Finally some good news!

I have been excepted into the International bridging course at The Australian College of Nursing, which starts 29 Feb 2016, So I will be buying my ticket today! Sydney here I come!!! 

Happy Days!!!

Money was deducted!!!

When I woke up this morning, the payment for the application was deducted from my account. I just want to personally thank Pres Zuma for letting the Rand fall so much, cause I got to pay R2850 instead of R2500. ;-/

Anycase... Happy that it went down...1 step closer to the goal. ACN sent me an invoice via email, stating that I still need to pay $10750. Now waiting to hear from them to confirm registration, and to confirm dates.

Its been Delivered!

My application to ACN was delivered on Thursday, so now I'm just waiting for them to come back to me. When I mailed them during the week, they said it usually takes a week. By Friday next week I should have an answer and hopefully be ready to buy my flight ticket.  Lets hope for the best!!

Yay!!!

Signed, Sealed and on its way to be delivered.

I finally sent my application form, together with all supporting documents, to the Australian College of Nursing (ACN). It should reach them on this coming Thursday.

Inside the DHL envelope:

• ACN application form
• Certified copies of: South African Police Clearance, South African Passport, My Immunization card (To prove recent immunization for one adult dose of diphtheria/ tetanus/pertussis vaccine (dTpa)), IELTS certificate
• Ampath reports to proof immunization against: Hepatitis B, Measles, mumps, rubella, Varicella (I am not immune against Varicella- see note below), and TB
• Letter from AHPRA, referring me to the course 
• Correspondence with ACN printed (emails)
• Cover letter explaining, immunization, an address change (I relocated during the AHPRA application process), and the fact that my Australian Police clearance is already at ACN.

Note: Because I am not immunized against Varicella, I made arrangements, with the the customer support officer at ACN, to be immunized as soon as I arrive in Australia. I included our correspondence as proof. (Printed emails)

NB! Remember...certification can not be done by SAPD!!!!! I did however manage to do it a bit cheaper this time. I went to a lawyer for notarized copies, and then went to the High Court in Pretoria CPD to get the copies Apostilled. I paid the lawyer, but the rest was free. 

So now I am waiting for the application fee to go off my bank account...R2500...that means I only have to pay R 107 500 when doing the course...hahahhahahah

Waiting waiting waiting...

I finally have all my documents together...well almost... STILL ONLY WAITING ON SAPD FOR MY POLICE CLEARANCE. This morning I received a mail from the lady at the Australian college of nursing, stating that they have received my Australian police clearance. I must say I am super impressed with Australian police service. The process was so quick and so easy. I had all my immunizations done, except for varicella (But my name is on the list), so now I am just waiting for my SA police clearance then I'm going to submit. Slowly but surely getting there! :)

The Bridging course application.

My sister stays in Sydney, So I decided I'm going to do my course through the Australian college of Nursing, which is in Sydney.

Cost :

AUS $11 000

Need to send in with application:

• A referral letter from AHPRA
• Certified Passport copy
• Proof of Immunization
• Police clearance from SA and Australia
• IELTS academic exam results (Minimum score of 7 in each band)
• Minimum of 12 month post graduation practice
• CPR certification and working with children blue card might be requested in some states.
• $250 Non-refundable application fee, which will be deducted from the $11 000
• Visa that must be presented 3 week prior to the course commencement. NO STUDENT VISAS ACCEPTED

I am in the process of getting all of this together...gonna try and send it to them in about a week or two.

:)

So much that had to be done...

I know its been a long time since my last update, but I've been in India for a month for holiday and I just had to let go of this stress for some time. Then I came back and immediately had a lot to do... So here we go...

In my last post, all my documents were submitter, and they where preparing to present my case to the board on the 16th of July, which they did, and I was patiently waiting here back from them 4 weeks after submission...which I did. I received my feedback on 16 Aug, and this is what it said. 

"Dear Mrs Mendonca

Please find attached a letter of notice to you that, in accordance with section 82 of the National Law, your application for general registration as a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) has been assessed and you were not found to be eligible for registration.

Please read the attached letters for full details.

You will also find attached for your information a copy of the Bridging FAQ published on the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s website.

If you have any queries regarding the information in this letter, or your registration in general, please contact your Registration Officer, Mr Himanshu Kalra by email: himanshu.kalra@ahpra.gov.au or telephone on 1300 419 495 outside of Australia +61 3 8708 9001, or visit the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia website for information. Please note that this mailbox is not monitored for incoming emails.

