You may or may not know that a growing percentage of the working population in Australia is comprised of migrants and the health industry is no different.
Being a migrant myself, I personally know a lot of nurses not only in New South Wales but the rest of Australia who have come to this beautiful country away from the comforts of their home for various reasons, may it be adventure, a change in lifestyle or a fulfilment of their dreams.
If there was a book that I could buy to cure homesickness and longing when I first left the land of my birth to be with the man I chose to spend the rest of my life with, I would’ve bought it in a heartbeat. Sadly, there is none.
Lucky for you though, if you’re a nurse trained outside Australia and thinking of coming here to work or a student thinking of taking up nursing, there is a book available to you to serve as a guide on nursing in Australia.
When I first chanced upon Emma Bates’ website and saw her book, I didn’t hesitate to contact her and ask if I could interview her for the benefit of Nurse Uncut’s members and visitors to know more about the person behind the book, Nursing in Australia.
Here’s the full transcript of my interview with Emma.

1. Can you tell the readers of Nurse Uncut something about yourself?
I am originally from the South East of England and came to Australia in January 2004. I trained as a nurse in the UK and my mum and a cousin in the family are also nurses. I love travelling and have travelled through many countries. I have also travelled around Australia extensively and last April I did a road trip travelling from Perth to Darwin in the Northern territories in a camper van.
I love horse riding and used to own a horse in the UK. I have worked in the health profession for nearly 20 years and have held a variety of senior nursing positions both in the UK and in Australia.
I have published research in both countries and have taught nursing students who have newly arrived in Australia. I have also written research papers about overseas nurses migrating to the country and I manage a website and forums for nurses newly arrived down under. This all began when I co-produced an orientation CD for overseas nurses migrating to Australia.
2. What prompted or inspired you to write the book about ‘Nursing in Australia’?
When I first arrived in Australia there was nothing to guide me in the right direction. Overseas nurses are expected to find their own way through a new complicated heath care system and there was nothing to help them or me through the process. Back then (2004) I thought a guide book would have been handy and was surprised no one had written one, given the amount of overseas nurses that are in Australia.
Although the health service do what they can to assist in the transition, it would have been useful to have a guide like this one. I spoke to many nurses who felt the same way, so I decided to write the book I wish I had had.
3. In a nutshell, what is ‘Nursing in Australia’ about?
Nursing in Australia – A Guide to Working and Living as a Nurse Down Under is a new eBook which aims to equip internationally qualified nurses with information prior to arriving in Australia and starting work in the health service. The eBook (which you can download to your computer) is available by visiting the website. It includes information on preparation nurses need to undertake (and what they need to know) up front, how much it is likely to cost, where they might think about living and how to obtain the right visa, as well as lots of technical information, from hospital contact details and jobs through to drug calculation checklists and National Inpatient Medication Charts.
You can download the first 20 pages of the eBook for free, which includes the contents page, listing all the subjects covered in the 361 page, 3 part eBook at http://www.nursingaustralia.info
Also so available is ‘ Nursing in the Australian Health Service’ which has been designed to guide people through the intricacies of the Australian Health Service. This is a stand alone eBook for people who don’t need all the overseas/travel and visa information found in the full eBook. You can also download a free sample of this eBook by visiting the website.
4. How did you do your research. Was it based on personal experience, interviews with other nurses, etc?
I undertook a piece of reseach in 2007, using questionnaires with newly-arrived overseas and nurses asking them a series of questions, to gather information about what they wished they had known prior to arriving in Australia.
I was also trying to find out what their expectations were after arriving in Australia. The results were surprising and not quite what I were expecting and I discovered that many overseas nurse do not stay and leave after only a few months.
One of the main reasons cited for this was homesickness, but also another important factor was lack of information and support. The aim of the research was to find out what they needed to make them feel more supported and comfortable (ultimately meaning they would stay in Australia for their intended timeframe).
At the time this was vitally important to understand given the nursing shortage in Australia. The piece of research was published in ‘Contemporary Nurse’ last year. It took a year to research the eBook before any writing began and it needs to be constantly updated (which is why it is in an electronic format at this stage).
5. What are your favourite chapters in the book and why is that your favourite?
I don’t really have a favourite chapter – I enjoyed the whole experience of writing a book because it was something new to me. Parts one and three were by far the easiest to write.
Part two was the hardest, trying to write about nursing and a number of quite ‘dry’ (but important) subjects in a way that didn’t make the reader want to drop off to sleep – this was the biggest challenge!! A number of readers have sent me emails because certain sections have made them smile – particularly in sections like ‘Social Australia’.
