Evie

thanks for the quick reply, elenova! i have been reading some of your posts on other threads. we would like to go to dubai or abu dhabi. if a married couple of RNs go to dubai can they then live together in hospital accommodation or do they usually find accommodation off campus? i have read that if you do not live in the free provided accommodation u can get an allowance, are the rents reasonable? i really appreciate your help! evie

elenova, i am an aussie RN very keen to go to the UAE next year. i work in medical high dependency (mostly cardiac pts). my boyfriend is a general RN and we want to travel together. is there any hope of us being able to live together if we're not married? were u recruited thru an agency or did u apply directly? i am having trouble finding specific information and i have so many questions! many thanks, evie

that is so disappointing to hear. where i work the support for grads couldn't be better. i know because i am one! and even in a circumstance where another grad has had a nasty experience with horizontal violence, she has been fully supported by senior nurses. i guess you don't really know what you're in for until you're in the job and go through the experience :uhoh21:

Here's a reply to your thread, Graynurse, so at least you have 1! Yes, I am studying, for GAMSAT! But you already knew that. I am having palpitations already - quick, do an ECG and give me some oxygen. Can't wait to see you as a CN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

some of my most priceless moments in nursing have come from looking after "geris". before i started my training i thought i'd be the complete opposite to how i have turned out - i thought i'd want to do paeds and babies and stuff but in actual fact i prefer geriatrics. i guess the fact that most of the patients on my ward are over 70 anyway (and that is considered YOUNG, lol) has something to do with it as well. the elderly have so much to offer as they have lived a life, and even with dementia patients it can be such a pleasure to care for them, particularly when they are happy-demented. i reckon that having your first placement in a geri ward would have to be one of the best ways to start off. i could go into all the reasons.. but i'm sure you'll see why. also, particularly with long-stay patients (ie waiting for NH placements), their medical care isn't always that complicated, meaning what you're doing most of the time is ADLs, albeit with a stack of oral meds, but usually only daily obs, so it also makes your day more predictable, which is good for time management when you're just starting off. i know that medically they're more complicated because of all their co-morbidities etc but as a 1st yr nursing student it isn't your primary concern (leave that to the med students!.. you will be able to interact with the patients better than them anyway). have a great placement. you will find yourself doing the strangest things at times.. you just end up saying "oh, the things we do.."

dardar, you don't need any science subjects as prerequisites for a nursing degree. well, not for the undergraduate entry. some universities have graduate entry, where you need a science degree first. having said that, you will study science subjects within the nursing degree but they start at a fairly basic level so you shouldn't be disadvantaged. however, you will need to obtain an entry score to be eligible to apply to the universities, but these are specific to each state in this country. just keep having a look at the websites of the unis - here is an example from the university i attended: QUT - http://www.hlth.qut.edu.au/nrs/courses/undergrad also, there should be info about applying as an international student for each institution.

thanks grace! i am having so much fun working and actually getting paid for it! as a student nurse i was a bit worried but, you know, getting your registration is like getting your drivers' licence!! once you're on your own you just FLY. i'm learning heaps every day and i love the interaction with the other nurses, doctors and allied health staff. even though the ward on which i'm working is quite heavy (it's general medical), i have a blast because i'm doing exactly what i want to be doing. it makes me WANT to learn to understand my patients' conditions, and i know that by doing this year (grad program) i'm learning how to be a good nurse rather than being tunnel-visioned and only wanting to do all the exciting, high-tech stuff that some nursing grads go after straight away. there are some mornings when i am up to my elbows in poo by 7:30, and i think "what am i doinG?" but then even that has it's little rewards when i can clean up someone who has been incontinent so that they are more comfortable and their healing can continue (or they can die with dignity, whichever). i think out of everything, though, it has been meeting new people. that is so much fun. i'm so glad i'm a nurse - not bitter and twisted yet!!!!!

my friend went straight into a 12 month theatre grad program (she's actually doing the transition program which gets her credit towards a grad cert i think) - she knew it was what she wanted to do so went for it! i think that if you know then go for it, if not maybe do a general program, but why waste your time? i had a choice b/w rotations and 12 months, and i took the 12 months in medical because that is what i wanted to do. it'd be better for you to do something you find fun and interesting rather than not and start to resent your job before you really love it!! by the way, my friend in theatre is doing rotations - recovery, scrubbing, scouting, and anaesthetics!

good luck, kelly! i started working as an RN in mid-december after finishing uni, and work has reinforced that i definitely made the right choice studying nursing. yep, times will get tough when you're in the middle of assignments and exams or away on clinical rotations, but it is TOTALLY worth it in the end. how lucky are we? we get to do a really cool job, get paid reasonably well for it, and work a roster wherein we don't have to be stuck in an office 9-5, 5 days a week! once you get stuck into the study you won't look back, even if you feel daunted by what you don't know, don't worry, it all comes together in the end (sounds so cliched i know but it's so true).

