Maybe silly question -

KirriG · Jun 24, 2009

Hi Zoe,

I've looked into this and it's provisionally true. The provision being that you finish 2nd year AND do a reasonably expensive EEN bridging course in the Summer Semester following that (offered through Griffith at the Gold Coast campus and a few TAFE's).

Personally I switched to working as an AIN (able to work in aged care as an AIN after 1st year and 1 passed prac). At the end of this year with 6 months experience in aged care I should be right to get a hospital based AIN position. Otherwise I can after I've done the prac's in hospital which I won't be doing until next year as I'm a part-timer doing Patho and Pharmacology and some other academic subjects this year.

Hope this helps!

Kirri

rachelgeorgina · Jun 25, 2009

I've never heard anything of the sort before!

I started working as an AIN in an aged care facility after my first semester/first prac. & while I'm still employed there, I've also just taken up a position in a children's hospice associated with the children's hospital at westmead, after doing my second prac. However AIN work is VERY different from what E/ENs do. The scope of practice for an AIN is limited to basic patient care and not much else, whilst EENs administer medications and participate in many other aspects of the patient's care aside from hygiene and mobilization etc.

KirriG · Jun 25, 2009

That's very true, but for myself I questioned the point of completing expensive training to become an EEN for the last year of my degree, especially with 3 daughters in their teens sucking every drop of income that sneaks past the landlord and Energex. :lol2: The AIN work pays not much less than the EEN's for significantly less stress - an important point while studying - and the place where I work is happy for me to do occassional buddy shifts where I shadow the RN on duty. I can't do anything of course, but the experience of seeing and passing equipment etc is invaluable. They allow this because I want to do a mix of aged and hospital work with a long term career goal of nursing education.

Anyways, moving to any form of patient care is simply better for my study purposes than staying in retail through the BNursing. And let's face it - we're still gonna be doing patient cares as long as we're at the bedside in many if not most acute hospital settings anyway, so may as well have those down pat. :nurse: If you've got the money and time to do the training after 2nd year go for it - great experience - but it's not the end of the world if you take another road.

Cheers.

scarah · Jul 3, 2009

It's true in Victoria, after your second year of the Bachelor you can enrol as a division 2 (enrolled) nurse without medication endorsement.

glam1 · Jul 20, 2009

wow , my auntie (RN) also said in adelaide you can do a 6 week clinical placement and an exam and whalla your EN. My girlfriend works in NSW as a student nurse at a hospital she is allowed to do all sorts of exciting things as long as she has learnt them at uni and is under the supervision of a rn.....she such a cow I;m so jealous.