Working for us (Nursing)

To work through Bower Healthcare in Australia you need to be a citizen or permanent resident, or the holder of a valid visa with work entitlements. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of Australia, or a New Zealand citizen, check your visa eligibility with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. Please note, we do not offer sponsorships.

• Registered Nurses must possess a minimum of 12 months post-graduate clinical experience
• Experience is preferred for Endorsed Enrolled Nurses (although not always essential)

Relevant clinical experience must be recent, preferably within the last 6 months, but definitely within a year.

• Assistant in Nursing applicants need to be in their 2nd year or above of a current nursing degree, having completed clinical placements
• Orderlies (Wardspersons) must either be nursing undergraduates, or possess a health related Certificate III or IV qualification plus recent, relevant local experience.

Australia has a national registration scheme for health practitioners which is managed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Nurse registration is now managed by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and the requirements for registration from overseas can be found on the website under the “Internationally Qualified Nurses and Midwives” tab. Registered Nurses from New Zealand are covered by the Mutual Recognition Act and, if in possession of a current practise card, can transfer their registration across.

The registration process is rigorous, especially for overseas applicants (and particularly for those who trained outside of the UK and Ireland) so make sure you allow yourself plenty of time (at least 6 months) to have your application assessed before committing to any travel plans (we actually recommend that overseas nurses confirm registration in Australia before leaving home).

For those applying onshore, there is a requirement to produce certified copies of documents in the application process. Bower Healthcare has a JP at its Bondi Junction office who will sign for members at no cost.

To work in any NSW public hospital nurses must comply with NSW Health's policy directive regarding screening and vaccination against specific infectious diseases. Although not essential for work in the private sector, it is considered “best practice” to possess appropriate cover.

Nurses must provide appropriate evidence to satisfy the Policy requirements as follows:

• Diptheria, tetanus, pertussis: One documented dose of adult dTpa vaccine
• Hepatitis B: Documented evidence of a completed, age appropriate, course of hepatitis B vaccine and documented evidence of anti-HBs above or equal to 10mlU/ml or documented evidence of past hepatitis B infection (anti-HBc)
• Measles, mumps, rubella: Birth date before 1966 or documented evidence of 2 doses of MMR vaccine at least one month apart or documented evidence of positive IgG for measles, mumps and rubella
• Varicella: Physician documented evidence of history of chickenpox or documentation of physician-diagnosed shingles or documented evidence of a positive varicella IgG or documented evidence of age appropriate varicella vaccination
• Tuberculosis: Proof of a negative result following recent (within last 5 years) Tuberculin (Mantoux) Skin Testing.

It is strongly recommended that you prepare in advance for this requirement and bring all of the appropriate documented evidence with you to your interview. Original documents can be certified by the JP in our office.
Your Bower Healthcare Consultant will be happy to advise you should you need assistance in achieving these compliance requirements, simply email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.