Regards

IQNM National Processing Team

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency"

So yes I was crying and very upset, cause I had to do the bridging course. The reason was because I didn't have a valid external nursing accreditation authority for the BCur degree that I've done. So I thought...but what about SANC. I was given the opportunity to resubmit some documents to prove that SANC is the external nursing accreditation authority, which I did. I arranged for it to be sent Immediately and it was done on 27 Aug. However I still received the same out come on 15 Oct... I had to do the bridging course cause the problem wasn't that there is no external authority, but rather there is no VALID or RESPECTED external authority. At the end, regardless of the fact that I studied at a very good institution (University of Pretoria), I still have to do the course because of the fact that its public knowledge out there that the standards in SA has gone down so much that they don't even see our only nursing authority as valid. This was in the letter That I received.

"Dear Mrs Mendonca

Notice of proposal to refuse registration 

I refer to your application for registration as a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery 

Board of Australia (NMBA). 

The NMBA has delegated this decision about your application for registration to the NSW Board 

of the NMBA.The NSW Board of the NMBA considered your application on 16 July 2015.

Proposal to refuse

After considering your application, and all information and documents you provided to support 

your application, the NMBA is proposing to refuse your application for registration under section 

82(1)(c) of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory 

(the National Law), on the grounds that you have not satisfied the following requirements:

Qualification

You have not satisfied section 53(b) of the National Law, which requires you to hold a 

qualification that the NMBA considers to be substantially equivalent to an approved qualification.

This letter is notice to you, under section 81 of the National Law, of the NMBA’s proposal to 

refuse you registration.

Reasons for decision

Qualification

All internationally qualified nurses are required to satisfy section 53 of the National Law in order 

to be eligible for registration by the NMBA. To satisfy the NMBA that you possess a substantially 

equivalent qualification or qualifications, the NMBA has published eight criteria that your 

qualification(s) must satisfy.

Failure to meet the requirements of one or more of the eight criteria means you are not eligible 

for registration. Failure to provide information for one or more of the criteria amounts to failure to 

meet the requirements of those criteria and means you are therefore not eligible for registration.

You have applied for registration as a registered nurse on the basis of completion of the following 

qualification:

 Bachelor of Nursing Science at the University of Pretoria in South Africa

The Bachelor of Nursing Science undertaken at the University of Pretoria was assessed against 

the Australian Qualifications Framework at the level of an Australian Bachelor Degree, or AQF 

level 7. 

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

G.P.O. Box 9958 | Sydney NSW 2001 | www.ahpra.gov.au | 1300 419 495

The Bachelor of Nursing Science met the following criteria:

Criterion1: Evidence that the qualification makes the applicant eligible to apply for registration 

Criterion 2: Evidence that the institution where the applicant studied was externally accredited

Criterion 4: Evidence that the applicant’s overseas qualification is equivalent to an Australian 

Criterion 5: Evidence that the program of study included a minimum of 800 hours of workplace 

Criterion 6: Evidence that the curriculum of the program of study focused on the various 

Criterion 7: Evidence that the applicant successfully completed all components of the program

Criterion 8: Evidence of institutional certification of successful assessment in medication 

to practise as a registered nurse in the country where they completed the program

of study.

during the period when the applicant undertook their studies.

Bachelor Degree as a minimum.

experience providing exposure to a variety of healthcare settings. 

aspects of nursing practice.

of study and graduated with the relevant qualification.

management, including administration of medicines, pharmacokinetics and 

pharmacodynamics.

The Bachelor of Nursing Science did not meet the following criteria:

Criterion 3: Evidence that the program of was externally accredited and provided successful 

Your qualification fails to meet criterion 3.

For more information on the eight qualification criteria, please see Meeting the requirements on 

the NMBA website.

Referral to bridging program

Enclosed is a letter of referral to a NMBA-approved bridging program of study.

As you meet all registration standards and all criteria other than criterion 3, you have been issued 

with this referral letter to undertake a NMBA-approved bridging program. You may be eligible for 

registration in the future subject to successful completion of the bridging program, provided that 

you still meet all other registration requirements at the time of application.

You must provide your referral letter to the education provider as evidence that you are eligible to 

undertake a NMBA-approved bridging program. You may also need to meet other eligibility 

criteria set by the education provider and will need to directly contact the education provider for 

this information

Once you have evidence that you have successfully completed a NMBA-approved bridging 

program within the timeframe set out in the enclosed referral letter, you are invited to lodge a new 

application for registration with the NMBA. You should lodge your application at the Australian 

Health Practitioner Regulation Agency office in the state or territory in which you plan to live and 

work. Applications can be submitted by post or in person. For more information about applying for 

registration after completing a NMBA-approved bridging program, please see the bridging 

program Fact Sheet on the NMBA website.

Written notice and invitation to make a submission

Under the National Law you must be notified of any proposal to refuse registration and the 

reasons for the proposal, and be given an opportunity to make a written or verbal submission to 

the NMBA about the proposal. You are invited to make a submission to the NMBA about its 

proposal to refuse you registration.

Should you make a submission, the NMBA will undertake a full assessment of any additional 

documentation provided. Please note that the additional information may not change the outcome 

of your application.

graduates with a qualification in nursing.

The submission must be made by 14 September 2015, being a date which is not less than 30 

days after the date of this notice. Please address any written submission to:

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

G.P.O. Box 9958

Sydney NSW 2001

In making a submission, you should include any additional information or evidence that warrants 

a reconsideration of the NMBA’s decision to propose to refuse you registration. 

If you do not make a submission by 14 September 2015, the NMBA may resolve to refuse your

registration as a registered nurse under section 82(1)(c) of the National Law.

If you have questions or require further information regarding your application, please contact

your Registration Officer, Himanshu Kalra:

 email: Himanshu.Kalra@ahpra.gov.au

 telephone: 1300 419 495 or, from outside of Australia, +61 3 8708 9001

Yours sincerely

Director Registration NSW  "

So then I had to  suck it up and start with the next step.

And this is what they answered

They answered me immediately! Cool right...!! This is what they said:

Dear Mrs Mendonca

Your application will be presented on 16 July 2015 (date subject to change). You can expect to hear an outcome in 4 Week’s time from then.

Thank you for your patience.

Kind regards, 

I will follow up on  Monday 17 August 2015.

See you then

Lets wait nervously..

After admitting my documents on the 14th of May, I have received a mail from AHPRA on the 21st of may stating the following:

"I confirm that we have received the required documents from you and your file has progressed. Your file needs to be prepared and presented to Board for review. We would endeavour to present your file to Board either in late June or early July, these are the next two available Board meetings to which it looks feasible for presentation."

So ever since  that day I have been nervously waiting...and I am still doing that. I thought that I would just send them an email again tonight just to find out whether it will be June or July.

I will keep you updated.

:)

"itinerary"...your to-do list....

5 days ago I heard back from AHPRA again. They needed 2 of the pages of the application form to be sent to them again. It is very stupid, but I interpreted that one question in the wrong way.

Question 22

Q:Do you hold, or have you previously held, registration in the profession overseas?

My A:I answered..no...case I have only practiced in SA

BUT

even though the form says ... Application for general registration
For internationally qualified nurses and midwives...they actually mean have you practiced, and are you registered to work anywhere else but Australia.  So I had to fill the whole page again, just to tick yes at that question...and then also page 10 cause I had to sign the form again. Well it been mailed to them..so now we wait AGAIN!!

In the mean time: Here is a list of whats, wheres, and whens...

1. AGOS- 40 form from AHPRA website

2.Certified copy of your passport and marriage certificate if you are married.

3.Your degree, academic transcript and curriculum (Get at the institution where you studied)

4.IELTS exam certificate copy

5.service certificates from all your different employers (Must have a signature of the HR manager on and must have a stamp...Must state if it was a full time of a part time job, job description, and dates when you started and when you finished)

6.SANC must send a form that needs to be filled (on AHPRA website), together with a certificate of good standing directly to AHPRA. I in anycase added a copy of my SANC Certificate and my SANC receipt. I paid R1500 for them to send it. It takes a while (Mine took 8 weeks, and that was with continuous nagging) to get this done, so don't be scared to start with it. Just make sure that you have your documents delivered to AHPRA before your certificate and form from SANC arrives there. :)

Certificate of goodstanding

7. Your CV...PLEASE REFER TO THEIR INSTRUCTIONS ON WHAT THEY WANT....its not just the 1-2 page cv we do here in SA.

8. A document which needs to be filled by the institution where you studied. It must also be sent directly to AHPRA by the institution. I paid R675 for them to do it. It can also be found on the AHPRA website. It is for the institution to prove that they were accredited during the time of your studies.

Well this is the documents that I had to submit, but it might be a bit different for other...Please refer to the last page on your application form and make sure you gathered everything before you send it. It cost me R1000 for the docs to be sent with DHL..so make sure everything is in the first time...

Good luck!!!

Signed sealed and delivered!

The documents that my case officer required, has now been delivered at AHPRA Sydney! Now we wait....AGAIN!!

Money Money Money! ;/

Oh my word...What a day..! Documents at notary at the cost of R1650, and document that has to be sent by University of Pretoria arranged at the price of R675.  I'm sure I'll love living in AUS...if I can actually afford a ticket when the time come.

Will put a post soon about total spent on this whole process.

Later people!

Uuggghhhh...!!!

On the 5th of February AHPRA contacted me for the first time. As I read the email, my mood fell deep down into the ground and frustration grew quickly. My case officer requested some more documents from me. Now you might say, why didn't I just send everything I had to the first time, but I did. I had to send documents that I have already sent, but this time certified by a notary. The first time around, I had all my certification done by the South African Police department, which did not do the trick. So after running around like a maniac, I manage to gather all the documents again and found someone to certify my documents (Still waiting on a quote). So its official:

DO NOT LET THE SAPD CERTIFY YOUR DOCUMENTS FOR AUSTRALIA...

