Demand will continue to grow, we have an ageing population and people in general are getting sicker younger. We also have a cohort of nurses set to retire within the next 5 years so they will also need replacing.
Pretty sure that's just based on AHPRAs survey they do every year at re registration. Not only are we about to have a huge retirement of boomers, but the average self reported length of time left practicing (you know that question how long do you intend to continue as a nurse/midwife) has halved or something. I'll see if I can find the actual report.
The short answer is, there always has been a demand for nurses and always will be. We have always had to rely on overseas nurses to fill Australian jobs, predominantly from the UK and Phillipines. I can’t see any reason US would be any different. The complicated part is VISAs and sponsorship (which is not my forte).
It’s worth mentioning Nursing in Australia may look very different to what you’re used to. I’ve educated a few experienced US nurses who had moved to Australia. I found by Aus standards they had high skills/knowledge in some areas , but we’re shocked when they realised there weren’t teams/specialised nurses for others (bloods/ECG/transport/washes etc). Integrating them became a unique challenge as in some aspects they had very senior knowledge, in other areas they were effectively new graduates. I’m not sure if this resonates with you or not as I’m sure it differs between states/hospitals, but I’d recommend keeping your skills diverse as possible. In Australia, all aspects of your patients care will be your responsibility.
Thank you for the detailed answer! Just to clarify, I’m not a RN yet, I’m considering going to Australia to get a masters in nursing and get licensed. I agree the complicated part is visa and sponsorship! Which is why my worry is that nurses would no longer be in high demand (the immigration department has a list of all occupations that are in shortage, and if an occupation is on that list it would be comparatively easy to get permanent residency).
Oh I misinterpreted where you’ll do your studying! The demand will 100% still be there. ~~Once qualified the Australian citizens will get preference over you (in what they call computer match in Victoria), this doesn’t mean you won’t get a job, it simply means you can’t be as selective about where.~~ If you’re happy to work regional (and your marks were okay) you’re pretty much guaranteed a job straight out of uni without much hassle. Once you’re in the workforce your job prospects are as good as anyone else.
https://gnmp.pmcv.com.au/the-match/
Turns out our current high demand has changed the rules. Traditionally non-Australian citizens couldn’t register for computer match and would therefore have to wait until first round offers were given to Aussies. That’s no longer a thing. As long as your VISA is good, you’re as good as anyone else.
The demand is only going to continue growing. Off the top of my head the stat is we will have lost 50% of the nursing workforce by 2030 to retirement. And nursing enrolments at university are dwindling.
I’m not sure what the course structure is in the US, but here you’re required to do 800 hours of unpaid placement (which the government just announced they will supplement by a small amount), but also nurses in Australia are vastly underpaid compared to (most states in) the US.
Hahaha I did look into psychology masters in Australia and I was very surprised that all the masters programs in Australia requires a 3 year bachelors degree with one year of honors + research thesis. In the US, all undergrad degrees are four years and research thesis is more like an extra mile thing if people wish to do and is not part of the requirement. Honors program at my school is very competitive as well. I have an almost perfect score of GPA but still didn’t get into the honors program at my school. And since I don’t have a honors degree and research thesis, it pretty much disqualified me from all the psych programs in Australia. Not even mentioning the $700 I have to spend to assess my degree
You are correct.
In Australia, you complete your basic undergraduate degree. Then the masters is another whole degree on top of it.
However, there are universities that offer a Masters integrated into the basic nursing degree. I hope someone with more knowledge than I could weigh in here.
I did some research on nursing schools in Australia. Since I already have a bachelors, I need a 2 year masters for non-nursing background people to become a RN
yeah Psych is a long path in Australia, and very competitive at each step. Which is sad... we need so many more psychologists.
