Nursing/Midwifery students (or wannabes LOL)....

[Antheia]

Congratz Ambah! Those are some fantastic marks!!

[bon]

I girls I have wanted to be a nurse for a long time, since before I had my kids but when I was just out of school I didn't want to do nursing so I did an arts degree instead. Of course now I have had my kids my interest has become midwifery or child health so my plan is to start a Bachelor of Nursing at some time in the future. My mum is a nurse and a midwife and very good at her job so she inspires me - she trained back in the 70s at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane under the nuns and then when I was a teenager she got her Bachelor degree. As I have already completed an undergraduate degree I have the option to do a Bachelor of Nursing for Graduates at QUT but unfortunately it is 2 years full time ( you do prac in your semester holidays) and the timetable is far too heavy for a mum of 2, going on 3, small children. So I am hoping when the new baby is a bit older I can start a part time degree, I am actually looking forward to it when the time comes - I have looked up the subjects on the net and I think I will find it really interesting and challenging. I was almost going to start a Grad Dip in Education this year and become a teacher but I am glad I decided not to do it, as nursing is really what I want to do. I grew up with it and I have a great mentor in my mum!

Ambah - congrats on those fantastic marks! You go girl!

[Lil_Pearl]

Congratulations Lisa and Ambah on your great results!!

Lisa...I haven't yet figured out exactly how I'm going to get in...the uni has an open day on 5th August, so I'm going to ask questions then. I don't know.....how best do you think I should go about it? I completed my VCE however many years ago (I'm 25...for a few more weeks! lol). I only did four subjects though, and all arts subjects, so I don't have maths...and although I was an A-average student, my ENTER score was only 64 or something...I can't remember exactly what....but I assume they wouldn't take such an old ENTER score into too much consideration, provided I passed my VCE?? I went to uni for a while, started an arts degree....and drank my way through living at college, and only passed half my first semester classes and then stayed enrolled but didn't even attend second semester. (clearly I was not ready for uni!!lol)...I was disillusioned by university.....I thought that it'd be a chance to think for myself, offer up ideas, sit on the grass and play guitar, etc. You know.lol. So I just partied instead. But anyway, that was a life-time ago, really, and I'm grounded and intelligent and rady to go!! I hope they don't punish me for a past failure.

I don't think I'll put nursing down as a second preference...I really just want to be a midwife, and the two things are very different...I have no interest for nursing, and don't think I could handle it. I have a great respect for people who can deal with looking after the sick and injured, but I just couldn't do it.

[BellyBelly]

I had a bit of a think last night and decided that I am probably not going to apply this year. I am enjoying being a birth attendant too much, and I would like the maternity world to progress a bit more before I work in it - I would get too frustrated at the moment! I also want to be here for my son going through kinder, like I have for Marisa, then after they have gone to school, I think I will for the knowledge, and then perhaps work privately.

[Lil_Pearl]

Yes, Kelly...me too...I'll absolutely become an independent midwife, it's the only way we can change things, really, isn't it? I had the same concerns about leaving my children while studying, but I've been assured that there aren't too many hours spent at the uni itself each week, ...and the uni is just up the road from me....so, provided I can find a good family-day-care person, it should work out alright, i think. I'm just wondering how doula work is going to fit in w/ family...my mother works full-time, so I don't have anyone "on call" as such. I think I'll have to find a baby-sitter. It's just 8am-after 5pm, my husband is at work, and family-day-care people don't do "on call" work, unfortunately.

[allyfield]

Tegan,

I would love a copy of the brochure too.

Thanks

[BellyBelly]

Really? I heard opposite - I even went to the ACU website and looked up their timetables to see and some classes were all over the place - i.e. one in the morning one just after lunch - so no point going home Have also spoken to a few students including Lina Clerke who said it was hell, and she only has one eight (?) year old. I am kinda scared of the whole industry, there is that 'eating their young' mentality and the bMids getting the crap they are from some places too. It's all new, and I think it needs some streamlining I also dont know how it will work with being a birth attendant, as you have to do all those follow-throughs and I have no idea how that will work with paid birth too...

[Lisa76]

Liana... I am currently doing the Bachelor of Nursing and like you I have no intention of becoming a nurse, I don't have any desire to work with sick people (although i highly rate people who do) but the only reason that I suggested the nursing as a second preference is because Midwifery is reaaaaaly popular and there aren't many places available so unless you get an extremely high entrance score you might not get a place.
I finished school 10 years ago (I'm 29) and I had to sit the STAT test (entrance exam) to get into uni. High school scores aren't considered unless they are from the year you are applying. I was only going to put Midwifery as my choice of subject but when I spoke the the head of Midwifery at the Uni before I applied she suggested I also put nursing as a second preference and if I complete that I can then do a 1 year Midwifery course. That means that all going to plan I will have a Nursing Degree and a Midwifery Degree and may have a better chance at getting a job over someone who only has midwifery (and better pay rate as I would have more qualifications). I really would have preferred to just do midwifery but I don't really have any other choice, If i want to do it this is the only way.

I don't have many contact hours at Uni at all. I am doing it part time and contact hours are only 8 per week. The lectures aren't compulsory and lots of students don't go to them and still do really well. I choose to go to all the lectures as I dont want to do a half assed job and get slack. The tutorials and practicals are the only classes that are strictly compulsory and they only make up 4 hours each week. As Kelly mentioned the roster is all over the place, last semester on Wednesdays I had a 5 hour break in between classes and since i live over an hour away it dosen't reallly make sense to go home in the breaks, but it is handy for getting lots of homework done. Luckily I have a helpful husband and my two younger kids love going to daycare and the two older kids love going to after school care and since I just love having a couple of days a week being kid-free it really works out well for my family.

