Literature related to international nursing students and learning experiences tends to concentrate on the problems experienced by nursing students studying in other countries. Most literatures are published from the perspective of course providers or academics. There is a dearth of literature which explores the educational experiences of overseas trained nursing students within Australia. This study aims to explore the learning experiences of Taiwanese nurses who have undertaken a BN conversion course leading to registration in Australia. This study will be of benefit for both international students and institutions.

A qualitative method was used in this study. Snowball and purposive sampling technique were employed to access participants. Taiwanese participants, living in Australian cities (Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne) and Taiwan, were selected. All participants have completed RN-BN conversion course and are eligible for registration in Australia. Face to face semi-structure interviews of approximately sixty minutes in length were conducted. All interviews were transcribed verbatim, with participants allowed to speak Mandarin during the interview. The transcriptions were translated to English by researcher and verified by two competent bilingual people. Grounded theory approach was applied in data analysis.

Several themes emerged from this study have been identified to data. These themes are the procedure of selecting a course (decision making to go overseas, considerations of selecting a course), viewpoints of the course (stepping stage for future plan, expectations), learning experiences ( overseas experienced nurses studied in campus, overseas experienced nurses in clinical practicum), satisfaction (satisfaction, satisfaction VS recommendation), developing relationships (interaction with local students during class, gaps) and support (Support within university, peer support). Recommendations based on findings will be given for students, nursing staffs and universities.

Definition: conversion course: an academic nursing course developed to upgrade qualifications from diploma to a bachelor degree.