Welcome to the Forum - General Aussie Chat

[gwenith]

Having been guilty myself of hijacking threads saying hello and just chatting to my fellow Aussies I thought it might be worthwhile for us to have a thread that is just dedicated to general Aussie chat. We can then discuss issues like the Morris - oops Davis inquiry in Queensland and what it will mean for Q health and for the rest of Australia.

We can talk cricket, sport and anything else that is just us.

Say hello to new members dropping by.

Generally find out what is happening in the rest of the country.

I will make this thread a "sticky" so that it will always be at the top of the forum.

[Melinda_ash]

When I was still in Thailand, I was a close neighbor...........do I get points for that??????

HI

Hpw are you all doing ,, Amjust a new menber here

[talaxandra]

Welcome, Melinda :)

I notice that the last post before yours was me complaining about the heat - and in true Melburnian tradition I'll now complain about the rain: hailstones as big as golf balls, the ward next to mine had to shut 10 rooms due to storm damage!

[aliceluzon]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if any of you like to travel or know of the best way to go about viewing the best of Australia and New Zealand. I'm currently in my first semester of Nursing School; I am set to graduate in December of 2011. I like to plan in advance and I've decided to give myself a trip to your part of the world as a present to myself for graduating; I'll have a couple of friends tagging along with me to make it more fun. I thought it would be a great time to relax from school, see a new part of the world and check out nursing opportunities in AU and NZ while I'm at it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Janel

[talaxandra]

Congratulations on both your course and your reward :) I hope you enjoy your time in Oz. A few things to think about first: How long are you planning to travel for? Are you more interested in staying for a while in one place and getting to know it, or seeing as much as you can during your stay? What are you most interested in seeing - nature, variety, well known sights, cultural aspects...?

Some popular attractions are: the Opera House and Harbour Bridge (Sydney), the Great Ocean Road (Victoria), Uluru and the Devil's Marbles (NT), the Great Barrieir Reef (Queensland), and the War Museum (Canberra). For a somewhat overwhelmingly complete list, check out this site for Ausrtalian attractions and this one for the Kiwi equivalent.

New Zealand is around the size of Colorado; Australia's roughly the size of the contiguous US but with around 10% of your population, mostly clustered around the coastline. That means that if you decide to drive between capital cities you're looking at some fairly long trips - 8 hours from Adelaide to Melbourne, 10 hours from Melbourne to Sydney, and around 12 hours from Sydney to Brisbane (all without any breaks). Travelling by car to the west coast, and between the west coast capitals of Darwin and Perth take between four and six days each, if you only stop overnight. There are trains and buses that travel overnight, but if you plan on seeing a lot of the country you may be better off flying - webjet and Flight Centre offer good comparisons between airlines.

What I always find interesting when travelling overseas is the things I didn't expect to be different. I went overseas as an adult for the first time seven years ago - I expected the UK to have different currency, magazines, TV, accents etc but was surprised by the scale of everything - the streets (especially coming from Melbourne, where main roads are wide enough for trams) were tiny, tube carriages are way smaller than train carriages here, and amny of the cars in London were mini. If you haven't been to Australia before you might find this article interesting, regarding unexpected differences.

Enjoy your planning :)

[talaxandra]

I hope all our Aussie and Kiwi members are doing well, and remembering our service men and women on ANZAC Day.

