What do the current nurses think?

[road runner2003]

G'day fellow Aussies and those within our region.

I just came off a thread I started in the discussion area for student nurses. I'll take the quote right out of my thread that has me thinking:

"These days study scores and ENTER scores are going up and up and up - a lot more difficult to get in."

That is, the nursing courses. Not sure if it applies across all states, but Universities down south are making it increasingly difficult for students to get it (Ha - so that is why I want to move up North again). Back to the subject at hand, in 2005 Universities intend on making subjects such as chemistry and physics compulsory. I'm not sure I would be surprised if Universities eventually made a subject such as specialist mathematics compulsory and bumped ENTER scores up into the 90's - slight overstatement, but you get my drift? Specialist mathematics, not a popular subject due to its complexity (e.g. less than 10 students in 1 class). Chem and physics tend to be low on numbers too - more so than other subjects. An outsider's perspective? Apparently more and more students are applying for nursing these days, if making it more difficult to be accepted is supposed to decrease applicant numbers - In 4, 5, 6 years time, you'd think the problem would only be worse than what it is now...

So, I am once again curious. With the nursing shortage - now, being on the outside, I can only rely on what the media has to say - whether it has improved, deteriorated or stayed the same, my views are only based on media reports and on being a student past and future. Universities, probably have valid reasons for the rising difficulties - The central question here is, what do the current nurses think of the increasing difficulties that are in existence for students to be accepted into nursing? I realise nothing can be done, but as always I get thinking on an issue and am always interested in what others have to say .

Side note: Remember there was a time one only needed their year 11 ( please correct me on this if I am wrong) and ENTER scores where once below 70. Then again, this is becoming more common amongst other areas at tertiary level and only exacerbates problems in other areas of employment too (sorry, sidetracked - I think too much).

Don't have to be Australian to reply, if you think any of this applies to where you are living, feel free to add an opinion :).

*ENTER, in other states also known as TER or UAI.

(This is the most up to date link on nursing shortage I could find http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse?SIMID=1poegzv5whl41)

[ceridwyn]

Hi road runner, Universities can only offer places they are funded for.

Personally I have been a student in recent years and hear from some school leavers that they only applied for nursing as their last preference because they were sure to get in when the enter was 59!!! Nursing has been known to have quite a large drop out rate in the first year, people were applying just because nursing has a low enter then found out it was going to much like hard work.

Higher scores means people who really want to be nurses will work hard and hopefully get a place. Not near dropouts getting a place at uni because of the low ter.

Unless they up the pay and change allowances shifts, promotion chances, etc. no one in their right mind is going to do well in chem, maths,physics whatever and apply for nursing if they could get into medicine, science, law, teaching make 40k place straight out of uni who would want to be a lowly paid nurse coming out on 28k no way. so I am not convinced that these would become prereqs, not many would apply. .....My thoughts, C

[road runner2003]

It would make sense that students may apply only on the basis of lower ENTER scores.

You are correct. Prereqs such as chem and/or physics will not become compulsory, some Universities at present do have them listed as prereqs - I'm thinking ACU, Deakin, La Trobe, viweing the VICTER 2005 online most (all ?) Universities are going to follow suit. I know there are exceptions, but why make these compulsory, or bump up ENTER and study scores if the majority of students who undertake chem and/or physics, specialist mathematics, aim for ENTER scores in the 90's, study scores in the upper 30's-40's usually have the intention of applying to courses such a medicine/pharmacy, engineering or the science courses - biomedical science, biotechnology, formulation sci etc...

Not complaining, but if that is a way to ameliorate the issue of dropout rates - the reasons are indeed legitimate. But you'd think if implementing such new standards the number of applicants would decrease, of course dropout rates wouldn't be as significant - but in turn with the decline in nursing students it would be a contributing factor to the existing shortages.

Just thinking out a loud. Thanks for your thoughts ceridwyn :).

[mady]

i'm a odd one, i believe. I completed my nursing and health promotion degree few years ago. I did actual study the hard subjects (math methods, specalist maths, chemistry and phsyics) in VCE in order to get a high TER scores, on the hand, i did put nursing as my 1st perference.

In the "old day", you only had to get around 50 - 60 of TER socres for nursing course, but double degrees (with nursing) required mid 70s. Therefore, it was not difficult to get in nursing at all. But these day, for some reasons, it is a little bit (not that difficult though) to get into nursing... i heard that some did even miss out in previous years... May be, there are more double degree (with nursing), such as nursing and psychology, nursing and public health, and nursing and commerce, and these courses often have a higher TER/ENTER scores... I've heard that few people did miss out in previous years....

Thing did change!!!

[RN_Amy, RN]

Hi everyone,

I'm a grad RN, having finished my Bachelor or Nursing at Monash Universtity last year.

Through out secondary school, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life... (I still don't!)... so I completed a number of subjects in Year 12 to keep my options open... biology, chemistry, specialist maths, maths methods etc.... and then went on to complete a year toward a science degree before transferring to nursing.

To be honest, I decided to do nursing because I thought it would be "easy" (boy was I misinformed!) and I wanted to travel and still have a career....

I think that there is a stigma around nursing as a profession... when I ask my friends... they think my day revolves around emptying bed pans and showering old ladies! And I must say that I had no idea as to what nursing really involved until I actually got into the final year of my degree... but I love nursing and I think that it is very much underrated as a career path.

I often contemplate (especially after a bad day at work) returning to uni to persue a career that is more "prestigious".... but I cannot imagine doing anything else! Working 9 til 5 in an office is not for me I'm afraid....!

Thats just my thoughts.... )