Being an RN in Australia

OK, I am going to start my first job here in the land on Oz tomorrow!  It only took me 13 months to get my basic RN license here--go figure!  I have been an RN in the USA since 1978 and a Nurse Practitioner since 1981.  I never enjoyed or wanted to work on a "floor" (ward) in the hospital and so I worked in the Emergency Department or ICU.  As an NP I worked in Family Practice most of my career at Group Health and LOVED the work.  So now is a new chapter in my work life-----back to an RN, working in the medical/palliative care ward in the local private hospital.  I just completed several hours of on-line learning in prep for the work, it was a great review on medication dosage calculations and IV drip rate calculations (I think I will need to carry a cheat sheet with me until I have done it a few thousand times).  Back to wearing a uniform too!  Only I don't think I have to wear white shoes :).  When I first started my nursing career I wore a white nurses dress, my white nurses cap, white nylons, white shoes, the whole 9 yards, as it was all required.  Thank god those days are gone.  Nurses at this hospital even wear long legged shorts and no nylons.  My uniform will be navy blue pants and a white shirt until my uniform tops arrive.  I was told to order a polar fleece jacket for the winter time, which makes me wonder if there is no heating in the hospital (not unusual here, as the chill does not last very long)  I hope they have a blanket warmer for the patients!  I will let you all know how it goes, tomorrow is orientation, then I work the weekend doing the evening shift.  I pray the nurses are good to me as I have little idea what I will be doing.  The work is "casual", which means that I will be only working on-call as there are shift openings which is just what I want.  Ideally working 2 days a week will work just fine!

OTHER JOB POSSIBILITIES
I also applied for work as a nurse in the outback with Northern Territories Medex.  I am hoping to get "relief assignments" of 2-3 week duration in the aboriginal communities.  I understand my first assignment will need to be for 8 weeks but I have not heard back from them yet (I only mailed my app off one week ago)  The job requires you be very independent with seeing patients, suturing, splinting, providing general clinics as well as emergent care (until the Flying Doctors arrive to transport the patient to a hospital).  I have plans to return to the USA to work in my previous job at Group Health doing vacation relief this summer (AND visit with my family and friends), but I might need to cut that short if I am offered an assignment in the outback.
I guess my days of slacking here in OZ are over!