How to Become a Registered Nurse in Australia
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) has oversight for the nursing and midwifery industries in Australia. The council was established in 1992. It works with Australia's state and territory Nursing and Midwifery Regulatory Authorities (NMRA) to review and update statutes and regulations impacting the nursing industry. It also conducts skills assessments for international nurses who register to practice in the country.
Registered nurses in Australia promote and maintain the health of patients as well as work to prevent sicknesses including physical or mental disabilities. Before nurses can practice in Australia they must receive a post secondary education and register with the applicable regulating agency.
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Instructions
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Apply to attend university at an eligible school (see Resources). Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Australian Universities" to pull up a list of universities that offer nursing degrees.
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Complete applications to receive scholarships and other forms of financial aid. Note that you can apply for National Scholarships, Aged Care Nursing, the National Nurse Re-Entry Scheme and the Australian Practice Nurses Association scholarships. Keep in mind that you can also apply for state, university and professional scholarships (see Resources) to help finance your academic studies. Complete necessary college or university coursework and receive a Bachelor's of Nursing degree.
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Apply for membership with the applicable state or territory regulatory agency (see rResources) after you successfully complete your post secondary education. Note that there are eight agencies including the Nurses Board of the Australian Capital Territory in Canberra City, the Nurses Board of the Northern Territory in Darwin and the Queensland Nursing Council in Brisbane.
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Contact the Division of Health Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery. Request an application to attend a Graduate Nurse Program offered in private and public health services throughout the country. Receive 12 to 24 months of hands-on clinical coursework at a local hospital, clinic or laboratory while you are in the program. Keep in mind that you can enroll for the program as a part-time or full-time student. Areas you can specialize in during the graduate program include cardiovascular, critical care and research methodologies. Ask the program administrator what you need to do to apply for full-time work with the organization at the end of your training.
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Network and strengthen professional connections. Attend conferences and seminars such as the Nursing and Health expos sponsored by the Royal College of Nursing (see resources). Keep in mind that the expos are held in states throughout the country and do not require an entry fee in order to attend.
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Resources
- Photo Credit http://www.healthskills.com.au/other_images/nursing_pic_28.jpg
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Comments
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lizzy83
Aug 04, 2010
I think the best things to do to start off with are to go to the RCNA Nursing Expo (held once a year in each state), to talk to all the education and employment providers about your options and the best way to go about applying for each course. After finding out all the information you require, you will need to go to your state's tertiary admissions website (for example, in Victoria this is VTAC). Here, you will be required to apply to each course electronically and will find out about whether or not you are required to sit any prerequisite tests (such as the STAT test for mature entry). After this, you may need to apply directed to some universities depending on their requirements. After this, you probably just need to wait a few months until you find out if you've been selected. Good luck!