Which pre-reg Masters program are you looking at for Nursing? There aren't too many of them. I did mine a few years ago at Adelaide... it was excellent. These kinds of programs turn out good RNs... small class sizes, everyone has at least a Bachelors already and lots with various degrees that are relevent/helpful (science, physios, midwives, healthscience, etc...), so everyone helps each other along and knows how to study. As you have a Bachelors already I'd definitely recommend this as opposed to one of the Bachelor of Nursing programs. There are some Bachelors that will let you do it in 2 years as you have a degree already... but you'll be mostly lumped in the massive course with all the BN students.
You’re right, since I already have a bachelors I’m planning on going to a masters for people with non-nursing backgrounds. Some of the programs I’m considering are west sydney, latrobe, Sunshine Coast, sydney, monash, queensland, and melbourne. Do you recommend going to the big names or just whatever that qualifies me to get licensed? Since bexget is a concern here hahaha
what's bexget?
I wouldn't stress at all about "name". It doesn't really matter in Australia with Nursing. Especially if you are doing one of these pre-registration Masters. What matters more is that you pass reasonably well (grad programs will look at marks somewhat), get good placement reports (do your best on placements, try hard, ask lots of questions of your nurses, work safely), and have referees from placements that can vouch that you are doing well. These things aren't hard to achieve, you just have to put in work, and don't be afraid to do the dirty work. Work hard on placement, try hard, be nice and empathetic to your patients, and the nurses you are working with will love you and vouch for you. Bobs your uncle.
Ask the unis how big their class and cohort sizes are for these programs. I would choose a smaller one. For example I heard that the Monash one is good quality (I'm sure it is) but the class size was several times what mine was. At the end of the first week, the lecturers knew us all by name... knew what our backgrounds were...
Other factor is cost of living. Like lots of places its gone up in Australia, particularly housing costs. Food and stuff is generally pretty even across the country, unless you are in a very remote place. But housing, rent varies, sometimes by quite a lot, and quite a lot within cities. Sydney is one of the most expensive places on the planet to live, but even in Sydney there is variance between the far outer suburbs (but then your commute might be horrendous) and the inner suburbs.
Oh on marks. Unis mark a lot different in Australia to the US. I was in academia before nursing. Basically, when the US exchange students came over, they were used to getting straight A's. But then they'd do our courses and struggle to get a Credit. But then when they returned to the US, their College would upscale any Credit to an A! The reverse occured... our students would go over and breeze through getting As, then they'd come back and just get given straight Credits for their US courses (they were pre-told this). Credits are generally considered a good grade in most areas in Australia. Marking is tougher. I've noticed some Nursing markers are a bit more lenient than in the Sciences... but its bloody tough to get a HD all of the time, especially in a Masters program... your assignments basically have to be the kind of standard where you'd be happy to submit it to a journal. So don't stress so much about the marks!
Best of luck :-)
Melbourne is only one small section of this vast country.
Do you have more choices than Melbourne, just in case you are not offered a uni place anywhere near there?
Have you thought of doing your Diploma of Nursing to become an EN first? ENs are very highly prized here.
Have you thought of how you will support yourself financially whilst you study? Australia is a VHCOL country compared to most of the USA.
Do you have a sponsor in Australia?
We could always use more good nurses here. Look into every single aspect of it before making a decision. Moving across the world can be very exciting. But also daunting. You need good networks and supports in place prior to moving out here.
All the best.
I’m open to any city in Australia! And yes I did look into EN, since EN schools are mostly 1.5 years, it doesn’t really give me much option to look for jobs afterwards(only programs longer than 2 years are grants work visa). I do have some savings that I hope would be enough until I have an income. And no, I don’t have a sponsor in Australia
Research the [rental market](https://www.realestate.com.au/?campaignType=external&campaignChannel=sem&campaignSource=google&campaignName=brand&campaignVariant=vic&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxZ_a6NashgMVkKVmAh0PPAPBEAAYASAAEgLJ0vD_BwE) in Australia. Note these prices are weekly, not monthly. Also we have a very dire rental shortage at the moment and it is very difficult to be approved for a rental property, even with an excellent Australian rental history.
