Hi there! My name is Jamie and I am a Registered Nurse from Canada. My wife Gillian, and I arrived in March 2016 and I am working as an ED nurse here in Christchurch.
The process to come to NZ took me approximately seven months from start to finish. The easiest part of the process I found, was the communication with Accent Health Recruitment and the most challenging part was finding a job to fit our specific timeline.
My first impression of NZ was that New Zealand is the most beautiful country I have ever been to! We are loving every minute of our time here. The people are friendly, warm, and welcoming. It did not take us long to make connections and we are seriously considering extending our visa to stay longer.
The scenery in NZ (especially in the South Island) it is magnificent and Kiwis' focus on work/life balance is like no other!
What I miss the most though is our family, friends, and our pup, Mosley.
If you are planning to come to NZ my advice would be even if you are only applying to come for one year, get a 2 year visa. The medical will cost much less in your home country and it will ensure that you are covered for more healthcare.
Nursing in Canada and New Zealand is quite similar. The medications are slightly different and the work atmosphere feels much more laid-back than I am used to. We take vital signs way more in New Zealand than we did in Canada, but other than that it is pretty much the same.
Accent was super helpful in accommodating our fairly strict time constraints and was able to find me a job just at the right time. We are so pleased that we went through Accent and are happy they have continued to follow up and to check in with us.
