Butterfly_Light

Just keep looking and applying for work, and an opportunity may come up. That's what I can say now!

I had reflected continuously before I addressed my issue here. I am not the "trouble". I am mature enough to distinguish good things from bad things. Regards

Thank you for your advice. Actually, I have been reflecting on the whole process. I didn't show a "know it all" or any other kinds of inappropriate attitude, but was very respectful and even defered to the bully. It's just that she never feels enough in torturing me mentally. I believe that she memorised my name and volunteered to see me daily in every of my placement. It is so scary to fall into that circumstance and I hope that I will have another facilitator who is always supportive to me next time.

i'm currently a third-year student nurse. i've had to deal with some nursing facilitators in my first and second year placements, who are very mean and usually pick on you without a reason. ​i would like to call it "prejudice" or "silent bullying". i'm not saying that i'm better than them, but i have done a great job and totally know how confident I am. As students, we are on our placements to learn and develop our skills. However, those facilitators just expect you to be perfect and usually go around to tell nurses bad things about you. They make up some ridiculous problems in you that are not necessarily true. As a result, you are poorly judged by your preceptors and colleagues. On the outside, the facilitators pretend to be nice to you, but then they tell your preceptor/CNEs/Assessor to write terrible things on your assessment paper and fail you. I have no idea why these women are still mentally stuck with their high-school cattiness. I believe that they have some ego issues, crave for power, enjoy wricking havoc and causing students suffering. My friends and I have discussed the issue with our lectures and uni staff, but it seems that they don't want to believe us but defend and cover up for each other. Why are some nursing facilitators so mean?

I think you should quit this job and apply for another one. Trust me, nothing is worth more than your emotional wellbeing. It usually takes people a while to find their right jobs. Also, i'm sick of idiots who call themselves "critical thinkers" but all they do is just sitting on their asses, gossiping and filling paperwork, and can't even do a wound dressing properly. You don't have to bother dealing with those bit-ches. They're like a swarm of insects drilling and spoiling the Australian healthcare system. Bad karma for them!

I don't know why student nurses have to think critically while they're still learning and need to learn a lot. I can't think of an appropriate definition for "critical thinking". In fact, everyone can think! Putting together the word "critical" and the word "thinking" does not make any sense to the practice of nursing/healthcare. It's all about working with people and solving problems. People can't see problems if they have too little experience in a field. Expecting students to answer clinical questions based on clinical facilitators' perspectives is absurd and awkward.

Dennis is a 21 year old male, who has a past history of asthma. His asthma is normally well controlled and he is otherwise well. Dennis has been in hospital a once before with an exacerbation of asthma, brought on by a chest infection. He has had a productive cough for the last 2-3 days and has been feeling a little more breathless than normal. Dennis normally takes a brown inhaler twice a day and a blue inhaler when he needs it. Recently he have been taking the blue inhaler more often as he has been more wheezy than normal. The inhaler ran out last night, and his signs and symptoms have become acute. How would you perform a respiratory assessment for this patient What do the colours of inhalers refer to? Are there other colours? What would your education to Dennis be? How would your management change if Dennis stated that he is a smoker? Outline the use, indication and flow rates of nasal prongs, a simple face mask, and non-rebreather masks

Bump bump bump...

Bang bang bang...

Hi guys My cousin were offered entry into B. Nursing and B. Medical Laboratory Science, and kind of ambivalent between the two. Her first choice was Med Lab, but she also wants to consider nursing because it leads to a stable job and good pay. However, I told her to shadow both and think carefully before she makes any decision. She had me log into this forum for a few questions: 1. What are pros and cons of both fields? 2. Which one offers better pay and work conditions? 3. Which one shows a sustainable growth and high demand in the future? 4. Which one is less stressful so that she can have a good mood for her family after work? P/s: I advised her to study what she likes most. Her response was that she wouldn't have any problems with nursing and med lab science, so she can handle either one.

Well. General practice is less stressful than most acute/aged care/community health settings. Every job has high pressure sometimes. I don't think it will be difficult for you to handle that stress. I want to work in general practice but haven't got any chance. You should consider it carefully. Cheers

Hi ceridwyn. Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it. But can you give me a definition of a "trained coder"? Sorry, it sounds stupid of me but I just confused it with the IT coder. Also, I'm not so sure If the universities will let me in the post grad certificate, because they seem to require at least one year experience, or require me to be employed in the relevant area. In my region, the hospitals give priority to local students, and then if vacancies are still there, they will consider others. So I just have to compete with my fellow classmates. I'm not so negative about applying for a grad year in the hospitals. But I need to have a contingency. Thats why i'm think about chronic diseases just to find a job in the community. Cheers

Hi all my mates I'm currently a nursing student and about to finish my program by the end of this year. As its getting hard for nurse grads to land jobs within hospitals, I may have to apply for work outside that setting. - I am quite interesed in chronic conditions management but don't know where I can apply and how I can make it as a graduate. - Also, I am looking for opportunities within health insurance companies. Do they usually employ nurse grads with no post-graduate experience? If yes, what kinds of duty can I take on? Thank you for your advice

Oh sorry mate! So are you from Oz? I've done some placements within a public hospital here. The supply of graduate nurses is overtaking the demand, so the job market is very competitive and it becomes worse every year. I learnt that information from many Australian forums, online news and from other nursing students around the nation. My comments were totally based on those sources.