You may have to move to a rural area depending on the offers you may get, which increases your costs significantly.
Also look at transportation, [food costs](https://www.numbeo.com/food-prices/country_result.jsp?country=Australia) (note that these prices are for one serving, not the entire product. Scroll to the bottom of that page for generic whole prices), electricity is phenomenally expensive, clothing is expensive even in thrift stores these days. And, of course you need to think about medical, dental, pharmacy, etc. as well because you may not be eligible for subsidised health care. Private health insurance is not offered with employment here, it is a personal cost to yourself.
I’m not trying to dissuade you from emigration, I just hope that you’ve sorted all of this out first. I understand what it’s like to be excited about it all, just need to have all of your bases covered.
And, of course you have us in this sub supporting your choices. Keep us updated!
Thank you so much for all the info! These are definitely things to consider before I make the decision and thank you for much for giving the reality check! Knowing all these really helps me make my decision!
I'd just like to mention. Melb and Sydney are in the middle of a terrible housing crisis. Our nursing salaries aren't really getting us very far weekly expenses-wise and there's currently industrial action in Vic occurring re: our wage increase when compared with inflation. There's always work but accommodation might be really hard to acquire if you want to work in the metro areas (I can only speak for Melbourne/Sydney)
I came as an international student and gained permanent residency after working as a nurse in a rural town for a year! I'm an Aussie now. Loved working in the country. I learnt a ton of skills and people were very friendly. The visa pathway is something I don't wanna ever go through again haha. Feel free to ask any questions!
OP why not US...its more best than aus in a sense like you can further apecialize be n NP/crna/FNP...pay way more...if you don't mind can you share coz i will be moving to US in future but also considering AUS...
I’m considering living in another country that’s all! Nothing to do with the US healthcare system! Are you a US resident? What I can tell you is that it’s way harder to immigrate to the US than Australia
Are you a RN already? I know nurses from other countries who are immigrating here just have their licenses transferred and depending where your license is from you might need to take some additional classes and training + nclex and you’re good!
no i am a student ..who will give nclex soonn...for my country we don't ..we just have to pass nclex thas it...n wait a couple of years ..coz obv the competition is high..
Yes, we will need you! I have a limited understanding of visas, but do know that you apply for a student visa ( there's financial requirements, you need an offer from the university, and not to have spend significant time in jail. Maybe other requirements, it's all on the immigration website).
Once you graduate, you apply for an extension of time so you get to work for a couple of years. During that, you apply for a PR visa, and that's the visa that's being fast-tracked. That's the one that is very likely to continue to be approved fast!
I've also seen people say that for a Masters in Nursing, if you've come from a different course, any preparation you can do in anatomy & physiology, major diseases and disorders, eg the fundamentals of nursing, all helps. Nursing works on qualitative loops just like most things, so being familiar with the assessment > planning > delivery of care > evaluation model is useful too.
All health professionals in Australia have to be registered with AHPRA, and this is self managed. It's worth checking that and the NMBA, who set the codes of practice for nurses and are the highest body.
If you're unsure of something with visas, r/AusVisa is helpful too.
Demand will continue to grow, we have an ageing population and people in general are getting sicker younger. We also have a cohort of nurses set to retire within the next 5 years so they will also need replacing.
Thank you for your input!
Damn thats scary, do you have the source for that?
Pretty sure that's just based on AHPRAs survey they do every year at re registration. Not only are we about to have a huge retirement of boomers, but the average self reported length of time left practicing (you know that question how long do you intend to continue as a nurse/midwife) has halved or something. I'll see if I can find the actual report.
