My Name is Lucy and I am a Registered Nurse in Child Health. I came to NZ in February 2019 from the United Kingdom. The process to come to NZ took me 9 months in total.
The easiest part of the process was finding a job- ACCENT listened to exactly where I wanted to work and found a job really quickly and prepped me for my interview really well. The most challenging part of the process was collecting all the documents (especially references) for my NZ registration.
I worked in PICU in the UK and now I work on a children’s surgical unit so they are very different jobs anyway, but it was my decision to go down a different route. There are some things that are done differently but the team I work with are very supportive and so it is easier to get used to the way things work. More technology seems to be used in the UK (for notes etc.) but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing and things are constantly changing to improve services. The hospital has a clinical educator who is responsible for orientating and supporting the new staff which has made everything easier for me. This is similar in the UK too!
The wards are run really well here in NZ but there is also more of a relaxed atmosphere which makes working a lot nicer. It is very difficult to compare exactly as I am working in a different area but there is a lot of variety where I work which is really interesting, so I am learning a lot!
My first impressions of NZ were the amazing country with amazing scenery and everyone is really friendly. I travelled around before I started work which was really fun (especially Abel Tasman!) but I have really enjoyed settling into Wellington. It is a great little city with a lot going on and a lot of outdoor things to do too. I miss my family, but having technology like Skype makes things a lot easier.
My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is start early because it takes a while to get everything together. Prioritise what is important to you in where you want to live so you can choose the best place for you. I would recommend anyone who is thinking of coming to NZ- even if it is just for a short time- to do it because it is a great country and settling in has been the easiest it could have been because of the friendly and welcoming people who are here.
Using ACCENT was also a really good decision because it took the pressure off finding a job and they were really good at offering general advice for moving over.
Accent Health Recruitment > Case Studies > Nurses and Midwives > Lucy - Registered Nurse - U.K.
