Nursing And Travelling In Australia

Meet four nurses from Europe who have been nursing and travelling around Australia. Find out more about their experiences of nursing Down Under and how you could benefit from nursing in Oz with Healthcare Australia (HCA).

What inspired your decision to come to Australia?
Rhiannon Biss: I first came to Australia 10 years ago to travel the East Coast but didn’t do everything I wanted to, so I decided to come back to live and nurse out here.
Liam Caswell: I’ve always had a desire to move to Australia, to experience the lifestyle and travel this wonderful country. Plus my other half is Australian so that spurred me along!
Grant Howley: I was really curious about what Australia had to offer in terms of career and personal life so I thought I would see what happens!
Linda Gustini: Fortunately as nurses we have the best job ever if we want to travel! I was working and travelling in the UK (I’m from Italy) when some friends suggested Australia so I thought I’d check it out!

How did HCA help turn the dream into a reality?
LG: HCA have been great – they helped with everything from the registration process to getting a job and even accommodation! They were in touch with me every step of the way, which was comforting when making the decision to come out here!
GH: When I first got in touch with HCA I had no idea what I was doing. It was kind of a terrifying experience – packing up your entire life to move to the other side of the world! But HCA were really supportive; they helped throughout the whole process, from my visa to my AHPRA registration.

How have you found working as an agency nurse with HCA?
RB: I love working for the agency so much! It’s flexible, the hours suit me so I’m just happy doing what I’m doing! I’ve been working in the same hospital, which has been really nice as I’m getting to know more people, making friends and building up a team.
LC: They’ve been fantastic so far. I arrived in Sydney without my AHPRA registration confirmed and HCA were on hand to speed up the process as well as providing me with work as soon as I got my registration.
GH: Me too, I arrived in Australia without my registration and they set me up with some work as an Assistant in Nursing (AIN) to tide me over. Since then it’s been great – there’s been no shortage of shifts as a Mental Health Nurse so I’ve made plenty of money to live on and to be able to travel around Australia as well.

How has working with HCA helped you travel during your time in Australia?
LG: It’s been really flexible, I can decide when I want to work and when I want to take time off, so if something fun comes up, I can change things around and go rather than miss out! I’ve also been able to make enough money in Australia to support myself and save, so I’ve seen pretty much the whole country in one year and I’ve done all the things I wanted!
GH: You have the flexibility to go off for a few weeks if you want to which is great for travelling. Also, if you’re saving up, there’s always the opportunity to work more shifts which is brilliant. HCA has agencies in all of the states so you can also choose to travel interstate and work whilst you are there.
RB: Yeah, it’s great. I can just book off the weekend or a few days and go away with my friends. I’ve also saved quite a bit to go abroad on a few holidays. If you want to backpacking around Australia, you can easily pick up shifts wherever you go!
LC: Being an agency nurse in Australia has allowed me to fund fantastic adventures whilst I have been living here. Being able to work and travel is a great advantage that nurses have with HCA. So I tend to work a couple of weeks and then I have a couple of weeks holiday and I get to tick another thing off my bucket list!

Aside from travelling, what other benefits have you found working for HCA?
LC: HCA really allows you to be as flexible as you would like to be and that’s been real key for me living in Australia. It’s really allowed me to follow my hobbies and my passions.
RB: I like that it’s so easy to book shifts. With the App, I can say when I’m available – simple! It suits me because a lot of my friends work 9-5 so I like to have the weekends off to spend time with them and see more of Sydney on the weekends.
GH: I’ve also found it’s been really good working with HCA as it’s given me the opportunity to work in different hospitals across the city. It’s helped me decide where I want to settle by seeing different areas and working with different teams.

How has nursing in Australia developed your skills and experience as a nurse?
GH: It’s given me the opportunity to work in a variety of different environments and learn new skills. I did a two-month placement in Bourke, north NSW as a Community Psychiatric Nurse where I could develop really positive therapeutic relationships with the people I was working with. As I hadn’t had much community experience, working with a diverse population was professionally challenging and a great new experience for me.
RB: I feel like I have learnt so much coming to work in Australia, because I go to all different wards, all different departments. The hospital I’m currently working at has actually sent me to the emergency department a few times and I’ve absolutely loved that! It’s an experience that I don’t know if I would have got back home.

How have you found fitting into the Australian way of life?
LC: Australia’s a fantastic place to live. The culture here – the work culture especially – is very laid back and flexible; and the people are lovely and always willing to help. It’s been pretty easy fitting into the Australian health care system; a lot of it is very similar to the UK and I’ve not had any problems at all making friends or fitting in with the Australian nurses.
GH: Everyone in the UK says Australians take their down time really seriously – I had no idea until I came here! Everyone’s really friendly and I’ve met quite a lot of friends through HCA. I think there is definitely a better work-life balance over here than there is in England. I really try to make the most of my time off!
RB: As I’ve been travelling around Australia before, when I got here I knew I wanted to stay in one place and it’s great as I’m living in a really hip part of town and I’ve been working at the same hospital for a while now so they recognise me. I have been trying to make the most of the Aussie way of life and enjoy my down time as technically I’m still on a working-holiday so I need to holiday as well as work!

What advice would you give to other nurses thinking of making the move to Australia?
LC: I would say give it a go! Come – don’t wait any longer! It’s definitely a move that’s worthwhile, even if it is just a temporary stay for the one year on the WHV. It’s definitely worth a try – it’s a fantastic experience, the country’s beautiful, the people are lovely and the weather is so much better than the UK!
RB: Don’t stress – that’s the Aussie way of life! It can be quite daunting coming over, especially on your own, but HCA is amazing and they are always helpful. Also, you can spot other HCA nurses by their purple shirts, which is lovely as you know you are in the same boat!
LG: Yeah, it’s a little bit daunting, because you’re travelling to a different country and you don’t
know what the culture shock is going to be like, but Australians are so laid back and very welcoming. At the end of the day, you are just doing what you did at home – you’re a nurse no matter what! So relax, calm down, and enjoy travelling, meeting people and having fun!
GH: It’s a big decision but it’s worth it, I was worried about leaving a good stable job so it’s understandable to be nervous but you won’t regret it! Also, I would recommend you do a rural placement whilst you are here. It was such a good experience to live and work somewhere you might not otherwise get the chance – it’s a fantastic opportunity to try something new!

Discover more in HCA’s latest video ‘What’s it like nursing in Australia?’ at www.healthcareaustralia.com.au/nursing-in-australia and find out how you could get a FREE FLIGHT* to Australia when you work for HCA! *Terms & conditions apply, see the HCA website for details.