My Name is Katherine, I am a Nurse and I came to NZ in February from England. The process to come to NZ took me approximately 12 months.
The easiest part of the process was getting a visa from immigration, this took only 4 days! The most challenging part of the process was gathering the information required by the nursing council of New Zealand.
My first impressions of NZ were sunny! It has a very friendly atmosphere, people are very welcoming and sometimes go out of their way to help you if they know you are new to the area. There is not much public transport between areas and so getting around the country with no car can be a challenge.
The best parts of NZ are: I haven't seen enough to say exactly but what I have seen of the country so far is beautiful. There are lots of outdoor activities for anyone who likes being active. What I miss the most is my Friends and Family.
My advice if you are planning to come to NZ is: t is more expensive than I had anticipated, particularly grocery shopping so shop around for the best deals.
ABOUT MY NEW WORKPLACE
My current role is community based whereas I previously worked in a hospital.
In terms of similarities, the same diseases and conditions are prevalent here and at home and therefore the management of these conditions is very similar.
In Christchurch in particular there is a lot of co-ordination between GPs and clinics, such as the acute demand service. This is different from home and is an interesting way of treating patients. I think if implemented at home some of the processes used here might have a beneficial effect on patient care
