Hi Girls,
Here is our new thread so we can stop gatecrashing Lianas thread about becoming a midwife.
Anyone who is studying Nursing and/or Midwifery and all those people who are thinking about studying it this is the place to post your ideas, advice, exam stresses etc....
Trish...You said that you have done Cert 3 in Nursing, Are you going to do Cert 4 and become an enrolled nurse? I have heard that it is quite easy for ENs to get into Uni to do the Registered Nursing degree and you wouldnt have to sit the STAT. Lots of the people in my classes are ENs and I think that they do get to bypass some subjects for RPL.
I only just realised the other week that you could go to TAFE and become an EN. If I had of known that I might have chosen to do it before going to Uni. My local TAFE is a 5 minute walk from home and Uni is over an hour away by train (Makes it a little difficult with 4 kids)
Haha Lisa, people can gatecrash all they want - the more the merrier, I say. But this is a great idea you have. One question I've thought of recently, in regards to doing a midwifery degree is: what choices are available as far as hospitals/birth centres/independent midwifery goes? I think I'd hate to work in a regular hospital labour ward, as my desire to be a midwife stems from my belief of supporting a woman, not enforcing hospital policies on her (I'd feel so bad to have to hook a woman up to a fetal monitor, when she just really wants to move, and really doesn't need intervention or want it). Basically, I believe it is a midwives place to be there when a woman births her child, not a doctors place, and I don't want to answer to doctors....but my husband reminded me that I'd probably have to be a part of that environment initially, to gain experience before becoming an independant midwife. It's not even a matter of being true to myself, really - if I become a midwife, I'm dedicated to being true to the women I support. Will I have the freedom to practice as a real midwife?
Liana, there are some birthing centres like that in VIC (don't ask where though 'cause Idon't really remember - just remember someone at work telling me). And your DH is correct, you will need to work in hospitals first to get some of that experience behind you then you can probably branch out. But my advice is to look at the hospital policies and find one that suits you.
Lisa - have you thought about jumping over to external? It's not difficult to arrange and will give you more freedom. I think you can do it for just a few of your subjects if you want to keep some accountability to lecturers.
Tips for exams? DON'T DO THEM! LOL! No, ah, don't leave prep to the last minute?
Well, if anyone wants to do an assignment for me that was due three days ago, give me a yell - would be happy to offload it!
Here in Qld if you have done your Dip Nursing (EN) then you can RPL 1 year off your Bachelor of Nursing course.
Qld cut off dates for uni application are usually Sept 30 every year.
My tip for exams.... -
- start your study at least 2 weeks before the exam,
- write out/answer all of the learning objectives in your notebook.
- revise them over and over in the few days before the exam.
You'd be surprised what your short term memory can handle!
oh yeah Ambah! I say don't leave it to the last minute but I know that for me I don't retain the info unless I cram! LOL!
RPL at UniSA for EN's is pretty limited. They get NC1 off, don't do the NC2 placement (from memory), don't have to do sociology. But I think they have to do the rest. Not a lot when you think about it...
Mother Goose...I too have an assignment past due date. If i dont get it in soon I may fail it so im going to try and get it done this weekend. Its for Society and Culture....did you have to do that? What a crappy subject, I can see its relevance to Nursing but it is so boring, mostly due to the boring tutor and the lecturer is a Sociology FREAK.
I was thinking of maybe picking up an extra subject externally next year, I just don't know that I would have to motivation to actually do it without the lecturer pushing it down my throat, and I have so much going on at home that I would probably end up doing washing instead of studying. I might give it a go with an easy subject, I think a subject like biosciences would be hard to do externally though, I get quite a lot out of going to the lectures.
I'm so wanting to become a Midwife. Firstly though, i'm going to train to be a birth attendent, starting in Jan-Feb next year. Do that for a few years and then do the course for midwifery. I can't wait!
Oh Lisa! I know exactly what you're talking about! I HATED that subject! Which essay is it? If you email me I am more than happy to email you my essay if it's the same topic and you can use it for inspiration. I really hated that subject. Almost as much as I hate nursing research!
Mother Goose.... The work that I am behind on are the Journal Entries, did you have to do those? Each journal entry is 250 words which may not sound like a lot but my first lot of jounal entries he pulled to pieces....so I have to take extra care (he is a harsh harsh man)
My essay topic was "How is stratification by socioeconomic status in society implicated in health inequalities in Australia?" (3000 words) needles to say that was NOT much fun at all !!!
Tegan...What do you have to do to become a birth attendant, I have never heard of that in SA, is that the same as a doula. It was only the other day that I heard of doulas for the first time.
Lisa - Yeah i think a birth attendent is the same as a Doula. They do the same thing anyway. I'm going to be doing a course via correspondence. It's located in Sydney and i'm in Newcastle, so it was the only way. It goes for 20 weeks and they send out books and work for you to do and you send your 'homework' back to them. In that 20 weeks you also have to attend 3 births as a trainee birth attendent(which is free for the couple that hire you) I have to find these people myself, which shouldn't be too hard with BB available! I have to write an account of these 3 births and also of the labour and birth of one of my own children and send it to them.
I think I got a Credit from memory. I have the hard copy filed and the electronic copy should be on hubby's computer. How did you do? I HATED that essay. Thankfully there aren't too many as bad as that! Although I believe the whole degree structure is changing next year so who knows what will be in store after that? But feel free to check with me about assignments, I kept everything.
A great doula course is through Optimum Birth..it's "top notch". There are four modules that you can do in your own time (if you don't live in QLD- as I don't - you can do it distance), and you attend three birthing women before registering. It is a very comprehensive course, run by Dr. Christine Vose (an independent midwife and doula herself, who told me that if she had her time again, she'd have been a doula all along). She is a brilliant mentor, who has personally marked all my exams, even though there are other people to do that, also...and she gives fabulous feedback!
Liana, I just had a look at that site and it looks great. I take it you have finished the course ?? How was it, do you think it's as good as a class as such?? Have you done your 3 births yet??
Nursing/Midwifery students (or wannabes LOL)....
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