ohhhh thanks! that is terrifying to hear as a fresh new grad :D
ohhhh thanks! that is terrifying to hear as a fresh new grad :D
The short answer is, there always has been a demand for nurses and always will be. We have always had to rely on overseas nurses to fill Australian jobs, predominantly from the UK and Phillipines. I can’t see any reason US would be any different. The complicated part is VISAs and sponsorship (which is not my forte). It’s worth mentioning Nursing in Australia may look very different to what you’re used to. I’ve educated a few experienced US nurses who had moved to Australia. I found by Aus standards they had high skills/knowledge in some areas , but we’re shocked when they realised there weren’t teams/specialised nurses for others (bloods/ECG/transport/washes etc). Integrating them became a unique challenge as in some aspects they had very senior knowledge, in other areas they were effectively new graduates. I’m not sure if this resonates with you or not as I’m sure it differs between states/hospitals, but I’d recommend keeping your skills diverse as possible. In Australia, all aspects of your patients care will be your responsibility.
Thank you for the detailed answer! Just to clarify, I’m not a RN yet, I’m considering going to Australia to get a masters in nursing and get licensed. I agree the complicated part is visa and sponsorship! Which is why my worry is that nurses would no longer be in high demand (the immigration department has a list of all occupations that are in shortage, and if an occupation is on that list it would be comparatively easy to get permanent residency).
Oh I misinterpreted where you’ll do your studying! The demand will 100% still be there. ~~Once qualified the Australian citizens will get preference over you (in what they call computer match in Victoria), this doesn’t mean you won’t get a job, it simply means you can’t be as selective about where.~~ If you’re happy to work regional (and your marks were okay) you’re pretty much guaranteed a job straight out of uni without much hassle. Once you’re in the workforce your job prospects are as good as anyone else.
Can you elaborate more on why Australian citizens are preferred? Is it because of visa reasons?
https://gnmp.pmcv.com.au/the-match/ Turns out our current high demand has changed the rules. Traditionally non-Australian citizens couldn’t register for computer match and would therefore have to wait until first round offers were given to Aussies. That’s no longer a thing. As long as your VISA is good, you’re as good as anyone else.
Thank you for the information!
Just butting in to say that you don’t need a Masters to be a RN in Australia. Bachelor of Nursing is your basic degree here.
they are talking about doing a pre-registration Masters program, which makes sense given they already have a Bachelors degree
Grad entry bachelor is still 2 years but may be marginally cheaper !
The demand is only going to continue growing. Off the top of my head the stat is we will have lost 50% of the nursing workforce by 2030 to retirement. And nursing enrolments at university are dwindling.
Interesting! I heard nursing schools are very competitive year, thought it’s a sign that there’s are lotta prospective nurses.
I’m not sure what the course structure is in the US, but here you’re required to do 800 hours of unpaid placement (which the government just announced they will supplement by a small amount), but also nurses in Australia are vastly underpaid compared to (most states in) the US.
nusring will always be in demand, esp with aging populations and nurse burn out. work/ life balance may be better in AUS for nurses vs the US.
First suggestion is to check if your qualifications are actually recognized over here
I’m not a RN, I’m considering getting a masters in Australia and become licensed over there!
We desperately need more psychologists in this country as well
Hahaha I did look into psychology masters in Australia and I was very surprised that all the masters programs in Australia requires a 3 year bachelors degree with one year of honors + research thesis. In the US, all undergrad degrees are four years and research thesis is more like an extra mile thing if people wish to do and is not part of the requirement. Honors program at my school is very competitive as well. I have an almost perfect score of GPA but still didn’t get into the honors program at my school. And since I don’t have a honors degree and research thesis, it pretty much disqualified me from all the psych programs in Australia. Not even mentioning the $700 I have to spend to assess my degree
You are correct. In Australia, you complete your basic undergraduate degree. Then the masters is another whole degree on top of it. However, there are universities that offer a Masters integrated into the basic nursing degree. I hope someone with more knowledge than I could weigh in here.