IT WILL BE DISREGARDED!!!

AHPRA told me I have 30 days to get the documents to them. I am waiting on a quote now from the notary...will keep you up to date with costs.

Happy...Sad..

So just to put thing a bit into perspective, I thought I'll add a timeline  so that you can get an idea of how long things are taking...

I started getting all my things together in November. 

22 Nov - I applied at SANC for the certificate of good standing to be sent to AHPRA.
Early January - I sent my documents to AHPRA for a skills assessment.
15 Jan - I received and receipt of confirmation for my documents via email from AHPRA.
16 Jan - They deducted the money from my account....but oops...Something went wrong, and the money did not go off.
28 Jan - certificate of good standing was delivered and signed for.
1 Feb - After 2 emails and no response, I phoned the AHPRA customer care with regards to the money that hasn't gone off. The man assured me that I should not worry, and that they will contact me if there is any problem with the money. As soon as I hung up, the money went off. This was very funny, cause just earlier that day my husband and I read on a forum that one lady phoned AHPRA every now and then just to "remind" them about her...according to her, every time she phoned, something happened and she was a little bit closer to being registered... I guess I just reminded them about me. hahahha! I've NEVER been so happy about someone taking money from me. 

So happiness about the fees, cause that was super stressful.

Sadness.... My husband is leaving tomorrow for 6 months. He is a sailor so will be sailing from Feb to end July..

 

In the meantime, things will go on here and hopefully I will get registered with the Australian nursing and midwifery council.

Certificate of good standing!!

 

Oki dokes...Cool!...My SANC certificate of good standing has arrived at AHPRA!... Now for some waiting. :)

To Course or not to Course...

This is what I found out with regards to the possible bridging course.

If you submitted your application to AHPRA, they can reply to you with one of three outcomes:

You are fantastic, we are going to register at Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, so that you can come and work in Australia...YAY!!! :-)
.
.
or
.
.
You are ok, you stink a little bit! So...here is a letter that you can take to one of the approved nursing facilities to register for a bridging course, which will make you stink a little less. :-/
.
.
or
.
.
MMMmmmm... You stink terribly...no bridging course is going to help you...so the only way you will ever be able to work in Australia, is to start all over again, and study at a recognized institution, preferably an Australian nursing institution. :-(


So if it happens that they require you to do a bridging course, you can find a list of AHPRA approved courses on the AHPRA website (find the link under my useful links)

I am still waiting on my verdict, but if I'm gonna be required to do the course, I'm going to register at the Australian College of Nursing in Australia. Not for any other reason than the fact that my sister stays in Sydney...So I would possibly be able to stay there. I had a look at the outline of the course and also the fees. The fees for 2015 are 10 000 AUD, which is quite a lot, especially for someone getting paid in Rand. Today, 10,000 AUD is 95,982.50 Rand. 

So for now we wait.. lets hope for the best.

 

 

Finally some progress!

Finally some progress with the documents! Seem like its on its way to Sydney, Australia. I hope it will be delivered tomorrow.. LETS SEE!! :)

Once its received, the countdown can begin. They say it takes 6-8 weeks.

Oh no...spoke too soon. ;/

I called the courier company to track the documents sent to AHPRA by the SANC (South African Nursing Council). They assured me that the documents are now in Johannesburg and will soon arrive in Ireland.... Ok...NO WHAT!?!?!...Ireland? Last time I checked I am immigrating to Australia... Phoned SANC again to inquire about this. The person on the line responded as follows: "uuuhhhh, please call me back tomorrow ma'am, I have to sort this out..."
Well lets see. I will phone again tomorrow to see where the documents are. 

Progresssss...whoohoo!!

I spoke to the person in charge of sending the certificates of good standing, and I am super pleased to say that mine has been sent! So AHPRA should receive it tomorrow! YAY!!! thing are happening! 

xox

Getting started!

The most difficult and annoying part of this whole process, is the 'getting started' part! So many forms to fill, info to get from somewhere (Finding out where is somewhere..), document certification, document certification, document certification.... See what I'm getting at? Well I am happy to say that after a few months of struggling, that I am well on my way. I have submitted my application, a stack of almost the size of those thick old school bibles, for Nursing Accreditation to AHPRA. For me, dealing with AHPRA, wasn't a hassle at all. Once they received the documents, they mailed me immediately to inform me. It was the gathering of all the documents that made me crazy. AHPRA specifies exactly what they want and how they want it, which at least added some structure to the whole process. Part of the application requires you to have SANC send a certificate of good standing, sort of proof that you are registered, directly to AHPRA. I am in the process of getting this done. So even though I've paid the R1500 to SANC to do this, and even though I've applied for this to be done, in November 2014, it still hasn't been done. I phoned the person in charge of this, and he assured me that it will be done this week. So finger crossed...