The Importance of Nursing Bridging Program (IRON) in Australia

Nursing in Australia is something that can offer you a dream career in Australia and at the same time an opportunity to lead a decent life. There are a lot of nurses from different countries who are working as a registered nurse and leading a decent life in Australia. They overseas nurses in Australia have not started their career overnight; rather they had come across various hurdles and challenges before being a registered nurse in Australia.

One of the most important challenges that is being faced by the overseas nurses in Australia is to undergo the Initial Registration for Overseas Registered Nurses (IRON) program in Australia and then apply for becoming a registered nurse. The IRON program is also known as nursing bridging program or nursing adaptation program in different countries. The main reason why a nurse needs to undergo a nursing bridging program in Australia is to understand the unique working atmosphere and job culture of the hospitals in Australia. The hospitals in Australia are of international standards and nurses coming from different countries need to adapt to the working style of the Australian hospitals.

So, to get familiar with the working style of the Australian hospitals, the overseas nurses need to successfully undertake a nursing adaptation program from a reputed institute. Once the nurse successfully completes the IRON program in Australia, then they will be eligible to become a registered nurse in Australia. They can now go back to AHPRA and complete their applications for becoming a registered nurse in Australia. Once they become a registered nurse, they will become eligible to work as a nurse in any of the hospitals in Australia.

Before being able to undergo the IRON course, the nurses should qualify for the IELTS score and without that they could never dream of becoming a nurse in Australia. Once the nurses have sufficient IELTS score, then they can apply to undertake the IRON program and be on the right track towards becoming a registered nurse in Australia. Moreover, nursing profession is one of the better paid professions in Australia and if you are able to successfully complete the IRON program, then you can easily start dreaming of a great nursing career in Australia.

Make sure that you take the nursing bridging program in Australia from any of the reputed nursing institutes, colleges or universities which can also help or assist in getting a better job placement. There are a lot of institutes that offers job placements, while there are some other that offers only job assistance. Anyhow, it all depends on your skills and confidence and if you have both of those qualities, then nothing can stop you from getting your dream job in Australia.

How an International Nurse Can Become a Registered Nurse in Australia?

There are a lot of international nurses who aspire to become a Registered Nurse in Australia, so that they can live a quality life over there. Australia is a dream destination for the Nurses and there is a huge demand for qualified nurses in Australia. But when compared with the countries producing the most number of nurses such as India, Philippines, China etc, the hospitals in Australia are of world class standards and these nurses cannot come straight away and start working in Australian hospitals as registered nurses. There are a lot of criteria and formalities to be undergone, before becoming a nurse in Australia.

There are many factors such as IELTS score, nursing qualifications etc which plays a key role in building a successful nursing career in Australia. One of the most important stepping stone for a nursing course in Australia is the bridging course or adaptation course which equips the nurses to work in the unique hospital environment in Australia. The bridging course is officially known as the Initial Registration For Overseas Registered Nurses (IRON) Program. Without successfully completing an IRON program from an accredited institute in Australia, an international nurse will find it difficult to work as a nurse in Australia unless the nurse is from US, UK or other countries whose hospitals has the same working style and environment.

Before taking the IRON course in Australia, you should receive the decision letter from AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency). Once you have completed the bridging program in Australia, you will be eligible to search for a nursing job and work as a nurse in Australia. Remember that the nurses in Australia have a pretty decent remuneration when compared with other professions and can easily lead a decent style of living in Australia. The ever growing demand for qualified healthcare professionals have paved the way for international nurses to work in Australia, provided they meet the above said criteria.

Usually the IRON program takes from 9 to 12 weeks depending upon different institutes and there are certain institutes which guarantee job placements. At the same time there are other institutes that do not guarantee jobs, but will certainly assist you in getting one. Once you get a job as a Registered Nurse in Australia, then you will be on a new career path and to stay ahead of the competition, you need to maintain or improve you CNE (Continued Nursing Education) points on an yearly basis. You can also take other short term healthcare courses to specialize in a particular nursing field.

If you are an international nurse and wish to work as a nurse in Australia, then first apply through AHPRA and follow the steps that will lead you to become as a Registered Nurse in Australia.