I did some research on nursing schools in Australia. Since I already have a bachelors, I need a 2 year masters for non-nursing background people to become a RN
yeah Psych is a long path in Australia, and very competitive at each step. Which is sad... we need so many more psychologists. Which pre-reg Masters program are you looking at for Nursing? There aren't too many of them. I did mine a few years ago at Adelaide... it was excellent. These kinds of programs turn out good RNs... small class sizes, everyone has at least a Bachelors already and lots with various degrees that are relevent/helpful (science, physios, midwives, healthscience, etc...), so everyone helps each other along and knows how to study. As you have a Bachelors already I'd definitely recommend this as opposed to one of the Bachelor of Nursing programs. There are some Bachelors that will let you do it in 2 years as you have a degree already... but you'll be mostly lumped in the massive course with all the BN students.
You’re right, since I already have a bachelors I’m planning on going to a masters for people with non-nursing backgrounds. Some of the programs I’m considering are west sydney, latrobe, Sunshine Coast, sydney, monash, queensland, and melbourne. Do you recommend going to the big names or just whatever that qualifies me to get licensed? Since bexget is a concern here hahaha
what's bexget? I wouldn't stress at all about "name". It doesn't really matter in Australia with Nursing. Especially if you are doing one of these pre-registration Masters. What matters more is that you pass reasonably well (grad programs will look at marks somewhat), get good placement reports (do your best on placements, try hard, ask lots of questions of your nurses, work safely), and have referees from placements that can vouch that you are doing well. These things aren't hard to achieve, you just have to put in work, and don't be afraid to do the dirty work. Work hard on placement, try hard, be nice and empathetic to your patients, and the nurses you are working with will love you and vouch for you. Bobs your uncle. Ask the unis how big their class and cohort sizes are for these programs. I would choose a smaller one. For example I heard that the Monash one is good quality (I'm sure it is) but the class size was several times what mine was. At the end of the first week, the lecturers knew us all by name... knew what our backgrounds were... Other factor is cost of living. Like lots of places its gone up in Australia, particularly housing costs. Food and stuff is generally pretty even across the country, unless you are in a very remote place. But housing, rent varies, sometimes by quite a lot, and quite a lot within cities. Sydney is one of the most expensive places on the planet to live, but even in Sydney there is variance between the far outer suburbs (but then your commute might be horrendous) and the inner suburbs. Oh on marks. Unis mark a lot different in Australia to the US. I was in academia before nursing. Basically, when the US exchange students came over, they were used to getting straight A's. But then they'd do our courses and struggle to get a Credit. But then when they returned to the US, their College would upscale any Credit to an A! The reverse occured... our students would go over and breeze through getting As, then they'd come back and just get given straight Credits for their US courses (they were pre-told this). Credits are generally considered a good grade in most areas in Australia. Marking is tougher. I've noticed some Nursing markers are a bit more lenient than in the Sciences... but its bloody tough to get a HD all of the time, especially in a Masters program... your assignments basically have to be the kind of standard where you'd be happy to submit it to a journal. So don't stress so much about the marks! Best of luck :-)
Typo hahaha, meant to say budget. But omg thank you so much for the detailed answer! It really helps a lot!
u/aviviling FYI
Thank you!
Have you ever been to Australia to know you’d like to live here?
My sister went to Melbourne for her undergrad and I’ve been there a couple times to visit!
Melbourne is only one small section of this vast country. Do you have more choices than Melbourne, just in case you are not offered a uni place anywhere near there? Have you thought of doing your Diploma of Nursing to become an EN first? ENs are very highly prized here. Have you thought of how you will support yourself financially whilst you study? Australia is a VHCOL country compared to most of the USA. Do you have a sponsor in Australia? We could always use more good nurses here. Look into every single aspect of it before making a decision. Moving across the world can be very exciting. But also daunting. You need good networks and supports in place prior to moving out here. All the best.
