Melissa Taylor Registered nurse from San Diego enjoys her job by the beach   15 Jul 2009

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Melissa Taylor is a registered nurse from San Diego. For some time she had New Zealand at the top of her must-see travel list and hoped the dream of visiting would come true one day. Melissa had been actively searching for travel nurse positions around the US, but had a hard time finding the job she wanted.

One chilly night in March whilst surfing the net, she thought about working further afield than the US and googled New Zealand. Melissa says, “After some browsing and exploring on the Immigration New Zealand website, I came across a link for working and living in New Zealand…brilliant idea!”

She got in contact with a medical profession recruitment agency – Accent Health Recruitment - in New Zealand that offered enormous assistance.

“I got great advice on what I needed to do and what to expect. The agency also helped ensure my registration was accepted by the New Zealand Nursing Council.”

Today Melissa lives in Napier -- an art deco town situated alongside beautiful beaches – working nearby at Hawkes Bay Memorial Hospital. “It’s even more beautiful than Southern California but without the crowds or the traffic!” enthuses Melissa.

From the time Melissa first registered her interest on-line and started looking at job sites until the time she arrived in New Zealand was just months. “In fact, I had a call from the recruiter just minutes after I had left my name. After that, things happened very quickly.”

Work is good, but with less stress than Melissa was used to. “The people I work with are great.”

She does note the nursing system is different than in the US. “Here nurses are required to take course work to do treatments and protocols that I’ve already been trained to do in the US.”

“Overall, I find nursing far less full on as it is the US. But I like that. It’s much more hands-on here.”

Melissa’s husband Lee is a web developer and designer, and works from New Zealand with his partners in the US. “Even that works well for us,” she explains. “He too was eager to see some of the world and I easily convinced him to come to New Zealand.”

Even though neither Melissa nor Lee had been to New Zealand, “we’re loving it here.”

“Truly, the best thing about this country is the people. They take the time to help each other.”

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