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Date
01 July 2025
Andrew works in a metropolitan tertiary women’s health service as a birthing ANUM at a metropolitan tertiary women’s health service.
Where did you train and qualify as a nurse/midwife?
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I trained as an RN in the Philippines and achieved my RN Registration in 2003. I trained as an RM in Perth, Western Australia in 2008.
What made you decide to move to Australia and practice as an RN/RM?
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I initially came to Australia to practice as an RN. It was mainly to move to a “greener” pasture but I also have always had the desire to live in a different country and immerse myself in a different culture/ lifestyle.
What are some of the main differences you noticed about practicing in healthcare in Australia vs where you trained overseas?
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The Health Care System in Australia is very different. I was amazed at how there seem to be an “abundance” of resources when I first came. Coming from a third world country where resources are scarce, it made me realise how lucky countries like Australia are. There are clear practice guidelines, systems that clinicians can refer to and equity among the multi-disciplinary team.
What are your thoughts on settling into nursing/midwifery life in Australia?
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I initially struggled with understanding accents. Australia is a multicultural country and I mainly only interacted with clinicians with American accents prior to my move here. The handover in the mid-2000s was also recorded on tape (at my workplace in WA at least). It wasn’t in person/bedside so that added to my initial difficulty in adjusting.
The scope of practice was also something that I had to learn and made efforts to really understand. There were no patient ratios in the Philippines during the early 2000s, you can be on a 30-bed surgical ward with 2 RNs and 1 Health Care Worker. There were also minimal Professional Development opportunities even for Tertiary Centres and opportunities to further one’s career can be limited.
The hierarchy among clinicians was also observed strictly in the Philippines so collaboration was not always the norm. RNs simply follow doctors’ orders. I am sure that this has now changed and RNs now are more able to speak up for patient safety and advocate better for their patients’ care.
What advice would you have for any nurses/midwives recently arrived in Australia or thinking of moving here to work?
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I would encourage them to share their experiences, knowledge and skills from the country where they previously practiced nursing/midwifery while leaving a huge room to learn and assimilate in Australia’s Health Care System.