Migration stories: From the Philippines to Australia

First published: February 2024

What moving overseas to Australia as a registered nurse looks like

Australia is a very multicultural country and its nurses are from a range of different backgrounds. It is estimated that 40% of Australia’s registered nurses and aged carers were born overseas, with this number forecasted to grow in the coming years.

We have developed a guide tailored to the logistics of how to become a nurse in Australia as an internationally qualified professional, but hearing firsthand on how everything works and why you should make the leap can aid your decision just as much.

Pearl Amado, who is currently the acting facility manager of Anglicare Farrer Brown Court , qualified as a registered nurse in the Philippines in 2005 before migrating to Australia as a nurse with an agency in 2012. Having completed the process of transferring her registration, she holds invaluable insights and advice to those considering doing the same.

Beginning the process of qualifying in Australia as a registered nurse

Before moving to Australia, Pearl completed her Bachelor of Nursing and worked for two years in a district hospital in the Philippines in the operating theatre, emergency department and in medical/surgical wards. Her decision to pursue a medical career came from her relationship with her grandmother. As she couldn’t look after her in the end stages of her life, she wanted to ensure she qualified as a nurse to look after others in their time of need and to give others the experience that she couldn’t give to her.

Her experience in the hospital could be challenging at times. “Working in the Philippines was unique when it came to shift work, with long shift times (often 16 hours) and only one doctor on site, so I was used to sharing a full 300 bed hospital with other RNS”.  Pearl decides to broaden her career horizons and took the opportunity to pursue a nursing career in Australia. An agency provided her with all the resources that she needed to migrate overseas. As English isn’t her first language, she took English exams prior to arrival. After passing the exams, she was eligible to start the bridging course for overseas nurses, which allows her to be qualified in both the Philippines and Australia as a registered nurse.

The start of a registered nurse career in aged care

Pearl landed in Ballarat, Victoria in 2011 and obtained a Cert III and IV in Aged Care, working as a personal care assistant and community care worker over a two-year period. She completed her post registration program (a program that allows her qualification to meet the NMBA standards ) at the University of Ballarat and received her AHPRA registration in 2013, completing the migration process. Up until she came to Australia, her experience was solely in acute care. During her time working in aged care, she realised she had found the area of nursing she enjoyed the most and has worked solely in aged care in Australia to this day.

After four years of aged care nursing in residential homes, she made the decision to use the Diploma of Management she obtained in 2014, and in 2017 became the care manager of Constitution Hill Aged Care home . Her unwavering dedication to the aged care sector has resulted in her promotion to facility manager, the role she is presently in. Pearl stands as a stellar example of what enthusiasm and passion for your career can result in.

The rewards of migrating to Australia and working in aged care

The opportunity that was presented to Pearl is one that she hasn’t taken for granted. “I feel proud of what I have achieved. I remained open to feedback whilst working which I believe has helped me get to where I am today”. Aged care is an area she hadn’t experienced before, but now she wouldn’t consider anywhere else. “It’s an extremely rewarding career path. The hospital is more revolving, you may get to know the patient but then they get discharged quickly. Patients can seem to be a task to complete, whereas with aged care you harbour an emotional connection. We all will become elderly at some point in our lives and its important to remember that”.

Climbing the career ladder hasn’t been an easy feat for Pearl, and this is something that she recognises. “It has been full on at times and it has challenged me as a nurse, but in a good way. I do truly believe that aged care is my career now and I wouldn’t want to move elsewhere. You do gain a second family through working here and I love that”.

Advice for overseas nurses moving to Australia

We are here to help you in any area that you need and to make the process as seamless as possible. Each applicant’s journey is going to look different but for Pearl, there were logistic difficulties at the start. “The hardest element of moving overseas personally was communication and finances. I saved up to support myself before moving over here, and I had to use an internet café as the internet in my hometown wasn’t great, so with the time difference it was sometimes difficult. Transferring over qualifications was easy and I didn’t struggle with the English exam as I studied hard throughout”.

Hearing from someone who has completed the process can be helpful in knowing what to expect and what to be prepared for.  “The best advice I can share is to be persistent with what you want and to focus on your goals. Be open minded and get to know people and help each other. Australia is an amazing country with so many opportunities and is so multicultural, everyone is equal. The Australians I worked with were so friendly and willing to help, they even taught me some of the lingo here! Don’t be shy and always ask if you need help”.

Sanctuary can sponsor eligible registered nurses from overseas with a pathway to permanent residency. If you are interested in a life down under, then please send your resume to visas@sanctuaryrecruitment.com for a free resume assessment, or click the link below to take you directly to the contact us form.