the surfing nurse

Category: Nursing

  • Nursing Council NZ registration: My TruMerit journey

    I started my registration in New Zealand a little later than my AHPRA process. While preparing to leave Germany I sold most of my things – my speakers were bought by a friendly guy who lived and worked in New Zealand and suggested I register there because the process is easier and less expensive. Surf and nature didn’t hurt the argument either.

    TruMerit verification and initial submission

    The Nursing Council only accepts applications approved by TruMerit, an outsourced non-profit based in the USA. Their document-authentication process differs slightly from Australia’s. I submitted my TruMerit application in August 2025. Same as for Australia, they have never received bachelor nursing qualifications from Germany and after a quick review, they asked for further proof to be sent directly from the University Clinic of Cologne and the Cologne Department of Health.

    Coordinating documents from abroad

    In September 2025 I was in Indonesia and coordinated with both the Department of Health in Cologne and the ‘Institut für Pflegewissenschaft‘ at the University Clinic of Cologne to obtain the additional documentation TruMerit required: confirmation of my substantial nursing education and a valid license to practice. Both documents required my original signature and date, which I prepared in Bali and sent to my father, who coordinated the process for me in Germany.

    The Department of Health quickly sent my licence confirmation directly to TruMerit by mail after having received the first page from my father. The university needed more time: they had to provide detailed study content with theoretical, clinical, and laboratory hours. Multiple departments and staff were involved, which slowed the process.

    I tried to speed things up by arranging express FedEx from Cologne to the U.S., but that turned out to be a mistake. I learned I mustn’t be directly involved in the verification chain — my involvement would raise questions about the documents’ legitimacy. That meant re-signing and dating the first page and sending the original from Cambodia back to Germany. Fortunately the university was helpful; once they received my accompanying page they re-sent the completed, signed form by regular courier. My transcript of record was not included initially, so I requested it again; it arrived and was approved by mid-March 2026

    Tracking down a delayed delivery

    As my registration status hadn’t changed, I contacted the Department of Health to find out what happened to the documents. There was still a chance the mail hadn’t cleared customs for whatever strange reason, given the current political situation. My contact eventually confirmed the packet had been delivered back in December. I could hardly stop myself from calling and shouting down the phone, so I restrained and sent an email with the proof of delivery instead. By April I finally received the final report to be approved and submitted to the Nursing Council of New Zealand.

    Registration and the IQN

    I applied for Nursing Council registration, completed a foundation in cultural competency and the Ngā Paerewa Te Tiriti o Waitangi course, and in May I was invited to register with Pearson VUE to take the IQN (theoretical exam).

    Money invested so far: € 890

    The IQN is a computer-based multiple-choice test consisting of two parts: Part A — Medication Safety (12 questions in 30 minutes) and Part B — Nursing Knowledge (108 questions in 135 minutes). Unlike the NCLEX, the IQN questions are not adaptive; every candidate receives the same difficulty level.

    Test day: 29 June 2026, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

  • My AHPRA registration story

    I began my Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) registration in March 2025 while living in Berlin and working at Charité Universitätsmedizin. The AHPRA website estimated up to six months for processing, so I figured I’d have everything sorted well before my 45th birthday in June 2026 (yes, that’s the cutoff for filing and migrating – not exactly subtle).

    Eight months of waiting and a strange notary request

    Eight months passed before AHPRA reviewed my documents. When they finally looked, they told me my documents lacked adequate authentication by a notary public. That felt odd -a German notary can hardly confirm the origin of every certificate ever produced in German- but AHPRA insisted, so I complied. My translation office found the request just as strange; we revised the order and wording of translated documents several times. Big shoutout to Mr Erichsen from Erichsen & Partner for juggling the original bachelor certificates between the notary, me, and AHPRA.

    Uploading headaches and Stream B classification

    After a few upload headaches in my online profile and back-and-forth with my AHPRA case officer in Australia, we finally collected all requested documents and made them compliant with the guidelines. Because a German Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nursing hasn’t been assessed before, I landed in Stream B – which means my qualification is relevant but not considered substantially equivalent to an approved Australian nursing qualification, or international nursing qualification for that matter. Transaltion: I’ll have to retake theoretical and practical nursing exams.

    Money spent so far: €1,150

    NCLEX‑RN: registration, format, and test day

    On 22 April 2026 I got the go-ahead to register with Pearson VUE and booked the NCLEX-RN exam accordingly. The NCLEX uses computer-adaptive-testing: each question adjusts in difficulty based on your previous answer. You’ll answer between 85 and 150 questions in up to 3 hours. The challenge is to remain above the passing standard. Topics cover physiological adaptation, safety & infection control, pharmacology, psychosocial integrity with areas either not covered in the German nursing curriculum or not in such details as internationally required. ever covered in German nursing education or not in enough depths to be internationally qualified. I have been studying since April.

