Sahaya

Thanks for all your reply. When I wrote this post I was very emotional. I am in the verge of giving up, I really don't think that I have a chance to work in the hospital as an RN. I did not mean to offend anyone...with regards to the title of my post, I just thought of it being catchy and hoping that it will attract attention and someone will give me an advise--and someone did--thank you ceridwyn! I am thinking more in the lines of a placement/training/inteternship--when I heard about this person really volunteering (or whichever is a more appropriate term) in the radiology department of a hospital and gaining experience, thereby, increasing her chances of being a preferred applicant because she had some experience, that's how I come to think of posting...sorry, not meaning to offend or upset anyone, I was just hoping someone knows about some training/internship somewhere here in Sydney area...I was just really emotional and desperate when I posted this. I will try and contact admin to have this taken out. I am just so grateful that I got replies...I am almost giving up and it's not a good feeling and sometimes it makes you think crazy/silly thoughts...thanks all for your time!

I had been job-a-hunting for a year and half, no luck in hospitals. Finished my 2-year RN program December 2012, unfortunately I didn't get any new grad offers. Currently working in Aged Care, but desperate to amp my clinical skill set (dream job: Haematology/Burns Unit) and really really really wanting to work in the hospital. I know it's very competitive out there--so...I am just wondering if anyone knows of any hospitals here in Sydney area that has a program of taking in RNs to train them, if budget is the problem, no worries--I am not expecting compensation. I am willing to volunteer (part time) just to have a hospital experience, accumulate practicum hours, and maybe in a year or two, I'll have a better chance of getting accepted for future hospital job applications. I know it sounds crazy, but I am serious. I can make it work. I will only do it part time and do other jobs in other days for practical reasons. I just need recency of practice as per AHPRA (equivalent to 3 months full time in a 5-year period, is that correct?)...I just need to gain clinical experience in a hospital setting... I got this idea from my partner's friend. She is an Aussie Citizen and finished her radiology cert. She was volunteering (yes, working in a radiology unit in some hospital, for free). She did it for some time to get the hours, and when she accummulated enough and was ready, she applied to a major hospital in the North Shore area, and she got in! So I am just wondering if this volunteer thing in hospitals is also available for nurses... If anyone has any info, please share. And I ask not to be judged...I am just desperate to get a hospital training...not meaning to offend anyone. Nothing is working for me at the moment, so maybe someone out there knows something. This is very hard for me to write...and I won't even write this if I don't feel desperate enough...just taking a chance maybe there is such program/training somewhere. THANK YOU

Sorry for the late reply ceridwyn. I ask myself that question so many times but I guess I was just resigned to my fate. So from being casual, I am now a permanent part timer at my aged care facility (the same one, the very first one that accepted me 2 months after I graduated). It is a familiar job and pays the rent/bills. So I guess the answer to the question is -- I have to somehow survive. Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for my aged care job and even being with the same facility for a year and a half now, I have never succumbed totally to compassion fatigue (I do have bad days but our RN/patient ratio is 1:90 or if lucky 2:90, so yeah, some days are crazy busy)...though, I always give all that I can in a day's work, always going the extra mile in fact, literally, spending at least one hour over my shift since a year and a half ago. I know it can be taken against me (going over my shift), but I figured out that paperwork can be done in a later time; I'd rather make sure the clinical care has been done and only prioritise exceptional charting (we have scheduled documentation/asssessments aside from exceptional, so I figured out I can leave that last)...that and other issues...bottomline is -- it's just impossible to finish on time. And it's not only me. Compared to an acute care setting, I know that I will have learned more had I been given a chance to be accepted in a new grad in the first place...but oh well...had to move on. I suppose for a new nurse it is critical that you have a solid foundation of clinical skill set and I still believe that the best avenue of training is in the hospital. I discovered that working an aged care setting is more of administrative/leadership scene...and if you're a new nurse, to be thrown into that can be very daunting. It's not doing any good to my confidence level either--I have to admit that in the back of my mind I feel inept, clinically speaking--yes, I have 1.5 years aged care experience, compare that to somebody else who's got 1.5 years in acute care setting. Yep, of course it's relative but I can't help and think that way--in my current workplace, I am surrounded by people I work with who don't believe in me and what I can be capable of. The only ones that appreciate me are my residents and occasionally some of the nurses I work with. I am not trying to seek attention or to be recognised. I don't have to prove anything. It's just me having this dilemma if it's still worth it to continue working in a place when I am looked down on. There is no assurance from agency work and my application is still currently on process. I read blogs about agency work and it's a really tough environment. And for someone like me with a limited experience, agency nursing at hospitals is going to be a very bumpy ride. But one good thing about agency nursing (as what I have read in one blog) is that you can 'focus more on patient care rather than facility politics'. I am feeling a bit lost now...I do am thinking of resigning...now, if only a hospital will take me in to their casual pool, I know that with the staff support/education support I have a better chance of becoming a good nurse--I don't want to let go of that dream just yet.

Hi Cb. Did you go for a 2-year nursing course? I did as what Ceridwyn described. I finished my 2-year nursing course and applied for a graduate Visa. I also gained 15 points due to my 2-year full time study here, thus, I was able to obtain the necessary points for PR. Like you, I came here with not really knowing the next best thing to do...good luck in your future applications :)

MY POST ABOVE IS IN REPLY TO STUDENTNURSE1985 :) (Just joined today, still learning the ropes to this posting biz )

I am the best example -- I didn't get into any new graduate program, and I've been trying to apply to hospitals for a year now and all my applications are unsuccessful. Most hospitals require one-year experience (how can I have one when I'm not given a chance??? grrrr). Anyway, the point is, it can be very competitive out there and if you are a fresh grad, chances are somebody else will hold better qualifications than you have...getting into new graduate is still the best option, that's my opinion. Currently, I am working in Aged Care, but my passion is somewhere along the lines of pain management in Cancer Care or Burns...I know I have the ability and have future plan of further education, but without any hospitals giving me a chance due to 'technicality' (I have no new grad, and all I have is an Aged Care experience)...I just don't know how I can make my dreams happen. I obtained my qualifications from a good Australian university...ALL SUCCESSFUL NEW GRADUATE RNs SHOULD HAVE A GO AT A PLACEMENT IN NEW GRAD PROGRAMS. Seems impossible that with the several 2nd, 3rd, 4th... choices you've indicated in the application you can't get a spot...it's just difficult to comprehend how they can't take in everyone. I keep hearing we still have nursing shortage... ... ... sorry, can't help but vent ... I am a bit stuck right now...