I'm at CSU atm (bathurst campus) and our pracs are held at
- Bathurst Base
- Orange Base
- St Vinnies, Bathurst
- Nepean Public
- Nepean Private
- Lithgow
However from second year onwards, the magority of placements are SIPPs, which means you choose your own and organise it (just by calling the nurse educator at your chosen hospital or talking to the nursing home etc)
It really depends on where you plan to go - CSU is great if you plan on working in a rural area as their subjects and clinical placements are unsurpassed in regards to rural health - an area often ignored by metro Unis. The subjects allow you to get a feel for the major areas of nursing, and of cause pick you own area for a 4-week placement at the end of third year. (Almost all Uni's offer this). The Lecturers are awesome, they're very undrestanding and flexible - unlike alot of other lecturers I've come across, none are 'high and mighty', nor do they work in 'My way or you fail'. The resources are pretty good - they probably could be better, but the same could be said for all Uni's in regards to Nursing resources. CSU also allows for double degrees - combining Nursing with either Early Childhood Education (bathurst), Paramedics (Bathurst) or Midwifery (Wagga Wagga) if any of these appeal to you. I know a fair few Para/Nurses who have mixed feelings of the course. Some absolultley love it, while otheres (esspeically straight paramedics) say the course is too mixed up - subjects are all over the place, you're behind your peers in Paramedics because you'll take BMS (nursing science) rather than FPS (paramedical science) in first year and are then behind in other paramedic subjects. So the recommoned thing to do was do either straight Nursing or Paramedics for a year, and then do the 18 month conversion to the double degree.
I'd imagine Sydney is totally out, and I'd also say it's not a bad thing. People will disagree with me, but the course was too theoretical and Sydney cared more for money than producing quality nurses hence why the course was culled (with very little warning too, I might add) If Sydney was your first choice, go for UTS. Kuring-Gai has a lower cut off, and better social life but is a pain in the arse to get to unless you live in Northern Sydney.
Most Unis offer decent courses - I'd reccomend CSU, UTS or UWS for Nursing. Also, with UWS even though some placements are at Nursing homes in first year, not all are, and it depends on which campus your at as to which hospital your placements will take place. (I've also been told by former students that UWS will let you go on placement outside the designated hospitals if you run it by them first, organise it, and bring all the information back to the school, but I'm not 100% sure and am checking today)
Good Luck!