nursing (1 Viewer)

[johnson]

i'm about to start my third year of architecture and at the end of the year i get an arts degree for it. I've been working at a nursing home for the past one and a half years and have started to become more interested in nursing...so i'm facing a bit of a dilemma as to whether i should completely change careers.

Does anyone know whether its better to do nursing through tafe or through uni? what are the differences between the two?

 

[GirlGoneMad]

It depends what you want to achieve at the end. At TAFE, you can gain Assistant in Nursing (AIN) qualifications or Enrolled Nursing (EN) qualifications. At uni, you can gain qualifications to become a Registered Nurse (RN). It depends on which level you want to work at. AIN is the lowest qualification, EN is the next step up, and RN is the highest basic nursing qualification. When you become an RN at uni, you can then do extra courses to specialize in so many different fields including: management, health law, aged care, paediatrics, midwifery, womens health, community health...the list goes on.

I am about to start nursing at UWS - Hawkesbury to become a registered nurse. I then want to do a midwifery course and a child and family(karitane) course. There are so many options and fields of nursing when you become a registered nurse.

What nursing qualification do you currently hold?

 

[johnson]

i don't hold any nursing qualifications at all. i started working at the nursing home cos my mother is an RN there and i just wanted a decent job.

i would definitely want to be an RN though, because their responsibilities are obviously greater and more wide ranging. but, is what you learn at Tafe the same as what you learn in uni?

my mum doesn't think that nursing graduates from uni are the best of nurses. she says that they are all theory based and don't have enough practical experience

 

[mija]

you should finish ur degree first so you have at least something in ur pocket.
then try working in architecture for a few years and see how you like it.
if u still prefer nursing then you should do uni or something for a degree...
thats what my mum says, if u change your mind just finish what your doing now just in case.

 

[GirlGoneMad]

At uni, you obviously learn more complex things than at TAFE because it is a higher level of nursing. Whether you go to Tafe or uni you do get clinical experience. Experience shouldn't bother you anyway, since you are already getting it!

I can't decide whether or not you should change your course. It depends on how sure you feel about doing nursing.

 

[GirlGoneMad]

What are you employed as? An AIN or PCA? The reason I am asking is because I need a job and I thought I might work in a nursing home for experience. I completed a third of the AIN course in high school. Do you think I have a chance of being employed?

 

[johnson]

Well i work at the anglican retirement villages in castle hill (although they have sites all over the sydney and met. area), and they abolished the job title "PCA" and we are now "CSE", which is care service employee. it means that we get placed in the servery, the laundry and also the care side, depending what we indicate as our preference.

AIN's do CSE work, they just get paid more because they have more skills. So if you don't have an AIN qualification you'd most likely be placed in a CSE position. you have a great chance of being employed, if you are intending to study nursing and are flexible. www.arv.org.au for details (i think that's the addy)

as for my dilemma, i think i'll take mija's advice, thanks mija. it would be interesting to see where nursing and architecture can take me, like specialist designing of health care facilities.

 

[GirlGoneMad]

Thanks Johnson for that info! I really needed it! Now I know what to apply for!

 

[White Rabbit]

Even if you wanted to do your EN through TAFE to begin with - it lasts 12 months but it is VERY competitive to get into - and then go onand do 2 years at Uni to become an RN. By doing your EN first, you'll get pratical experience, but also, you'll be paid appox $450 a week while you do the course.

UTS apparently has the best name for nursing, in reguards to pratical experience. But if you wanted to work in a rural setting, go for CSU or even th Gong, as Sydney universities will do Pracs predmoinatly in their catchment area - i.e. UTS will do the Northern Suburbs, UWS, caters for South Western Sydney Area Health service, North an Greater West as well, depending on Campus, while they have 1, max 2 rural placments. (atleast, UTS only had 1, which I why I chose CSU) so it also depends where you want your pracs to be. ut, like I said, UTS is pretty highly regarded by the industry, as is UWS. Sydney was never seen to highly, but their faculty is gone now, so that doesn't matter

Anyway mate, good luck with it! Let us all know how you go.

 

[johnson]

no worries
oops, i made a mistake in the link, edited now.

edit: yeah thanks for that white rabbit. well i'm not really into working in rural areas so staying in sydney would be my preference.

I checked with uts and i can do the nursing degree in two years if i finish my architecture degree this year, some sort of accelerated graduate entry scheme.

 

[Kittycat]

my mum doesn't think that nursing graduates from uni are the best of nurses. she says that they are all theory based and don't have enough practical experience

lol nah, patients these days are getting more sicker. Yes uni graduate nurses actually learn alot more theory but they also receive alot of prac as well. Uni grad nurses learn more to help take care of patients better

 

[happy cup]

my mum doesn't think that nursing graduates from uni are the best of nurses. she says that they are all theory based and don't have enough practical experience

At uts, we have clinical once a week + a 2 week block during the year (i think). The course is very prac orientated. You should do nursing it's such a worthwhile course. If you're looking for a more prac based course apply for uts. I've been told by RN's that it has the best nursing course because it is very prac based.

 

[Kittycat]

yes, I think uts do have the best nursing course (hence the high uai)
where you going for prac?

 

[happy cup]

where you going for prac?

If you were asking me i've been at concord hospital since week 2.

 

[dark`secrets]

If you were asking me i've been at concord hospital since week 2.

haha i know someone who does it there, she does it on a thrusday i think? Jessssssica is her name

*edit: friday

 

[White Rabbit]

I'd agree, I'd prefer to go back to the days of education in the hospitals. I'd prefer to do my education that way, but unfortunatly to become an RN, I need to go to Uni.

As for my prac, I was originally suppose to go to Orange Base, however my criminal clearance didn't come back in time, so I'm off to Nepean next month instead Rather cut about it, Orange Base is an awesome hospital, but what can ya do aye?

 

[Kittycat]

If you were asking me i've been at concord hospital since week 2.

lol I was at concord, it is in to middle of nowhere. I remember those lovely times when I have to catch a bus to get there

I'd agree, I'd prefer to go back to the days of education in the hospitals. I'd prefer to do my education that way, but unfortunatly to become an RN, I need to go to Uni.

But why? Nurses fought their asses off to get in to uni and now you want to turn back? whoa, care to enlighten me?

 

[happy cup]

yeh it seems like heaps of people do clinical at concord OMG catching the bus is soOo annoying but the people there are pretty nice so it evens out hehe

 

[Kittycat]

I hate the bus rides too. It takes soo long and yea, there is alot of nice people there, not to mention that alot of them are good looking....

 

[White Rabbit]

I understand we need to have a uni degree to be considered a profession over a trade, however I feel we'd learn more of we were being taught in hospitals, rather than doing useless crap like Pavlov in Psych. I see the relivance, but it's hard to take it seriously when the lecturer likes to run off on tangents, AND we share the class w/ policing students. I just reckon I'd do better if I was taught in a hospital.