International nursing applicants

What are the legal requirements for working as an International Qualified Nurse or Midwife in Australia?

International applicants who are registered in New Zealand

Mandatory registration requirements

Self-check and Portfolio for nursing and midwifery registration

Recommended Pathway for International qualified nurses and midwives

What we offer nurses and midwives

How can I develop my skills and career?

What expenses from my moving costs will be covered?

How do I apply

Johanna Cromley, Nurse Unit Manager

I am a registered paediatric nurse from the south of the United Kingdom. My Australian experience started, like many, as a backpacker in 2000 as a new nurse who had worked for only one year in London.

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I spent the year travelling and working and fell in love with the people, lifestyle and weather.

I returned to Australia in 2004 under a sponsorship visa and moved to Queensland in 2007, before making my way to Townsville University Hospital (TUH) in 2014 when the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) opened. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to move to a city I had previously visited and loved, and I have not been disappointed.

Townsville attracted me because it was a big city, with lots of activities and opportunities, yet still small enough to have a warm, community feel. Townsville has approximately double the population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait people compared to the state average, so it had a fantastic mix of tertiary-level hospital care and the privilege of working with indigenous families.

As a paediatric nurse I worked in PICU for two years before I commenced as a paediatric nurse navigator, which aims to help children and families to navigate the complex health care system. I now work as the acting Nurse Unit Manager for our Public Health Unit, which is evidence of the progression you can make here.

Townsville is also a fabulous place to live. You have stunning views from Castle Hill, which you can walk, ride or drive up, easy beach access at The Strand, and my dogs favourite walk, the winding pathways of Riverway. I met my partner here in Townsville and it's been great to see our children go to school here and grow. My partner and I have a converted bus and we make the most of this by getting away as often as possible.

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Johanna Cromley, Nurse Unit Manager
Ruth, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

Born in the United Kingdom, I came to Townsville in 2007 after an international recruitment of nurses and was appointed as a Registered Nurse, enabling me to live and work in Australia.

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My partner and I arrived when I was 26-years-old and 15 years, a marriage, two children and an ongoing successful career in nursing later, Townsville is now our home in paradise.

Townsville University Hospital has provided many career opportunities for me. While working, I have completed a post graduate certificate in neonatal nursing and thereafter a Masters of Nurse Practitioner. I am now in my dream position as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner in the neonatal unit of the Hospital. Townsville hosts the only tertiary neonatal unit in North Queensland, with a modern 50-bed unit and a retrieval service that covers 550,000 square kilometres. As part of my day-to-day work, I fly over beautiful North Queensland in a jet or a helicopter to transfer critically ill neonates to where they need to be cared for. My job truly is the #bestjobintheworld.

I know I live in paradise; however, I would like to give even more context about the city I call home. Townsville has beautiful beaches, is sunny all year around, and is a short ferry ride from Magnetic Island - making it the perfect tropical getaway. Townsville is also close to luscious rainforests and waterfalls, which are spectacular to take in. With all these wonders to explore, not only do I enjoy working, but the hospital provides me with the perfect family friendly roster so that I can enjoy my days off giving me the perfect work/life balance.

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Ruth, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner