Nursing?? (2 Viewers)

[frenchy]

Yupz i totally agree with you white rabbit!

Im not completely saying usyd sucks, they have a great reputation, and i know for other areas i.e. law they're on top, but for nursing (i cant speak for other areas of health) they're just not as good, the campus also didnt feel as inviting, but yep one of the most important thing, it doesn't have the same amount of clinical practice compared to UTS.
I went to the usyd nursing lecture (at the open day), i left before it finished, it was just like they were throwing out facts, and it didnt give me a very good impression of how a class would be like there - unexciting (yes i know classes are for learning, but if they're like that mini lecture then no way would i want to sit through it!).
I went to a mini lecture at UTS, the lecturer had a sense of humour, friendly, and i found it useful and not boring.
I also was more comfortable with UTS's atmosphere, people generally seemed more down to earth, compared to Usyd.

 

[Kittycat]

ar...yes...I see and understand why people don't...well I should say like other unis for nursing than USyd. Oh well, I guess no uni can be the best for everything right?

 

[frenchy]

Yeh each uni has it own strengths and weaknesses

 

[White Rabbit]

Yep, ITA

Hey Frenchy, you going to UTS info evening at Kuring-Gai on Wednesday?

 

[frenchy]

Probably not, as i probably have no way of getting home at that time (as its pretty far from where i live). But yeh I'm keen so i will try to arrange to go.
How about you?

 

[hbk_ace]

lol white rabbit guess who this is, lol i think i know u, look at ure birthday and what u are saying lol, anyways, hello

 

[White Rabbit]

LOL! even if u didn't tell me at school 2day, ur name gives ya away

And Frenchy, yeah, I'm going. I live an hour away from Linfield(by train neways -- in St George) where do you live? I mainly wanna go to check out the campus. LOL. And the labs and all, and have a few questions I need to ask If you can go and wanna know something, just let me know and I'll ask and get you the info .

It's only half an hour away from central on the train, so if you can get to Central, it isn't too bad. But then, I'm going with my mum because it'll be dark when I'm coming home (LOL, I sound like I'm in year 4 ) anyways..

 

[frenchy]

How was it??

 

[White Rabbit]

It was pretty good, nice Campus (Lots of grass!! and Trees! ) and the people seem really nice. I didn't find out anything new; just what the campus + atmosphere was like

I think I'm going towards CSU though, because you have more of a choice where you do clinicals, and I liked Bathurst campus alot more than either UTS (and I get to move outta home. Thats gotta be good )

 

[frenchy]

That sounds alright then, cool.
Well that will be in my prefs than, but i think i'd prefer the city campus over kuring-gai - distance wise.
Yeh i'm kind of keen for CSU especially in their Bach of Early Childhood Teaching/Bach of Speech and Hearing, that has really caught my interest. But im not keen on going all the way Albury.

 

[kase84]

Hi white rabbit,
I'm planning on doing nursing at university of technology, sydney. There is heaps of practical experience, and you get to start clinical pracs. from the third week. After this i'm hoping to get into graduate medicine, cause thats what i have always wanted to do. I was going to do medical science, but the idea of rotting away in some laboratory for three years didn't appeal. I want patient contact early and thats why UTS is my first choice. Has anyone done the UMAT? It was pretty easy this year, but the last section (non-verbal reasoning) was a bit confusing. I deluded myself that I might be able to get into undergraduate medicine, but unfortunately i don't think i'll be able to get a 99.99 UAI this year. I'll just have to blitz nursing!

 

[lelly]

Hey guys!
I went to both UTS open days and I really liked the Kuring-Gai campus. There wasn't many people on the info evening... anyways I was talking to a lady who is a lecturer and she said that its really competitive to get into city campus, and they only take about 60 people, whilst with Kuring-Gai campus they take about 150-200. I've put down nursing at Kuring-gai as first preference, because it looks heaps good.

 

[White Rabbit]

I liked Kuring-Gai over city anways... apart from the city being more acessable (for me anyway), Kuring-Gai, in my opinion, was better. It just had a nicer environment.

Kase -- I was considering Grad Medicine too! I spoke to someone at Sydney Uni, and the course looks great! I reckon grad would be better than undergrad anyway - you don't go out into hospitals until your 4th year or something in Undergrad, but in grad, you make your first clinical in the first few weeks Plus, if you do Nursing first, then you have a casual job to support you for your 4 year degree

The clinicals was what attracted me to UTS, but I just liked CSU a hella lot more plus, I want to do a fair ammount of my Clinicals a Dubbo Base, (1) because of family and (2) because, if I get into Grad Med, I wanna go through their rural stream and do my clinicals at their Dubbo Med School, so I'd be building up a relationship with Dubbo. And, at UTS, they only let you leave the Northern Sydney and Central Sydney Area Health Service in your 3 week placement, which is didn't like

 

[kase84]

hey white rabbit,
the casual work to support myself during grad medicine was what appealed to me, plus the work is similar to medicine anyway. Ultimately i'd like to get into rural medicine too, but until then i'd like to do nursing in the city, for the broader range of patients I may encounter. I have heard that the quality of doctors graduating from university of sydney is much better, and i think that the course looks execellent. The GAMSAT looks a bit daunting though, do you know if a very high mark is required for it? I think those who do nursing first are in more intensive contact with patients and grow to be more empathetic as a result, what do you think? What do you think is the academic standard required for entrance into grad. medicine, do you think it is as competitive as undergraduate medicine?

