11 Dec, 2019
VIHAAN SALARIA
Australia Immigration
Owing to considerably high demand for nurses, midwives in Australia, a plethora of opportunities have opened up for those in the said professions. Those looking to migrate to Australia can choose from the different Australia visa pathways. Regardless of whether your goal is to move to Australia or work for a short time, the career opportunities are excellent.
If you are a nurse/midwife looking to determine your eligibility in order to apply for registration as a nurse, you may have to get your profile and qualifications assessed. But for that, you should have:
- Completed a pre-registration course of training
- Registration as a nurse in the same country where your education was undertaken
- A registration, practising certificate/license is the country where you now practice
- English language proficiency (full details are given below) In order to qualify for a nursing career, you should have finished a Bachelor’s Degree.
Let’s take a look at a sample bachelor course at TAFE (Technical and Further Education):
Diploma of Nursing (Enrolled/Division 2 Nursing)
With this course, you will get both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. With these skills, you will be able to assist in curative, rehabilitative, and preventative nursing. In this course, you shall further learn about various topics like physiology, anatomy, nursing care, infection control of the patients. Further, the course will also teach you about the legal and ethical sides of practising as a nurse.
During the course, you shall also understand in-depth about the health issues of native Australians. Endowed with the said knowledge, you will thus be able to take better care of the health of the patients. Further, there are supervised clinical placements in hospitals and other healthcare institutions. In short, once you complete the course, you will possess the skills necessary to become a qualified and enrolled nurse. You will also have to get yourself registered with AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency). AHPRA regulates Australia's health practitioners.
However, you will need to fulfil the English language proficiency requirement to be able to register with AHPRA. The requirement is of an IELTS score of 7.0 (with no band score lower than 7).
Units Requirement
During the course, a student has to complete 26 units. Out of these, 21 are core, while the other five are elective units. The choice of electives depends on the institute you decide to enrol for.
Requirements for Admission
- You should have an IELTS (academic) score of 6.5 (with no band score less than 6.0)
- You should have cleared your Year 12, passing Mathematics and Science in order to get entry into the course
The Diploma of Nursing (Enrolled/Division 2 Nursing) acts as a pathway for a Bachelor of Nursing at both Curtin University and Edith Cowan University.
Further, you should be able to demonstrably meet the standards of National Nursing/Midwifery Competency to be able to register. To find out more about your registration eligibility, you have to get in touch with the relevant regulatory authority in the field of nursing and midwifery in the state/territory where you want to practice.
If you are an overseas nurse, you may have to go for a Competency-Based Assessment. There are bridging programs that prepare you to meet this requirement. These programs or courses have to be completed fully/partially in Australia. The requirements for such courses are decided at the time of assessment. It is essential for an aspiring nurse to have an English proficiency that allows them to communicate in a proper manner with both patients and fellow workers.
As you may know already, Australia’s nursing schools have an outstanding reputation for quality. In fact, they are designed expertly to meet every need of the various healthcare industry sectors. Aspirants can enrol for a Nursing Degree by choosing from different Universities across Australia. A variety of specialisations are available.
Different types of high-demand nursing-related positions feature on the Skilled Occupations List:
- Midwife
- Registered Nurse (Child and Family Health)
- Registered Nurse (Community Health)
- Registered Nurse (Community Health)
- Registered Nurse (Disability and Rehabilitation)
- Registered Nurse (Medical)
- Registered Nurse (Developmental Disability)
- Nurse Practitioner
- Registered Nurse (Aged Care)
Australian Universities offering Nursing Degrees:
- James Cook University
- Murdoch University
- Curtin University of Technology
- Deakin University
- RMIT University
- Southern Cross University
- Southern Cross University
- University of Sydney
- Flinders University
- Queensland University of Technology
- University of Western Sydney
- University of Queensland
- University of South Australia
After finishing your period of study, when you graduate, you have to meet the other requirements of age, proficiency in English. By meeting all these requirements, you will become eligible to apply for the following visas:
Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485)
With the Temporary Graduate Visa, you can live and work in Australia for a temporary period.
- There are two streams available for this visa type:
-
Graduate Work Stream
- Post-Study Work Stream
Skilled–Independent Visa (Subclass 189)
The Skilled-Independent Visa is a points-based visa system for skilled workers that lets them work as a permanent resident in Australia. For this visa type, you do not need sponsorship. In all, you need to collect 60 points based on various factors like age, qualification, English proficiency and work experience. First, you will need to submit an Expression of Interest through the SkillSelect website.
Skilled–Nominated Visa (Subclass 190)
Another option is the points-based visa for skilled workers, that lets you work in Australia as a Permanent Resident. For this, you have to submit an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect. Then, you have to get nominated by a state or territory in Australia.
Temporary Work (Skilled) Visa (Subclass 457)
This is a sponsorship visa for skilled workers, which makes it possible for you to work for a period of 4 years under a business that is approved.
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa
With the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme Visa, you can work in Regional Areas of Australia. For this, first, you have to be nominated by an approved Australian employer. Second, you have to submit an application under any one of the following three streams:
- Temporary Residence Transition Stream
- Agreement Stream
- Direct Entry Stream
The upshot is that there are many benefits of being able to live and work in Australia as a Qualified Nurse. You can become eligible for Permanent Residency after 2-3 years. Your skills as a nurse are updated frequently. Arguably, the high standard of living is an added benefit. Not to forget, Australia’s obvious distinction as a multicultural country that is home to so many nationalities! It is due to good reason that life Down Under is much sought after.
