Working as a nurse in Australia is as good as it gets. Beaches within easy reach, beautiful blue skies all year round, a lively food/coffee culture and a thriving, dynamic arts scene… It’s a dream city for many people the world over.
Amber, with her sunny smile and her gleaming blonde hair, looks every bit the quintessential Aussie beach babe. It’s only when she greets you and chats away does one get a hint that she hails from a far-away land. But as far as she’s concerned, she’s made Australia home.
“Being able to walk out of work on a hot summer’s day and head straight for the beach is a feeling like no other,” she says. “Sydney is an amazing city with a beautiful coastline and there is so much to see and do.”
When Amber set foot on Sydney soil in December of 2015, she had already had almost five years’ nursing experience behind her. After graduating Trinity College Dublin and qualifying as an RN in 2011, Amber worked hard to rack up nursing credentials in ED as an agency nurse as well as and running an acute surgical assessment unit in a Dublin hospital. As any young adult knows, her itch to travel got the better of her and and she saw the world for a couple of months before finally landing on Australian shores.
Much to the chagrin of her mother, she found herself enjoying working in Australia too much to think about going home any time soon. Her journey with Healthcare HQ began around April 2016, when she began hunting around for agency shifts to supplement her part-time work at a women’s health clinic.
“Angela has a way of making you feel like her only employee!”
“I had been looking for an agency at the time and this one stood out to me,” Amber says. “Within hours, Angela called and we had a chat and arranged an interview.
“From my very first phone conversation with Angela, her warm personality was very evident. Upon meeting her, I got a great sense of her passion for the business,” says Amber.
She soon settled into full-time hours with Healthcare HQ. And after a year of working with the agency, Amber says she’s hung around for so long because she feels distinctly well-supported and cared for as a member of the nursing staff.
“Having worked for other agencies in the past, I believe that this is the key difference with Healthcare HQ. I have never felt like a number,” Amber says. “Angela has a way of making you feel like her only employee!”
It’s high praise for a young nurse with so much experience. The working relationship between Amber and HHQ Director Angela Thwaites was such a happy one that the decision was made to sponsor Amber.
The decision wasn’t a light one: the sponsorship application spans over several months and involves staggering amounts of paperwork and getting through red tape. Unsurprisingly it was a nerve-wracking time for all involved — or, it would have been, had Amber not had the support from management.
“While there were a few months in limbo and waiting whilst on a bridging visa, Angela kept me in the loop with what was happening, every step of the way,” says Amber. The whole experience, from beginning to end, was shared between Director Angela Thwaites and Amber — and when sponsorship was finally granted in March, the celebration and joy was mutual.
While working as a sponsored nurse from another country is not without its challenges, Amber says that the lifestyle she enjoys in Sydney has been more than worth it.
“I love that I have a great work/life balance here in Australia,” Amber says.
“I love the flexibility of my work with HHQ, allowing me to work in a variety of areas, while being able to choose hours which suit my lifestyle.”
“Flexible hours also means being able to take time to travel around Australia too!”
Looking forward, Amber has no plans to leave Sydney any time soon. And with the clear blue skies, beaches only a stone’s throw away and a supportive team behind her, Sydney is an ideal mix of working conditions for any nurse — from anywhere.
Are you a nurse looking for the right agency to work with? We pride ourselves on supporting and mentoring all our staff. Contact Healthcare HQ on 1800 733 709 or email us at [email protected] to talk about opportunities for employment.
