It’s obvious that Vito Sestito, a cardio thoracic ICU nurse from Australia, who currently resides in Ohio, is a man who knows what he wants out of life.

"I had been with my previous employer for 10 years and knew I needed a change,” he said. “I hate change, but when I instigate it I tend to make big changes. You can’t get much bigger than moving half a world away. I knew nursing here was going to be somewhat different and a challenge, but it also gave us the opportunity to achieve some of our life goals."

Sestito, his wife Claire and daughter Samantha, have been in the U.S. for several months. They heard about nurse staffing agency O’Grady Peyton International through the book, "Living and Working in the USA" and subsequently attended one of their information seminars.

As Sestito says, "the rest is history."

So what life goals brought him here? A desire to travel, exotic cats, and family.

The Sestitos breed and show Oriental and Siamese cats and had exported them to this country with great success in the past. They also wanted to live closer to relatives in New York and Toronto.

As far as the changes to his professional life, Sestito shared two important ones.

"The biggest difference here is nursing two ventilated patients in the ICU setting," he said. "Coming from an environment where I would look after one ventilated patient has taken some adjustment, but I simply prioritize the needs of the two patients."

"Another difference in America is that I get to work twelve hour shifts," Sestito said. "These shifts are great for both the patient and the nurse. The patient gets longer continuity of care and I get to spend extra time off with my family, achieving some of those life goals."

When asked if he is happy that he and his family made the move, Sestito is enthusiastic.

"We are having a ball," he said. "It’s great to be living an adventure, where just going to the grocery store is a unique experience, let alone driving over the George Washington Bridge for the first time on the way into New York City."

"And, the cost of living is definitely less than it was at home, so we can afford to go off on our U.S. adventures more often," he said. "We have driven to New York twice and have even been to the world famous Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus."