HannahMH Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 Hi all, Apologies if this has been posted in the wrong bit but just wanted a little bit of advice. I'm currently training to be a Mental Health Nurse and myself and my husband have been talking about the possibility of emigrating to WA once I'm qualified (aiming for around 3 years after graduation). Obviously this is at the very early stages so wondered if anyone could advise on the best ways to get out there and what the mental health nursing is like over there/am I likely to find work out there? Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 Any nursing roles are competitive these days with there being a number of graduates who were training in Australia competing for the same jobs, however, it's really difficult to say what things will be like in 3 years time (when you graduate). My advice is always to get some qualified experience under your belt as employing someone with experience as opposed to no experience may give you the edge. We recently advertised for an RN position and got 52 applicants. You may find the job markets differ from state to state and some people find it a little easier to get a job in private rather than public health. My own service does not offer sponsorship anymore and in job adverts it stipulates that preference will be given to PR (or citizen) visa holders. If you have a visa in your hand - again this will make your application more attractive as the employer often wants people to start pretty quickly. Here in WA for example, addressing the selection criteria correctly is key to getting an interview - so when the time is right perhaps use this forum to contact some of the nurses who might be able to assist you. It really is hard to project what availability for visa's/jobs etc., will be like in 3 years. I've been here almost 12 years and seen so many changes in health - from people travelling to the UK to do recruitment drives and offering sponsorship - to there being hardly any jobs and being available and those that are initially being offered as fixed term 2 year (or less contracts). I would have said that there would always be opportunities for nursing - but I think that's less certain now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWMOY04 Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 I don't know about WA, but it would appear there are a fair few jobs in VIC when I was last looking. My future employers and a few other mental health providers have also advertised for RMNs with an option for sponsorship as well.. however like Ali said... it could all be different within a year... let alone 3 years. I was offered sponsorship as there had been miscommunication between the interviewer and HR. the only difference I noticed in the two contracts was that one was offered with an open start date within 6 months (allowing time for revistration and visa applications, with employer sponsorship) and was for a fixed term 2 year period.... final conteach after I advised them I already have my PR, had a start date of 2 weeks from being written and was full time permanent... so I'm not too sure about being treated differently based on type of visa... but again... this depends on employer and state I guess. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HannahMH Posted November 11, 2018 Author Share Posted November 11, 2018 Thank you both for your replies. It's definitely a case of waiting to see what happens nearer the time. We were thinking near Perth because I've got family out there but are pretty open to be fair. Was wondering how different the MH nursing is compared to the UK? Is it more advanced etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWMOY04 Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 5 hours ago, HannahMH said: Thank you both for your replies. It's definitely a case of waiting to see what happens nearer the time. We were thinking near Perth because I've got family out there but are pretty open to be fair. Was wondering how different the MH nursing is compared to the UK? Is it more advanced etc? sounds to me like they are a bit behind from the chats I've had with my future colleagues... I'll let you know once I'm on the wards in 2 weeks... but I'm sure a few people will come along whonhas actual experience. one thing I am looking forward to is the lower nurse-patient ratios.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 I haven't found it particularly different per se in the actual work - patients are patients the world over. There is (like anywhere) a bit of a postcode lottery with some areas having more services than others. My background was working in a crisis resolution/home treatment service - there aren't many HTT's - in part I think because the geographical areas are quite big (I can travel 80km doing one home visit). For me, one of the things is to go with the flow - it is what it is. When I first started my colleagues told me about staff who came and were always saying "in the Uk we did this", "in the UK we did that" - i'd deliberately not done that - introducing changes is easier once you an your practise is well regarded. Like anywhere, things are led by budgets and sometimes e.g. positions might get frozen, but if the wards are short they will use agency staff (which is an option when looking for an initial job her in WA Nurse West is the main 'go to' provider'). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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