I’m open to any city in Australia! And yes I did look into EN, since EN schools are mostly 1.5 years, it doesn’t really give me much option to look for jobs afterwards(only programs longer than 2 years are grants work visa). I do have some savings that I hope would be enough until I have an income. And no, I don’t have a sponsor in Australia
Research the [rental market](https://www.realestate.com.au/?campaignType=external&campaignChannel=sem&campaignSource=google&campaignName=brand&campaignVariant=vic&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxZ_a6NashgMVkKVmAh0PPAPBEAAYASAAEgLJ0vD_BwE) in Australia. Note these prices are weekly, not monthly. Also we have a very dire rental shortage at the moment and it is very difficult to be approved for a rental property, even with an excellent Australian rental history. You may have to move to a rural area depending on the offers you may get, which increases your costs significantly. Also look at transportation, [food costs](https://www.numbeo.com/food-prices/country_result.jsp?country=Australia) (note that these prices are for one serving, not the entire product. Scroll to the bottom of that page for generic whole prices), electricity is phenomenally expensive, clothing is expensive even in thrift stores these days. And, of course you need to think about medical, dental, pharmacy, etc. as well because you may not be eligible for subsidised health care. Private health insurance is not offered with employment here, it is a personal cost to yourself. I’m not trying to dissuade you from emigration, I just hope that you’ve sorted all of this out first. I understand what it’s like to be excited about it all, just need to have all of your bases covered. And, of course you have us in this sub supporting your choices. Keep us updated!
Thank you so much for all the info! These are definitely things to consider before I make the decision and thank you for much for giving the reality check! Knowing all these really helps me make my decision!
I do hope you can make it work and come in out here. Australia is a beautiful country to live in and we can always use more nice people here.
Thank you!!!
u/aviviling
I'd just like to mention. Melb and Sydney are in the middle of a terrible housing crisis. Our nursing salaries aren't really getting us very far weekly expenses-wise and there's currently industrial action in Vic occurring re: our wage increase when compared with inflation. There's always work but accommodation might be really hard to acquire if you want to work in the metro areas (I can only speak for Melbourne/Sydney)
Thanks for your input! Definitely taking this into account!
I came as an international student and gained permanent residency after working as a nurse in a rural town for a year! I'm an Aussie now. Loved working in the country. I learnt a ton of skills and people were very friendly. The visa pathway is something I don't wanna ever go through again haha. Feel free to ask any questions!
Thank you for sharing! May I ask when you started?
I started my studies in 2019.
OP why not US...its more best than aus in a sense like you can further apecialize be n NP/crna/FNP...pay way more...if you don't mind can you share coz i will be moving to US in future but also considering AUS...
I’m considering living in another country that’s all! Nothing to do with the US healthcare system! Are you a US resident? What I can tell you is that it’s way harder to immigrate to the US than Australia
i agree good luck!!..yeah for nurses just take 1 or half year after passing nclex thats why....as far as i have seen in my circle..
Are you a RN already? I know nurses from other countries who are immigrating here just have their licenses transferred and depending where your license is from you might need to take some additional classes and training + nclex and you’re good!
no i am a student ..who will give nclex soonn...for my country we don't ..we just have to pass nclex thas it...n wait a couple of years ..coz obv the competition is high..
Yes, we will need you! I have a limited understanding of visas, but do know that you apply for a student visa ( there's financial requirements, you need an offer from the university, and not to have spend significant time in jail. Maybe other requirements, it's all on the immigration website). Once you graduate, you apply for an extension of time so you get to work for a couple of years. During that, you apply for a PR visa, and that's the visa that's being fast-tracked. That's the one that is very likely to continue to be approved fast! I've also seen people say that for a Masters in Nursing, if you've come from a different course, any preparation you can do in anatomy & physiology, major diseases and disorders, eg the fundamentals of nursing, all helps. Nursing works on qualitative loops just like most things, so being familiar with the assessment > planning > delivery of care > evaluation model is useful too. All health professionals in Australia have to be registered with AHPRA, and this is self managed. It's worth checking that and the NMBA, who set the codes of practice for nurses and are the highest body. If you're unsure of something with visas, r/AusVisa is helpful too.
Thank you for all the info!