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Nursing in Developed Countries
Australia, New
Zealand
Background to nursing in Australia
There are two levels of nurse in Australia: registered
and enrolled nurses. Registered nurses are educated in degree level
courses at universities. Enrolled nurses are primarily educated
through advanced certificate or diploma level courses in colleges
of technical and further education.
There are six states and two territories in Australia.
Each have a nurse regulatory authority which maintains its own register
of qualified nurses. Each nurse must be registered or enrolled in
the state or territory in which they intend to practice.
There are mutual recognition laws in Australia which
provide recognition of registration across state boundaries. Therefore
a nurse registered in one state may apply for registration in another
state under mutual recognition. There is a similar system in operation
between Australia and New Zealand.
How to register as a nurse in Australia
Nurses are required to register with the regulatory
authority in the state or territory in which they intend to practice.
Nurses can be registered as a midwife after appropriate education,
but most states and territories require they must first be registered
as a nurse. Addresses of the regulatory authorities can be found
on the next
page.
Nurses intending to migrate to Australia
Nurses who wish to migrate to Australia under the
General Skilled Migration category need to have their qualifications
assessed before applying to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural
Affairs (DIMA) for migration. This assessment is undertaken by the
Australian Nursing
Council Incorporated (ANCI). If a nurse is eligible to apply
for registration in Australia, this will count towards points that
can be gained for immigration purposes.
The Australian Nursing Council Incorporated (ANCI)
The ANCI
sets national standards of nursing competency and assesses the qualifications
of nurses resident overseas for migration purposes. If you are found
to be eligible for registration by the ANCI, it does not mean that
you will automatically be accepted by every registration board,
and a further period of supervised practice may be necessary. Information
should be obtained from the regulatory authorities in individual
states or territory (see next
page).
Nurses who qualified overseas can apply for an assessment
of their qualifications provided they have completed pre-registration
(or pre-enrollment) training, hold a current registration (or enrollment)
as a nurse in the country in which they trained, and have practised
in the branch of nursing they are wishing to register in within
the previous 5 years.
To obtain an application form for assessment of nursing
qualifications by the ANCI, contact:
ANCI, PO Box 873, Dickson ACT 2602
Tel: 00 61 2 6257 7960
Fax: 00 61 2 6257 7955
email: overseas@anci.org.au
There is a processing fee of Aus$500.00, payable to
ANCI prior to assessment of qualifications.
Overseas nurses who are resident in Australia
Overseas nurses who are already resident in Australia
do not need to have their qualification assessed by the ANCI. They
should apply to the nurse regulatory authority in the state in which
they wish to practice.
Nurses on working holidays
Nurses who are applying for a working holiday visa
do not need to be assessed by ANCI. Those holding a working holiday
visa should apply directly to the nurse regulatory authority of
the appropriate state or territory.
Demonstration of Competency Standards
Nurses registered in Australia must possess and demonstrate
the National Nursing Competency Standards. Overseas nurses must
also be able to demonstrate these in order to practice in Australia.
However, the need to complete a competency based assessment programme
/ migrant bidding programme is generally waived for nurses from
a number of countries, including the UK.
Language requirements
Overseas educated nurses must be able to speak English
for working in Australia. Nurses from countries where English is
not the first language are required to complete and pass either
the Occupational English Test (OET) for Nurses or the International
English Language Testing System (IELTS).
Further information regarding these tests should be
obtained from:
Language Australia, Level 2, 255 William Street, Melbourne
Tel: 00 61 3 9926 4779
Fax: 00 61 3 9926 4780
email: annl@la.ames.vic.edu.au
http://sunsite.anu.edu.au/language-australia
IELTS Australia, GPO Box 2006, Canberra ACT 2601
Tel: 00 61 2 6285 8222
Fax: 00 61 2 6285 3233
email: ielts@idp.edu.au
www.idp.edu.au
Further requirements for nursing in Australia
It is advisable to contact the individual nurse
regulatory authorities in Australia in order to find out their
requirements for registration, as each state or territory may differ.
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