6. What’s your most memorable time as a nurse? Can you share an unforgettable moment with a patient? What do you enjoy about nursing? Favourite moment with your co-nurses?
I don’t have one particular memorable moment as a nurse – there have been so many!!!! I work in mental health so for me, being able to nurse and care for someone who has reached rock bottom while they share their innermost secrets with you (a complete stranger) is still quite something.
I continue to appreciate that for a while I have to be their motivation for them to live, or have to help steer them through life safely while their world is completely upside down. To me that is continually memorable because as a nurse I share one of the most important time in their lives, which even their families and loved ones often never get to see.
7. What’s the feedback from nurses/readers regarding your book?
I thought it best to paste the comments so far, here are the comments that I have recieved:
‘Your book looks great’
‘This is fantastic and much needed’
‘I would like to congratulate you on such a fantastic publication. Every single question I have ever been asked. The information is accurate and set out in a format that is easy to read’
‘Over 200 pages of essential information for nurses and midwives wishing to migrate and work!!!’
‘This is fantastic and much needed. I’ll let our nursing candidates know about your site and book’.
‘The books are very informative and provide a fantastic resource for nurses wanting to come over and work here. We will encourage people to use them’.
A number of universities and nursing colleges have bought the book and are using it as part of their curriculum.
8. Are you planning on writing another book? If so, what would it be about?
Yes, I am looking into that now, it will be another nursing title.
9. What public perception about the nursing profession that you would like to correct if you had the chance?
I honestly don’t believe that the general public really know what nurses really do for a living. They see the bedside (’Florence Nightingale’) part of the role and assume that’s the role of a nurse. What they don’t get to see is the expert knowledge the nurse develops and how technical the roles can get or the large amount of responsibility nurses take on in their roles.
I would like to see nurses holding the same professional public respect that a solicitor, architect or doctor gets. In some cases e.g. the Nurse Practitioner role, there is very little difference between the nurse’s and the doctor’s role!!
***
Has anyone read Emma’s book? What are your thoughts? I believe Emma also confirmed other nurses’ belief that the general public don’t really know what nurses really do.
If you happen to read this and you’re not a nurse but a member of the wider community, do you agree with Emma’s (and the other nurses) perception that you don’t know what they really do?
You may or may not know that a growing percentage of the working population in Australia is comprised of migrants and the health industry is no different.
Being a migrant myself, I personally know a lot of nurses not only in New South Wales but the rest of Australia who have come to this beautiful country away from the comforts of their home for various reasons, may it be adventure, a change in lifestyle or a fulfilment of their dreams.
If there was a book that I could buy to cure homesickness and longing when I first left the land of my birth to be with the man I chose to spend the rest of my life with, I would’ve bought it in a heartbeat. Sadly, there is none.
Lucky for you though, if you’re a nurse trained outside Australia and thinking of coming here to work or a student thinking of taking up nursing, there is a book available to you to serve as a guide on nursing in Australia.
When I first chanced upon Emma Bates’ website and saw her book, I didn’t hesitate to contact her and ask if I could interview her for the benefit of Nurse Uncut’s members and visitors to know more about the person behind the book, Nursing in Australia.
Here’s the full transcript of my interview with Emma.

1. Can you tell the readers of Nurse Uncut something about yourself?
I am originally from the South East of England and came to Australia in January 2004. I trained as a nurse in the UK and my mum and a cousin in the family are also nurses. I love travelling and have travelled through many countries. I have also travelled around Australia extensively and last April I did a road trip travelling from Perth to Darwin in the Northern territories in a camper van.
I love horse riding and used to own a horse in the UK. I have worked in the health profession for nearly 20 years and have held a variety of senior nursing positions both in the UK and in Australia.
I have published research in both countries and have taught nursing students who have newly arrived in Australia. I have also written research papers about overseas nurses migrating to the country and I manage a website and forums for nurses newly arrived down under. This all began when I co-produced an orientation CD for overseas nurses migrating to Australia.
2. What prompted or inspired you to write the book about ‘Nursing in Australia’?
When I first arrived in Australia there was nothing to guide me in the right direction. Overseas nurses are expected to find their own way through a new complicated heath care system and there was nothing to help them or me through the process. Back then (2004) I thought a guide book would have been handy and was surprised no one had written one, given the amount of overseas nurses that are in Australia.
Although the health service do what they can to assist in the transition, it would have been useful to have a guide like this one. I spoke to many nurses who felt the same way, so I decided to write the book I wish I had had.
