Australian STUDENTS

It has been quite some time since I was an undergraduate, so I am of no use but I wish you luck with what I think is a great idea. Good luck :)

Hey, this sounds like an awesome idea, maybe we could convince allnurses to set up a sub-forum? I agree about the student forums here, the American system seems quite different to ours (they're all obsessed with their GPAs!)

^^ & they have to take pre-reqs and then they're all doing different courses. I mean, what's the difference between a LVN, ADN, BSN, MSN, CNA and... everything else? Here, you're either an RN, an E/EN or an AIN. End of story!

Are you a student? Where are you studying/what year are you in?

HI

Sounds like a great idea!!

I'm a first year bachelor of nursing student in Brissy. Would be great to have a space to chat aussie talk, it all sounds so different in America.

Talk soon,

Zoe :-)

Hi Zoe,

It's great to find another aussie student! I'm sort of first/sort of second year in Sydney. How are you finding your course so far?

HI,

I love the course. I'm only doing it part time, I have 3 young boys and work full time (eek!!!) so I've only done anatomy & physiology 1 and Communication and assessment this first semester. Thankfully first semester is over and I did well in both classes.

Next semester I've got a&p2 and clinical health assessment, but I am toying with the idea of picking up a 3rd subject, possibly health promotion.

What subjects are you doing?

Well that's just good timing. I just found and joined the forums about 10 minutes ago.

I'm a student nurse in Queensland and would love an online-y type study group - all the study group working I can get my hands on!

I'm also a part-timer, doing the academic subjects of second year in 2009, and the practical ones in 2010. Also have kids - 3 daughters at home and 2 step-sons who are in their 20's, so I too am not powering through the degree full speed.

Cheers!

Kirri

Oh it's so nice to find that you guys really do exist! I hope there's more of us!

I'm a little younger than the both of you, twenty - and still at home with my mum and sister! I've just started working on a casual basis at a nursing home with dementia patients and a children's hospice as an AIN, too!

Zoe, in first semester I took pathophysiology 1, cardiovascular nursing, respiratory nursing and the disciple of nursing (theory of nursing, basically). This semester I've taken Inquiry in Nursing Practice (stats, really), Practice interactions (law and ethics) and the family in health and illness (about family centered care). My subjects are a bit out of order because I only took 1 in second semester (nursing relationships), first year, instead of the four. I'm really looking forward to next semester when I'm taking ortho & GIT, renal & repro, patho 2 and organizational relationships

I'm second year BA/MN at Usyd, so only started nursing subjects this year. Just had my first week of clinical, it was awesome! I also just started work at a dementia nursing home (they called me at 5:45 this morning, presumeably to start work at 6:30. I didn't answer :S)

^^ That was my second choice for uni placement. I was so torn but decided I couldn't wait to start nursing subjects in the end. I really miss my artsy subjects though - history and psych.. Oh, I'm a bit jealous now! How are you finding it? (I'm at UTS by the way. Just down the road!)

I've just started working in a nursing home, on a dementia unit to! What is with nursing homes and early shifts? Hospital AMs start at 7AM and I LIKE MY SLEEP!!! How are you finding it?

I'm really liking it so far, it's good to have some variety. I always thought it seemed like a stupid idea, until I went to the open day the last day before the cut off for changes and everyone was so nice I changed my mind! I was going to go to UTS.

The classes are quite small too, and because there's a post-grad program there's a good mix of people doing the course, it's not your standard fresh from high school group.

I've only done one shift at the nursing home so far. It's ok, but I guess I'm having trouble reconciling my idea of how residents are treated and how they actually are...the hard part is I guess that because I don't have any experience I'm not sure if I'm just being too 'by the book', you know? Like when the AINs rush through things it's in part because they have to. The hospital was a much more pleasant experience though. I'm looking forward to being fast and comfortable doing the AIN tasks at the home so that I can try and interact with the patients a bit more easily while I'm caring for them.

I really know what you mean about the challenges in the nursing home - how the residents are treated vs. how they actually are. They're people and sometimes (for me) it seems like the staff I work with forget that. Most of the staff seem so disillusioned with their jobs they seem to have separated the residents into 'things' - work, rather than people requiring care.

I think the skill comes with time. The way the AINs rush through this is because they've been doing it for ages - and our heads are full of book and tute learning. I remember when we learnt sponges and showers there was so much detail and information to retain and how to do is procedurally - when in fact in real life it's just not like that at all. I work in a children's facility at all - there's no fuss about shower shoes and gowns when we shower/bath the kids like there is at the nursing home. We just take our shoes off!

Which nursing home are you at?