 

[White Rabbit]

Apparently, 1/3 of applicants who get interviews at USYD get in..

GAMSAT is really hard, and Sydney usualy takes people who get 55 or above The lady I spoke to said the highest marks are usually around 60's, so everyone does really shit The GPA is about 5 at Sydney, lower at other places (Flinders is really low - like 3 or something )

I reckon the competition would be about the same, but in a different way. Undergrad's are all about marks, Grads have real experience. Thats what they look for in the interviews, Travel is regarded highly, and general real world experience. And the age variation is Grad med is really good too, from mid twenties to fifties. I reckon (This is really an uneducated guess) that the people you'd be in class with in Grad Med wouldn't be as competitive either, sure they'd work their arses off, but everyone in Undergrad has just finished their HSC, most coming from selective schools, or private sector, will be really really competitive.. They would be the best though, so it's expected. Not something that attracts me People in Grad Med have different priorities.

Doing Nursing first apparently gives you an OK grounding, but in the end, you don't have much of an advantage. You have Phyisotherapy grads, Medical Science Grads ect.. all will have an advange in a certian area Although, being exposed to the wards is always a good step

But I do agree about being more empathetic. Also, if you worked first esspecially, you'd have an understanding of thoes you need to work with. I've noticed heaps of Nurses bitching about a few doctors (and trust me, it's been justified) when I've been to hospitals about how they are treated. I reckon if you got your grounding in Nursing, you'd understand the shit they put up with and wouldn't be a prick to them, like many doctors are You should never get the nurses off side, you'd be screwed if ya did

 

[White Rabbit]

oooh... and rural work, It would be my dream to work at Dubbo Base, as either a Nurse or a Doctor. But hopefully a doctor Or Bathurst Base, that place is beatiful. But because Dubbo is a major hospital for the Central West, I'd prefer to be there because of the diversity, and the ability to be able to travel out to districts conected to Dubbo Base. Also, it's great to be able to do your internship at a Rural Hospital, because your forced to learn and adapt quickly. There's you and the head doctor. No Residents, Registars, VMO's ect. Even if you planned to return to the city, you'd be more employable if you started at a Rural Hospital because it demands alot more skill and ability than Metro Hospitals, because of the drought of Medical Staff in the bush

 

[kase84]

what about the new graduate school in australian national university, what do you think about it? The Gamsat is just as hard heh? suddenly my dream seems further and further away it's like rowing towards a horizon, the closer you get the further it gets away do you ever feel like that? Do you think that the nurses get a bit bitchy when you tell them you want to be a doctor? should you keep it to yourself? The rivalry is so much that i've heard some nurses who become doctors fall out with their old nursing buddies!

 

[kase84]

by the way, what do you mean with 55, is that a percentage? i didn't do physics this year, and apparently it is assumed knowledge for the GAMSAT Maybe i should do a bridging course? Does nursing bring you up to the standard required for university chemistry and biology which is also assumed knowledge for the GAMSAT? Hope so! do you think commercial preparation courses are worth it?

 

[White Rabbit]

Umm.. the lady at USYD said as long as you get your hands on a Year 12 Science text book, your sweet. I think Bio is needed for Nursing (do a bridging course.. I plan to ) and yeah, 55% is the average entrance mark. But if you do really well in your degree, it's a bit more flexible. The fall out thing, I dunno. I've spoken to Nurses and some plan on applying for Medicine.. I think it's more they become doctors and look down on the nurses..

I really like the sound of ANU graduate school - but that would be really hard to get into..

I'm going for Sydney because of the Dubbo School, but I'd apply for ANU, Flinders, Melbourne ect

But yeah, just because GAMSAT is hard doesn't mean anything.. LOL, EVERYONE finds it difficult you need to go and get pissed that night, you feel that shit afterwards (or so i'm told..) But the emphisis on academic achivements, while important, isn't as high in Grad and Undergrad

 

[kase84]

Ugghhh, i got my rejection letter from university of new south wales today, i knew i couldn't get into undergraduate. They asked my school to predict my UAI and invited people for interviews on the basis of that. How dumb! I'm feeling very bitter right now! I think i'm going to need one of those post-GAMSAT drinks you were talking about. Where are you getting this information from?, do you have a contact in sydney uni, or did you send away for information? Why do you think ANU would be hard?
Do you think doing a undergraduate degree after doing nursing (such as the 5 year medicine degree at Newcastle University), would be a good option? I suppose you get in on the basis of your uni results and the UMAT. I wonder if you can get HECS for a second degree.