[greatshakes]

yesterday, 01:52 pm

hi hope you don't mind but i remember your advice to me earlier along with grace's and gweniths

when i had finished my degree in 2005 and was looking for work. in between work i have had a couple of trips overseas but while this business below has been sorted i haven't been able to get any work and i feel as though my life has been shattered into a million pieces. would like your imput about this matter please.

i have had it with honesty. i decided to do a rn refresher course as i worked at a school and wasn't getting many hours. i had a hard time getting the course because the don at a major hospital hated me. when i got it i thought i was in heaven but unfortunately a few nurses thought i was too slow or something and reported me to the don. some of the comments were fictitious. the don reported me to qnc and i had to defend myself then my boss who was supposed to be overseeing my cometency put in another complaint to the same body. again i answered her comments. qnc then changed and it took them 15 months to decide what i should do. it has been a nightmare and as some of the nurses said they thought i would get a job out of it. i can't have been too bad then.. my boss said she had heard i was hopeless and should stay at home and do some craft or something and i wasn't cut out to be a nurse. i had been there 3 1/2 years by then. i only did the refresher because i wanted to learn and the qnc had advised us to attend as many educational things as possible. i now have to sit a competency exam and do a practical, i am nervous and it has really got me down. if i had not elected to do this to improve myself i wouldn't be in this situation. sometimes life just sucks. they say karma comes round but i think it's forgotten me and my tormentors somehow

[greatshakes]

I did the competency and was so nervous right through it. I won't know whether I passed for ten days. I don't have a good feeling but if by chance I have passed, I will be elated. I have learnt though, as much as you love a job, there is life after it finishes. My tarot card say that there is a death in my cards, it doesn't mean particularly someone dying but the end of something special. I hope it doesn't mean nursing for me but since I have done the test I just know there is a weight off my shoulders at least for now. Would you all please cross your thermometers sorry fingers.

[greatshakes]

No luck with the competency I was just so nervous and so I will probably look elsewhere for a job. Its heartbreaking but life goes on I guess. Right now I am expecting news of a grandchild. I probably won't be back to allnurses, no use hankering for what we can't have.

[Grace Oz]

Dear Greatshakes,

I'm so sorry to read that you did not pass the competency. :hug:

Sorry also for all that you have been experiencing, it's not been easy for you.

Sometimes in life; no matter how much we might desire something, it's just not meant to be.

Hard as that is to accept and come to terms with, we have to find a way to be at peace with it. I'm sure you are working towards this and I wish you well in finding acceptance and peace.

Nursing is not for everyone, we all have talents in some field. I have no doubt that you are a talented person who has much to contribute.

I wish you happiness and success in your new directions, whichever way they make take you.

Have you considered how you might be able to use the knowledge and skills you have as a basis for working in another area of the healthcare industry?

Perhaps there's something waiting for you that you've not yet thought of.

Know that: "when a door closes; somewhere a window opens".

Hang in there, believe in yourself and don't give up.

Please do stay connected, join us over at:

http://allnurses-central.com/general-off-topic/

Go to the "Good Morning" thread, it's usually titled by the day and date :)

Drop in and join in the chat and get to know the folks, they're a great bunch and even though you may not be nursing anymore, that doesn't matter. Several of us are either retired now or are not even nurses in some cases. No matter, it's being connected to other people albeit via the cyber world. Adds to the richness of our own families and friend's in the "real" world. :)

Tho', the folks are real, just at the other side of the computer!

Take care and congratulations on your new grandchild! :bby::balloons:

[greatshakes]

Thanks Grace Oz for your message and I will look in then from time to time.:)

I have been keeping busy, painted the laundry floor and the sink cupboard and it looks heaps better and doing something physical really helps.

[Grace Oz]

Hang in there, greatshakes.

Small steps and one day at a time.

Be sure to stay connected and post and participate here.

Wishing you peace and comfort. ((((hugs))))

[greatshakes]

I have a new grandson born today, to love and just adore

to help boost my energy through new realms to explore

His mother is a midwife and their family has two girls

with good manners and cute faces and really gorgeous curls.

I have arms that cuddle little ones so why am I left bereft

at holding little items instead of surgical instruments

I did my job and loved it, despite actions tearing me right apart

But I am honest and accountable and I really loved my craft

This little one should help me get through my loss some way

after all my efforts and attempts got lost to my dismay

when life comes down to the most important things we share

Thank God for family everyday and those who really care.:heartbeat