Study Nursing In New Zealand: A guide for potential students

Nursing can be an incredibly rewarding career that will allow you to care for those in society who need it most, and the benefits are significant, both financially and otherwise.

It requires compassionate, strong willed individuals who can keep their head in a crisis, and their heart in a tragedy – learn more about the 10 qualities every nurse should have here.

If you’re looking at studying nursing course in New Zealand, there are a number of elements to consider.

The New Zealand Nurses organisation is the New Zealand Nursing Union body, and is, like it’s Australian equivalent, an incredibly strong union that has negotiated with the government and independent health bodies to ensure fantastic working conditions for the more than 46,000 nurses and health workers in New Zealand.

This means that nurses in New Zealand are well protected and have a strong position to negotiate employment terms from. Nursing courses NZ are generally well regarded internationally, and can allow for easy migration to similar countries, such as Australia or the UK, although not all qualifications are recognised, so make sure to check to requirements with the country in question, as registration can sometimes be a lengthy process in international countries.

There are a number of different options for those who want to work in nursing to find a way there.

One of the ways to study nursing in New Zealand is to complete an enrolled nurse course, which is an 18 month Diploma of Enrolled Nursing. Within New Zealand there are nine Diploma of enrolled nursing courses offered throughout the country, allowing you a multitude of options for where to study.

To be a registered nurse you need to have a Bachelor of nursing NZ qualification, or already be a registered nurse in another country and apply to have that registration recognised.

A registered nurse salary New Zealand (with up to five years experience) is approximately $47-68 thousand a year, depending on a number of factors, including private vs. public hospitals, experience and other relevant skills. The job outlook for both enrolled and registered nurses is fantastic, with an aging population in both Australia and New Zealand increasing the expected hospital, aged care and other healthcare related job prospects expected to rise considerably over the next 10 years.

Many people choose to do midwifery either as an alternative to nursing or alongside nursing. Nurses who have studied midwifery and vice versa are highly valued in the field, as knowledge about infection, pregnancy and a number of other elements of healthcare go hand and hand in the field. It also allows you to care for the most vulnerable amongst us, and be in a position where you can make an incredible difference to the lives of your patients. To become a registered practicing midwife you need to study midwifery (NZ) by completing a Bachelor’s degree in midwifery or a double degree in nursing and midwifery.

All of the above careers can only exist with the aid of healthcare assistants. A healthcare assistant course is perfect if you want to work in healthcare but don’t desire a career as a nurse or doctor, and is also a fantastic pathway to nursing, if you don’t meet the prerequisites for nursing or midwifery.

Studying Vet nursing is very different to studying nursing, as vet nursing is entirely in regards to animals. However, there is some crossover in terms of medications and the same caring spirit is needed for both careers. Some nurses choose to do vet nursing courses (NZ) later in life because it allows them to continue in a role where they can make a difference, but is considerably less taxing on their bodies, as nursing can be a physically taxing profession.

Regardless of which area of nursing you’re interested in going into, it’s a profession that you have to truly feel called to. Patients can be frustrating and the emotional toil of supporting injured and unwell people can wear nurses down mentally, and the physical strain of moving humans around can wear nurses down physically. But for those who work and love the profession, the reward of seeing patients leave their care feeling physically and mentally better can make the reward so much more than the effort.

Nursing is fundamental to healthcare, and has been for literally hundreds of years. It is a career that will see you respected both professionally and personally, and will continue allowing you to reap its benefits long past the shift ending.