    Test day: 23 June 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

  • Preparing for the OET: fears, mistakes, and passing

    I spent the last couple of months preparing for my Occupational English Test (OET), which is required for overseas nursing registration. Scoring at least a B is a prerequisite before applying for registration and the first of many hurdles on my journey to becoming an internationally certified nurse. The test has four parts -speaking, reading, listening, and writing- and I focused my study around those skills.

    I had no doubt about my speaking ability. Still, some parts even my boyfriend (a native English speaker) had difficulty with, which made me more anxious. To avoid being surprised by the exam format, I researched a learning platform that helped me practise the different question types so I could focus on nursing English rather than getting thrown off by the layout.

    Test day: 23 August 2025, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    I travelled to the capital on Friday and intended to stay over the weekend. I had researched some activities that I was considering doing as a treat after the exam no matter how good or bad I would score. But my fears the next day came true: I somehow ignored the format of the listening part and messed up the first bit by not reading the questions properly. I ended up answering randomly, picking up only a few words I heard. The writing test went sideways too – I lost track of time and realised with five minutes left that I had written 240 words instead of the 180–200 required. I felt terrible and was certain I’d have to resit the exam.

    But no – I passed all parts of the OET and can not submit my registration documents to TruMerit!

  • During my first week at Karapitiya National Hospital in Galle

    During my first week at Karapitiya National Hospital in Galle

    Oncology, surgery, and lessons in resource‑limited care

    Karapitiya National Hospital in Galle is a governmental hospital and one of the three best in Sri Lanka. People from all over the country travel to Colombo, Kandy, or Galle when they need medical attention. The local travel4med team talked about studying and working in Sri Lanka during our newcomers meeting. Visiting university is financed by the government for Sri Lankans who want to study full‑time (that is, not working to sustain the family). Studies are held in English. Not everybody decides to pursue an academic career, but those who do write and read very well; they just lack practice speaking English.

    There are obvious differences in treatment because resources are minimal, and of course some discrepancies are to be expected. We students were asked not to be judgmental but to stay open‑minded. As I am the only nurse with a finished diploma among the medical students, my title throughout the internship is “nurse officer”.

    During my first week I was assigned to the oncology department and observed three thyroidectomies, two inguinal hernia repairs, and a right breast mastectomy. The thyroid is often surgically removed once a mass has been detected -not knowing whether it is cancerous or not- because access to imaging diagnostics can be difficult or is nearly unavailable, and the patient is put on lifelong medication. I could have observed another mastectomy but my one observation lasts a lifetime and there is no reconstruction option offered. Unfortunately, the woman will have a very ugly scar along her right ribcage.

    I introduced myself to the team: the doctor, the medical consultant (medical intern), three to four nurses, and the person in charge of the lights, stretcher, and the ventilator/sedation device. Everyone was very friendly and curious. Questions were welcome, and it was expected that we come forward and be proactive during procedures. It can get rather cozy -standing anywhere possible and firmly together to be able to observe the procedure over one another’s shoulder.

    As the only nurse officer among the medical students from several organizations (travel4med, wayers), the registered nurses in the operating theatre knew about me and were happy to compare procedures and routine tasks for nurses. The obvious operating wing on the floor consisted of two prep rooms (one for the patient and one for medical staff and sterile instruments), the theatre or operating room, and a wake‑up room. There was no personal or material airlock.

    Patient identity checks, medical history and chart review, and peripheral IV placement were done in the prep room. In the operating room, induction was with sevoflurane (short‑lived for induction), followed by isoflurane for maintenance, and the patient was intubated. Surgical sites were thoroughly prepped with povidone-iodine and the patient draped with sterile cloths. The only defined sterile field -with all sterilized instruments- was placed at the foot of the “operating table” (basically the stretcher the patient came in through the prep room). One nurse assisted the doctor and medical consultant directly. The other nurses observed the procedure and provided additional sterile equipment upon request. Toward the end of the procedure, anaesthesia was switched back to sevoflurane and stopped once the suture was finished. All used equipment was collected and counted for on a big cloth on the ground. The patient was moved to the wake‑up room and cared for by a nurse until anaesthesia was weaned off and the patient was awake and safe to be extubated. There was no ICU or PACU. After basic pain medication the patient went to the regular ward for observation.