My Pathway to Becoming a Nurse In Australia

A couple of my friends have urged me to come to Australia. At first, I was hesitant to try as there are a lot of requirements and fees that need to be covered. Finally, I realized that while I am still somehow young, I should try. Metaphorically it was like climbing a mountain for me. But I did not climb it all in one day. What I did is to do things, big or small everyday just to achieve what I want. Here is a summary of what I did.

1. Take IELTS- This is the very first step to be able to enroll to a school. This will also help to get work and visa in the future. For nurses, we are required to get an overall band of 7. An overall band score of 8 is desired if you would like to have higher points for the Skilled Migration Points System (for 189 visa).

2. While waiting and praying for the IELTS result, gather requirements asked for by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). The form to be accomplished is AGOS 40 and is readily available at their website. It is a  straightforward and clear form.

3. Once IELTS results are in and it is satisfactory, have all documents certified as true copy and mail these to AHPRA together with the form. Do not staple all the documents. Also, it will be asking you to include how you would like to pay the total fee of 520 AUD.

4. Wait for AHPRA's email. Sometimes they will email if they need further documents. Otherwise, they will email to let you know of their decision/ recommendation. In my case, I was recommended to proceed to an NMBA (bridging) program.

5. Look for a school that fits the budget and is reputable for the program asked for. My friend studied at IHNA Melbourne so I also chose the same school but I studied in Perth. You will be asked for a set of documents again including immunizations. They can all be sent via email. 

6. Depending on the school, pay for their admin fee and they will give you back a confirmation of enrollment. This will reflect that a slot has been reserved. Their slots were filling up fast so I chose the earliest which was February 2017.

7. You can now start to process for your visa. The school has advised me to get a Visa subclass 600 good for 3 months of studying. I created an online immigration account and followed the instructions. Then, I had a HAP ID as reference to have my medical tests done. I paid 135 AUD for my visa which I got after 3 weeks.

8. Next up was to look for flights and accommodations. The school was offering an accommodation for 200 AUD per week which was expensive. I asked help from family and friends. Luckily, my sister had a classmate living in Perth and I was able to stay at their house. For the flights, it was about 5 months before I had to fly so my ticket to Perth via Singapore was not quite breaking the bank.

9. Save money and make sure that all documents were sent to the school before coming over. I couldn't stress this enough.

10. Pack clothes fit for the season that you are coming. At the same time, make sure that you are within your allowed baggage. This proved to be difficult for me. I had quite a number of things that I really had to leave behind. 

11. Arrive in Australia a few days ahead of the start of classes. This would give time to look around and familiarize with the transport as well as get a simcard, open a bank account and settle in.

12. Be prompt on the first day (and all days). I met Filipino classmates for the program and was happy to make new friendships. Almost half of the class were Indians, and there were about 3 Europeans.

13. Study and work hard to achieve the assessments and requirements of the school and practicum.

14. After the bridging program, gather necessary requirements and accomplish AGBP 40 form from the AHPRA website. Pay the amount of 300 AUD along with their form. I personally went to the AHPRA office in Perth to submit my papers but these can also be sent via post. 

15. Wait for a couple of weeks and they will email you if you need to present more documents or that you have passed all requirements and that you are now a registered nurse! Congratulations!

I still have a long way to go as it is quite difficult to score a company that sponsors a work visa but I know that with God's grace I can make it.

Thank you for reading and 'til next blog :)