3. In a nutshell, what is ‘Nursing in Australia’ about?
Nursing in Australia – A Guide to Working and Living as a Nurse Down Under is a new eBook which aims to equip internationally qualified nurses with information prior to arriving in Australia and starting work in the health service. The eBook (which you can download to your computer) is available by visiting the website. It includes information on preparation nurses need to undertake (and what they need to know) up front, how much it is likely to cost, where they might think about living and how to obtain the right visa, as well as lots of technical information, from hospital contact details and jobs through to drug calculation checklists and National Inpatient Medication Charts.
You can download the first 20 pages of the eBook for free, which includes the contents page, listing all the subjects covered in the 361 page, 3 part eBook at http://www.nursingaustralia.info
Also so available is ‘ Nursing in the Australian Health Service’ which has been designed to guide people through the intricacies of the Australian Health Service. This is a stand alone eBook for people who don’t need all the overseas/travel and visa information found in the full eBook. You can also download a free sample of this eBook by visiting the website.
4. How did you do your research. Was it based on personal experience, interviews with other nurses, etc?
I undertook a piece of reseach in 2007, using questionnaires with newly-arrived overseas and nurses asking them a series of questions, to gather information about what they wished they had known prior to arriving in Australia.
I was also trying to find out what their expectations were after arriving in Australia. The results were surprising and not quite what I were expecting and I discovered that many overseas nurse do not stay and leave after only a few months.
One of the main reasons cited for this was homesickness, but also another important factor was lack of information and support. The aim of the research was to find out what they needed to make them feel more supported and comfortable (ultimately meaning they would stay in Australia for their intended timeframe).
At the time this was vitally important to understand given the nursing shortage in Australia. The piece of research was published in ‘Contemporary Nurse’ last year. It took a year to research the eBook before any writing began and it needs to be constantly updated (which is why it is in an electronic format at this stage).
5. What are your favourite chapters in the book and why is that your favourite?
I don’t really have a favourite chapter – I enjoyed the whole experience of writing a book because it was something new to me. Parts one and three were by far the easiest to write.
Part two was the hardest, trying to write about nursing and a number of quite ‘dry’ (but important) subjects in a way that didn’t make the reader want to drop off to sleep – this was the biggest challenge!! A number of readers have sent me emails because certain sections have made them smile – particularly in sections like ‘Social Australia’.
6. What’s your most memorable time as a nurse? Can you share an unforgettable moment with a patient? What do you enjoy about nursing? Favourite moment with your co-nurses?
I don’t have one particular memorable moment as a nurse – there have been so many!!!! I work in mental health so for me, being able to nurse and care for someone who has reached rock bottom while they share their innermost secrets with you (a complete stranger) is still quite something.
I continue to appreciate that for a while I have to be their motivation for them to live, or have to help steer them through life safely while their world is completely upside down. To me that is continually memorable because as a nurse I share one of the most important time in their lives, which even their families and loved ones often never get to see.
7. What’s the feedback from nurses/readers regarding your book?
I thought it best to paste the comments so far, here are the comments that I have recieved:
‘Your book looks great’
‘This is fantastic and much needed’
‘I would like to congratulate you on such a fantastic publication. Every single question I have ever been asked. The information is accurate and set out in a format that is easy to read’
‘Over 200 pages of essential information for nurses and midwives wishing to migrate and work!!!’
‘This is fantastic and much needed. I’ll let our nursing candidates know about your site and book’.
‘The books are very informative and provide a fantastic resource for nurses wanting to come over and work here. We will encourage people to use them’.
A number of universities and nursing colleges have bought the book and are using it as part of their curriculum.
8. Are you planning on writing another book? If so, what would it be about?
Yes, I am looking into that now, it will be another nursing title.
9. What public perception about the nursing profession that you would like to correct if you had the chance?
I honestly don’t believe that the general public really know what nurses really do for a living. They see the bedside (’Florence Nightingale’) part of the role and assume that’s the role of a nurse. What they don’t get to see is the expert knowledge the nurse develops and how technical the roles can get or the large amount of responsibility nurses take on in their roles.
I would like to see nurses holding the same professional public respect that a solicitor, architect or doctor gets. In some cases e.g. the Nurse Practitioner role, there is very little difference between the nurse’s and the doctor’s role!!
***
Has anyone read Emma’s book? What are your thoughts? I believe Emma also confirmed other nurses’ belief that the general public don’t really know what nurses really do.
If you happen to read this and you’re not a nurse but a member of the wider community, do you agree with Emma’s (and the other nurses) perception that you don’t know what they really do?