2 replies to this topic

[bridgetellen]

Hi
I am a registered nurse in Australia currently working in A&E Dept and Theatres. I am about to finish my Midwifery. I would love to work in the USA and have contacted some agencies who recruit for USA. I would love to talk to anyone who is currently working in USA. I would like to know what the jobs like there and what the award wage is. How bad is the nursing shortage there??? I have already worked in UK and Bermuda. Thanks.

[froggyrn1]

Hi!
I'm Lauren, I'm a first year RN working in a Redondo Beach, a small city near Los Angeles. Actually, I'm planning on heading down to Australia probably in October myself. Have you seen the Holiday with Cameron Diaz? Want to life swap?
So, the shortage is huge. If you come over here, you'll be able to have your pick of where you would like to work, and you'll never be scrounging to pick up shifts. I don't know what you'll be offered, but I can tell you what I make. As a Med/Surg/Oncology floor nurse working nights, I'm at $32.75 an hour, working 6-12 hour shifts every 2 weeks. Keep in mind, I'm a "new-grad." Also, I'm full time...travellers usually do much better, and a lot of the time, their housing and moving expenses are taken care of.
So, back at you with your same questions...what are the award wages generally there? About the shortage? And are there incentives for travelers? Also, where do you live? Do you recommend it? I've been looking into Byron Bay myself, what do you think?
Thanks!
~Lauren
ps. what's A&E and Theatres? I know I'm going to feel retarded when you tell me, but we don't use those terms here!

Hi
I am a registered nurse in Australia currently working in A&E Dept and Theatres. I am about to finish my Midwifery. I would love to work in the USA and have contacted some agencies who recruit for USA. I would love to talk to anyone who is currently working in USA. I would like to know what the jobs like there and what the award wage is. How bad is the nursing shortage there??? I have already worked in UK and Bermuda. Thanks.

[meandra]

Hi, I currently live and work in Austin, TX. I have been a med-surge nurse for 3 1/2 years and want to train as an ICU nurse. I make $27.31 base pay. I have had no major problems at my job, but I have had difficulty getting hired on to train for ICU. I compete with people who are already trained and with new grads who are eligible for ICU training programs. I am not because I graduated in 1998. The ICU gets money for each person in those training programs. Recently, a new guy came to the floor. He has been a traveler for 20 years and said he has never seen as much competition for critical care positions as there is in Austin. Still, I think it would be easy enough to get a job as long as you're already trained. Also, I think nurses are paid less in Austin than anywhere else in the state. There are colleges and a university here. People like Austin because it's cool, culturally. So when they graduate, they just stay here. We have a lot of highly educated people, and comparatively, the job market is tight.