Let me say first, I have no experience with either public or private hospitals. But I'm absolutely fine with your "Snarky" comment... So, what else do you want to tell us?

Oh. I also forgot to tell you. Because priority is given to local students, you need to make sure that you have IELTS 7.0 to apply for nursing registration and own an australian PR (Permanent Residency). You would rather try to meet these requirements than listen to my advice above. Listen, mate!!! Don't think about the future. It hasn't come yet. Just think about how to pass all academic units, clinical placements and IELTS 7 (7 in 4 bands). Future is never clear! The more we expect it, the more disappointed we may feel. Just try your best for the present!!!

Oh! I guess my comment wasn't so nice! I feel very guilty about what I said! Sorry for it, mate! Well, I'm not competent, either. As from my friends' advice, we should look for jobs like AiN or PCA, just to earn relevant experience. It will be an advantage in your application. If you can, register for membership within Nurses' Associations around Australia (Some are free of charge, but some do cost), and put them in your resume later on. I understand your situation, because I'm also an overseas student. But I don't mind working in aged-care or private hospitals, as long as I have a job. Have you ever done placements in public hospitals? Just try your best, achieve good reports from your preceptors/facilitators/assessors. Especially your preceptors, try to make friend with them. They (and also your lecturers) may be good referees for you. If you don't mind travelling, go public rural. After getting about 1 year experience, you can move to major cities and apply for work there. And yes, what I heard from other students' complaints, kind of like "I was very confident, demonstrated good skills and knowledge, had good referee reports... why couldn't I win but the other less competent candidates?"... bla bla bla... Nobody knows the future and whats going to happen, right? So its partly about luck (or karma)... Just make an effort but don't hurt yourself or anyone. Good things will come to you...

Oh sorry so I don't think there is any opportunity available for you after your graduation. Why don't you just stop being paranoid, and that life isn't as pink as you drew... Also, don't imagine yourself as highly competent and that you're gonna kick out other candidates and those jobs are just for you. Sorry, if public hospitals were in the "easy" zone, thousands of overseas students would have reached it and the unemployment crisis wouldn't last long as it did. Let's see what I said is right or wrong. Cheers

You are absolutely wrong about "Employers are starting to be spoilt and can pick and choose". Employers have been already extremely spoiled and they do not want to pick and choose. They keep confirming that "We need more nurses" so that more people want to pursue and apply for work in nursing. As a result, they will have the God's hand and we need them to save our destiny... Sorry that is just my personal point of view. Life is becoming more political than ever before...

I strongly agree with your opinion. I always wonder why many nurse graduates despise and even say "Never" to the Aged Care Sector. Most employers just require you to have what is called "Acute Experience", even if that is a Geriatric Unit in Hospitals and Medical Centers. Aged Care does prepare you with basic skills and foundation for your future career, no matter where you want to go. Cheers

Everything now has changed. Academic system does not give Undergraduate student enough practical skills and self-confidence, so apparently many hospitals and healthcare facilities feel so risky to put graduates into real world. That's why although there is a shortage of nurses in Australia, many candidates fail in their application process every year. Again, it could not help much blaming for Universities and Academic Study.

Most of those services now open their own graduate programs with just a few positions each year. So I don't think it would help much. Even if you call rural hospitals, they still ask whether you had completed any Graduate Program yet. It's so sad to hear some stories like that.

It means "You are not offered a position within the Graduate Program, so you have no experience and nobody wants to hire you". Is that enough for you to understand ... ??? :)

I totally agree with and strongly like your opinion. CDU is not as practical as the other. My first placement would be after the end of second year while some universities are willing to offer theirs for the first year. I'm tired of essays, research, powerpoint and online tests that don't help me much in gaining the skills I need. I hate what is called "Critical Thinking" or "You need to know what's going on behind nursing process". Nursing is still "nursing", not "Medicine". If you do not have innate propensity for nursing, you will be the same as you are, no matter how critically you think. The nature of nursing is not understood in the right way anymore. That's what happen in CDU now, i'm not sure how it was at your places.

I think it's normal ... but the game has become more interesting now, mate ... :)