i have found QUT to be great over my 3 years.. QUT students have a good reputation which is nice when you go out on prac.. the course has been fine, but of course now i am sick of it and can't wait to finish!! i think if you want to study in brisbane, go for QUT or ACU - both are reputable courses.. USQ has a good rep, too, and don't be fooled by the lower entry score - i've heard it's a killer course! (really separates the sheep from the goats, apparently).. the buzz around town is that QUT grads are preferred for the RBH, but in the end it comes down to the individual, naturally.. i am not one for inter-uni rivalry (when i was studying at UQ that's all i heard about), but i agree, if you can, stay away from the "university for the third world".. hahahahaha (GU)

i've heard that Flinders Medical Centre is great also.. i did hear that from a doc, though, so i don't know what nursing is like there

but then i guess a graduate program is what you make of it..

or should that be, my EYES..

torachan - my ears are bleeding!! hahaha

do you think there is a difference in whether you work for QH or a private hospital in your grad year? (apart from the obvious pay, conditions, etc) we have been told that a lot of private hospitals start recruiting earlier than public..

hi everyone, i'm also at QUT.. i just did a rural placement which confirmed to me that i wanted to stay here in brisbane for at least a year or two (gwenith - you told me so! ) - but it was something i had to figure out for myself.. one of my friends is working at the royal kids this year and yes, she had done a placement there in 3rd year.. from what i have heard that really helps for areas with high competition, ie. to get yourself known at least.. we have just had to apply for our 2nd last prac and you should see how many people have put in for paeds, ccu, burns, peri-op etc.. and they are offering at least one maternity placement so that has proved quite popular.. i think (that is, THIS WEEK) i want to do oncology/haematology or something like that, and although i have done 1 oncol placement i've applied for another this time, now that i am more confident in what i'm doing.. but still, i am a little scared about the whole job application process! i don't know why.. i guess i'll just apply to heaps of places and make sure my selection criteria is written properly for QH - i spoke to a physio grad and she said she didn't get a call back from QH at first because of the way she'd written her SC.. anyway, i bought that book they sell (how to get that job or whatever it's called) so i'll have a good read of that!! i was a bit shocked when i heard only half of last year's grads got a job at first (is that right??) - and then the other day we were told that QH has something like 640 grad positions for the 1000+ nursing students (in brisbane alone!!!!!) bah, i guess it's just a matter of waiting and seeing!! it doesn't bother me all that much if i don't work in the area that i "want" next year because i am after a year of general to build my foundations of practice on anyway.. and then i'll probably go o/s anyway!!!!

through the grape vine i've heard that UTS offers a great nursing program

i think we are, bukko! although i can only speak for myself and the nurses i know. one nurse i worked with last year was the owner of a very groovy up-and-coming club in the valley here in brisbane, and i always hear of the cool acts they have playing there. i might be biased as an aussie but i absolutely love our music. you name it - powderfinger, the whitlams, silverchair, the superjesus, the living end, pete murray, alex lloyd, george, john butler trio, kylie, delta, natalie imbruglia.. need i go on? all contemporary aussies with amazing talent and put simply, great music.

i work as a personal carer (i think equivalent to lpn?) in aged care while i'm studying to be an rn and a couple of weeks ago we had 2 residents die from the same unit in one afternoon. the poor girls on that unit were very upset.

eirthjona, i'm at QUT going into 3rd year.. at least same city :) i work with some griffith students.. anyway, i am sure if you need to know any of the ins and outs of being a student around here i could help ya

gwenith, how extensively have you travelled throughout QLD when you have worked in non-metro areas?

thank you both for sharing your thoughts.. i'd love to hear what more people think! it is interesting to hear differing opinions..

i might add that the area i am looking into is a "major" centre in our outback.. the town has 5 local docs, hospital, ambulance, dental and chiropractic care, flying doctors base, and the centre of the health service district that covers a substantial area. it is about 700km from the capital city.

hello, i will be graduating at the end of this year.. i want to do rural nursing - i love the idea of being multi-skilled, the exposure to such a huge range of everything, and living in a smaller community, not being just a number. i have always wanted to work in a rural setting. what i am trying to work out is, is it ok to accept a position in a graduate program in a rural health service district? (not remote though.) i have done reasonably well so far in my studies and have worked in aged care throughout this time, so i am gaining confidence every day. obviously working as a carer/nurses aide is different to an rn but it has allowed me to work hard at mastering basic nursing skills. so i will not be graduating as an rn with no experience if you know what i mean. what do rural nurses think about new grads coming to their hospital? do you recommend i spend my first year in a bigger hospital? our rural hospitals seem to actively promote the recruitment of grads and there is a rural scholarship scheme in place. will i be disadvantaged by going "out west" straight away? i will be going on a rural placement soon for 4 weeks and i am sure that during this time i will get a feel for what it would be like and put some things into perspective. but if anyone has some thoughts on this i'd love to read about them!! thanks!

hi emmy, sorry it has taken me so long to reply. the first place i worked at was a nursing home and i had a tour of the facility, watched some of those really interesting tena videos and then i was pretty much dropped in at the deep end, having to work by myself after that. i had done the basics at uni first though. my employer now seems to be great with education etc and because i've had that extra year behind me i feel so much more at home in my job. i got to work a few shifts as a supernumery so i could learn the ropes which was very helpful. i guess it really depends how desperate the place is for staff - some will take people with minimal experience because they are desperate.. just be aware that this might correlate with a high staff turnover rate and thus poor morale and job dissatisfaction. always learned that one the hard way!