Nursing is in high demand in Australia right now. In fact, it has been in high demand for more than seven years, with plenty of people across the globe seizing the opportunity to work in the Land Down Under. And why would they not? After all, nursing is one of those careers people keep referring to as incredibly rewarding. It’s not as demanding as being a doctor or a surgeon, but it’s just as important and even crucial when it counts.
Of course, some people will disagree. You can find articles online about not pursuing a nursing career. So, which one is it? Should you become a nurse in Australia (or anywhere else, really), or should you pass on the opportunity?
Well, the best way to answer that is to look at nursing objectively. This article will cover the most important things you can expect to experience during your career as a nurse. It will contain both the positive and the negative aspects, giving you the chance to make an informed choice.
Time Management
Whether you’re a registered or an enrolled nurse, you will have to possess great time management skills. The same applies to both part-time and full-time nurses. Expect your day to be filled with doing rounds, meeting patients, and keeping up with the doctors.
The best thing you can do is get a clipboard and start scheduling everything. Pencil in your rounds, your lunch, your breaks — anything you can think of. And most importantly, stick to your plan. The more you do, the quicker you will get the hang of things. Furthermore, your brand-new time management skills will come in handy even outside of work.
Competitiveness
Did you get a nursing degree recently? Well, congratulations, you’re one of tens of thousands. Yes, there is absolutely a shortage of nurses in Australia, but that doesn’t mean you will get a job at once anywhere you apply. Furthermore, it also doesn’t mean that you get to keep the job you start at. A lot of hospitals have nurse residency programs that only accept a certain number of new graduates. And even then, you will be in an environment where everyone wants to either keep their job or progress further. So, you will need to be ready to prove yourself as the best.
Salary
Generally speaking, the nursing salary in Australia is quite decent. For instance, a typical registered nurse can earn as much as A$64,000 a year. Of course, figures will vary depending on which state or territory you’re employed in.
The hourly wages will also depend on your position, but even then, they tend to be some of the highest in the world at the moment. A first-year nurse assistant — the lowest nursing position you can take — will make roughly A$21.65 an hour. On the other hand, experienced registered nurses might rake in as much as A$55.86 an hour.
Other factors that might affect your salary as a nurse include past experiences, the city you’re in, the particular facility that employs you, as well as knowing (or not knowing) additional skills. Speaking a few other languages is also a bonus, especially if you want to work in an environment that accepts international clients.
Shift Choices
Nurses work 12-hour day and night shifts. Most of the time, newcomers think that they have to fill a specific night-shift quota before they can choose to work days. However, that is not the case. Even a complete newcomer can get a decent day shift within the first week of work. It all depends on the facility and the workload. Of course, no matter what shift you take, expect them to be quite grueling and busy. In fact, some shifts you will barely make time for a decent lunch break. On the upside, you will sometimes get days off even during the workweek.
Patient Attachments
As odd as it might seem to an outsider, nurses also get attached to their patients, just like doctors do. A nurse’s job is to dart around the hospital and tend to dozens, if not hundreds of people on a weekly basis. However, there will almost always be that one patient or that one patient’s family that will see you as a special person, a friend who helped them out in their hardest hours. Letting go of these patients is incredibly difficult, no matter if they’re leaving the hospital happy or have passed away.
Another challenging aspect of patient attachments is watching them suffer. Some people will simply have intense health conditions that will require lots of painkillers, surgeries, etc. And working around these people is incredibly harsh on the psyche, even if you don’t have any special bond with them. Nurses need to be empathetic, of course, but it’s a double-edged sword when you watch people in pain. An average nurse must have a lot of mental fortitude to keep it all together. And though it gets somewhat easier with time, you will never get quite used to it.
Treatment by Senior Nurses
It’s an unfortunate, painful fact of this particular career choice, but it’s true, and it happens a lot more often than we would like it to. Senior nurses, no matter the environment, tend to bully the newcomers profusely. Obviously, not all of them do it, and some senior nurses might act harshly towards their new colleagues simply to help them acquire the needed skills for doing their job correctly. But there’s a difference between a senior nurse yelling at you for making a mistake and a senior nurse belittling you for simply combing your hair a certain way.
If you happen to experience this latter type of behavior, make sure to keep two key details in mind:
- Act professionally at all times
- Make sure the higher-ups know about the abuse
It’s never a good idea to put up with abusive behavior, even if it might cost you your new career. So, make sure that the proper authorities get notified and don’t let the abuser get away with it.
Nursing Career Expectations: A Few Final Thoughts
Naturally, despite all of the potential setbacks, we would still recommend that you apply for a nursing career in Australia. Not just because of the paycheck, mind you, but mainly because of the nature of the calling. A nurse does a lot of good, noble work, and with that career, you will become the pillar of your local community. But more importantly, you will help plenty of people get well in the process.
This post has been sponsored by Medshop
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