Originally Posted by
Griffin
In 2008, when I applied to the MRTB for permission to do x-ray in New Zealand, I was trading information on the old forum with two other radiographers seeking to emigrate: one, in Winnipeg, had 13 years of clinical experience; another, in Georgia, was a brand-new graduate of Armstrong Atlantic University's x-ray programme; I, the third, fell in the middle as a relatively recent graduate ('05) with three years' clinical experience.
The Canadian was granted an APC for the asking, based on her significant hospital experience, and went directly to work at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland with a WRV. The Floridian was declined outright, with the advice that he re-apply after gaining actual work experience. I, again, fell in the middle when the Board declined to certify me immediately but invited me to prove my clinical competence with what was then called the CBA, or Competency Based Assessment (the same clinical exam is now called something else...can't remember what).
I had to then arrange the CBA myself by contacting a hospital from the list they provided and negotiating a training position. The hospital does not have to pay the CBA candidate, and I was grateful that Whangarei Hospital agreed to pay me the base wage of a new-hire. Then, after the mandatory three-month practice internship, I had to pay NZ$2000 for the CBA exam. When I passed, the hospital hired me full-time and gave me a raise.
So that's how the MRT Board manages with immigrants: they examine the academic credentials (mine had to go through the NZQA and be judged equivalent to the usual NZ qualification) and evaluate the amount and type of working experience; and then they either accept the radiographer unconditionally, conditionally, or not at all.
I didn't have to prove my eligibility for registration to get the Skilled Migrant Visa, because my wife was the primary applicant for the SMV and I was the secondary, or partner. So yes, I had a kind of associate status during the internship phase, and, obviously, I couldn't have gone to work without earning the APC.
I think a similar mechanism is in place for nurses wanted to emigrate.
Hope this clarifies!