Hi

I have just a few questions for you nurses out in Adelaide and would appreciate your help.

Did you find a job before you went or was it easy to get one quickly?

Did you use an agency first or go straight in to a permanent post? If you used an agency - can you recommend any?

Someone told me that you are not entitled to annual leave until you have been at work a year - is this the case? Can it be negotiated? (I am worried about covering school holidays).

Anyone in children's nursing or nurse education?

Thanks

Nathalie

hiya , my name is Libby & i'm from Scotland . We are just waiting for our visa application to be processed then I can start my job as a mental health nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital . About November last year I contacted a company called Geneva Health International to help me to seek employment in Australia . They have been fantastic & did not cost me anything because they're fees are covered by the hospital who end up ( hopefully ) recruiting you . Anything else I can help you with , just ask , cheers Libby , Eamonn ,Shannon & Jordan

Hi guys.

Bill is mental health nurse. He got offered a permanent post after a telephone interview with RAH. He also went through Geneva Health and htey were great.

Libby, if you get the job you can get a months free accomodation at the nurses residence for free. It sure isnt luxury, but worth taking up for an initial bed for the night till you find a rental.

Bill is still in his first year and has already put in for annual leave for July and has not been refused, so i guess that answers the question Nathalie. He is also entitled to 6weeks.

hi nat
i work at flinders medical centre and i got a job without any problems, i work on ccu and do casual in a/e,
i have friends over in july and have worked there for 6 months and they said to me that i really had to work 1 yr before i could take holiday, well my manager saw the look on my face, i said that there is no way i was working for a year with no hols, i have some irish and uk friends that work there and they had the same response to me but i tell u now that u have to stick up for yourself other they walk all over you.....because you should be allowed 6 weeks hols in a year..... sorry something else which is crappy i can only work 5 days out of 7 because of child care and although i work shifts nights included they call this a 5 day roster and only get 4 wks hols, i have argued this several times with my manager. plus i am a senior nurse and regularly in charge of the unit and dont get paid for doing this....they dont pay u for the skills and experience u have....if i want to earn more money i have to go to the next level which is from rn1 to rn 2............
u get paid for how many years u have worked...but if u have worked pt for say 10 yrs say 3 days a week they work your pay on full time hours so you would probably only get the pay of an rn at level 6 or7 ...quite different to the uk where u get your pay increased every year whether u are full time or not........i know anurse that have worked pt for 10 yrs or so and only gets paided at level 4 or 5...if this understandable?????
sorry dont want to paint a bad picture but just letting u know the facts....fortunally i have another job lined up in a/e and doing the a/e course too havent handed in my noticed yet though they will not be happy as we have had 5 senior staff leave in the past 4 mths,,,that doesnt say much does it

it is also a big bonus if u have post grad qualifications fortunally i have the ccu course because they are in need of icu ccu renal a/e nurses with experience and courses behind them ..it helps alot....anyway if you havent really dont worry you will get a job any where ....honestly they are crying out for nurses....i tell u something else if you have worked with aged care and want to carry on doing this they earn very good money......
ps u have to be registerd in each separate state in oz like the usa so apply before u come it takes a while to get it ....they are a bit slow here
ok thats it 4 now so if long winded.....so dont worry youll have no probs
sarah

I dont understand all this.... it seems that each hospital has a totally different set up!!

want do u mean by this ..are u talking about hols or pay?

both i think...but also the shift patterns are totally different.

Bill doesnt really like where he works now, but won't move because the shift patterns at RAH suit us very well. He only works 14 days a month, but does 12hr shifts. This means we get to spend much more time together and the way they roster it, he never works more than 3 days in a row without days off. Normally 2-3, but sometimes 4 days off in a row.

From what i gather Flinders and other places dont do this.

icu at flinders do the 12 hrs but thats it i think..... i dont know about the mental health ward, used to do 12 hrs they were a killer quite pleased to do they shorter ones at present
sa