[cruss74]

Hi everyone! before i ramble, i want to thank everyone here that has so much advice to offer. (btw, this is my first post).have spent so many hours reading threads my housework is piling up! here in the US i have been working as an RN doing high risk mother/baby for 3+ yrs. sounds nice right? well its ok once you get past the drug addicted moms and hence the babies. i found this site because my husband and i want out of this political mess, the US (where our vote dont mean a thing) :mad: . we have three boys ages 13,9 and 9. i was hit with the suspected news this morning that my 2 yr degree in nursing doesn't mean a thing in other countries, so now i feel hopeless as to the cost of living anywhere else :( . my husband does construction(specifically floors), so now that is my only hope, even though he would take huge paycut anywhere we go(he has union here that makes his pay relatively nice). so now i am thinking maybe i could work as a nurse aid and get the school i need while in NZ. but from hearing stories, i dont know if we could make enough $$ (to survive the cost of living)with me working as a nurses aid. BUT on the other hand, here the US dollar will mean zip,ziltch soon(which also will affect every other country i think). so maybe i am just 'venting' right now, but also i am looking for encouragement maybe. also i guess i have to find info on nurse aids now, so any info would be appreciated. Also, i am curious, if ^**& hits the fan globally, how self reliant is NZ?

[nickydwuk]

Have you contacted the NZNC regarding your RN degree? I know some US nurses have made the move. How much experience have you got? That might help too.

[JandM]

The best of luck with all this. I know on another thread people have been telling you to check out the info in case it's mistaken - hope you will find some way of getting to NZ.

[dilanium]

Unfortunately AFAIK the 2 year RN degrees do not count. The four year RN degrees do (and I think you would have trouble being an RN in other states as well with only a 2 year degree, because in all honesty, the states I lived in previously didn't allow 2 year RN degrees only LPN (but this may have changed with the nursing shortage).

There are a few courses of action you can take if you have your heart set on NZ.
1. Get the 4 year degree in the states then come over.
2. Apply to a nursing program here and devote studies full time until you finish and get your degree here (which will make it easier to get PR if that's what your aiming for, you get points if you've studied for 2+ years in NZ).
3. Come over, work, and try to go to school at the same time. This I fear will prove difficult as the Uni I go to doesn't really seem to have many night classes and most decent jobs close at 5 or 6pm. The situation may be different in say Auckland, but then the cost of living there is higher.

Either way, best of luck to you. It is an extremely frustrating and emotionally draining process. So far it seems to have been worth it though. :)

[cruss74]

Unfortunately AFAIK the 2 year RN degrees do not count. The four year RN degrees do (and I think you would have trouble being an RN in other states as well with only a 2 year degree, because in all honesty, the states I lived in previously didn't allow 2 year RN degrees only LPN (but this may have changed with the nursing shortage

the only state in the US, the last i checked, that only takes a BSN is New York. The main difference in BSN is leadership and management. as a staff nurse, i am as equally capable as a BSN nurse. ( i dont want management anyway). anyway it was alot of work just as well and with all the prerequisites it takes 4+ years.

btw thanks for breaking down my options, they were the same i came up with, so i must be on the right track.:)

[dilanium]

the only state in the US, the last i checked, that only takes a BSN is New York.

Well that makes sense, since that is the state I was thinking of. :) My mother (a an RN who now has a MSN and a MBA) used to work in NY and the restrictions were quite stringent. She now teaches in a 2 year program in Nevada.

You can get financial aid from the US to go to some schools in New Zealand, I know for a fact you can use it to go to Massey (as that is what I am doing). It is loans but it can be a load off of your mind at the same time.

My husband and I decided we wanted to move to NZ in late 2004. We looked at our options and it seemed the best plan was for me to finish my bachelors and get into the vet school here (since I was planning on becoming a vet anyway). That's exactly what we did. We got here July 3rd and are quite happy with the choice at this point (even though I feel like my brain is going to explode with all the information I have to learn).

I can understand that in your situation (with children) you have to look very closely at what you do, as going into an unstable situation can have more consequences for you. I would say try to get into a nursing school here, they may accept most of your previous credits so you only have to take a few more years. If they would force you to take it from the beginning I would finish in the US (if you decide this is really what you want to do).

It's a lot to think about. Moving this far away is a monumental task, but I think it has been worth it for me (but I may still have my rose tinted glasses on).

Good luck!

PS. I'm sure you've seen this page- but here's a link to the list of schools that you can take courses at to be a registered nurse in NZ http://www.nursingcouncil.org.nz/educa.html#inst. I go to Massey University in Palmerston North, so if you have any specific questions about that school I am more than happy to try to answer them for you. :)