[Lil_Pearl]

Kelly...yeah, i know...I would only do a bit of doula work while studying, and then would have to give it up for awhile while first working, really. I know, the system stinks...but I figure it needs some pushy new midwives to change it!

Lisa...yeah, I'm a bit concerned about not getting in....but I really don't think I could do nursing, not even the training. I'll just see what happens. I'm not in a major rush, really...if I don't get in next year, I'll just take it as a sign to have bubba no. 3! haha.

[bon]

I personally would rather do nursing first then do the midwifery course - firstly, because that is the only way to do it here in qld as there is no BMid yet, but also because it gives me a wider range of career options and the option to go into child health or paediatric nursing if I want, the option to work in community health, just more options in general. And because there are many areas where I believe nursing and midwifery would overlap, particularly in the medical side of things but also in the nurturing side of things. That is why if you have a nursing degree the midwifery course is only 1 year - because you have covered most of it already in your nursing course.

[Lil_Pearl]

bon - they're some good points. Can a midwife not go into child health if she has done a BM? I assumed that, while not nursing, a three-year midwifery degree would incorporate enough that one could follow through into other areas. That's interesting...I'll have to think about that, as I would like the option of child-health-nurse down the track (I always figured they only give you pretty basic info anyway, they mustn't be actual nurses). I still don't think I could go through the whole ....well, here's a cliche....emptying bed pans thing.

[Mother Goose]

Liana, with midwifery, you cover some of the same subjects as nurses (such as anatomy and physiology) but there are also some major differences.The BM doesn't allow the individual to work as a nurse in other areas like recovery or orthopedics etc. Nurses can't work as midwives because we don't do the childbirth component which is rather lengthy. Looking at and comparing the two degrees which are both offered at my Uni, they are completly different after first year (with the exception of second year science). Even though you don't have any intention of working as a nurse, it is worth considering doing nursing first or doing the double degree (4 years instead of 3) which will give you more options of areas to work in (on the off chance you burn out or get sick of midwifery as can happen), make you more employable and attractive to potential employers as well as entiteling (sp?) you to a higher wage. Nursing isn't all that bad and there is very little pan changing nowadays. I think I've changed maybe 4 bedpans in 6 years. And you don't have to work with "sick" people. You can work in areas like orthopedics which is surgical so people aren't sick in the conventional sense. But which way people go and what they specialise in is highly personal. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

For those of you who are worried about contact time at Uni - you can actually plan your timetable which will maximise follow on classes and reduce waiting around time. I have a friend at ACU in Vic who goes to Uni 4 days a week only. Also, nursing and mid are both offered externally through various uni's. The University of South Australia offers both degrees externally which you can also do part time. I am currently doing Nursing externally through UniSA and am more than happy to answer any questions.

MG

[Ambah]

I have also heard that the role of the nurse has changed heaps over the years, and its definately not just focused on things like changing bedpans, or even making beds (which they dont do at all anymore).
I'm really happy to do nursing first, as I want to be able to have experience in a wider area... we get to choose electives anyway such as 'Introduction to Nursing Children and Childbearing Families' and 'Family and Community Nursing', as well as Mental Health, and heaps of other interesting areas...
I'm actually loving my nursing course and finding it really, really interesting!

As for timetables, maybe its different here in Qld, but I know people that have managed to fit a fulltime uni timetable into 3 days per week (not including clinical placement of course though). Though I dont imagine that would be the case for all semesters - though I'm sure most could be done in 4 days/week.
I am doing a reduced FT load this semester (3 subjects) and only have 2 contact days, plus one lecture on a different evening, but I dont need childcare for that day.

[Lil_Pearl]

thanks for that info, ladies!

So, nursing has changed a lot since my aunts and uncle were students, that's for sure! (that was in the 80's).

MotherGoose......I'm very interested to learne more about doing my degree by distance via the SA uni. Do they have a good website?? sounds great....can you really do the BM via distance? sounds great! Is it seperate as far as places are concerned? Is it still v. competitive? It's just, it sounds like that would be a lot easier to fit in w/ a family, and my doula work.

[~Jo~]

Hi girls. Ive done half of my nursing degree but deferred the year before last because I was finding it so bloody difficult juggling the pracs with family life! Is it the same for every state? Here we had to do 3x 2 week pracs each semester.

Jo

[Mother Goose]

Jo, at present my Uni does a 3 weeker in 1st year, 2x3 weeks in 2nd yr, 1x3 week + 1x6 weeks in final year although it is all changing next year. I go to the University of South Australia. Each Uni is diff though. There is a nursing school in SA that does 2 days in class and 3 days in the hospital each week.

ETA: Liana - They offer a certain amount of external and a certain number of internal places. Midwifery is always competitive but I don't think many people realise it can be done externally through my Uni so might be easier than other venues? The website is good. I'm not sure if I can post it but it comes up if you google it. On the homepage it has a search option, just type school of nursing and midwifery in and it will come up with the link. The correct uni name is University of South Australia. Let me know if you need a hand.

HTH.

MG

[Coolabahdee]

Hi Girls, I'm Dee, Mother of five and wife to one, I did my B of Nursing and registered in 1997. I like to do things the hard way, lol. It took me four years instead of three as I got married and had a baby during what should have been my third year. Although I have been employed by Qld Health since 1993. During Uni I spent all of my holidays as an AIN/student Nusre and worked at Mount Isa Base Hospital, Julia Creek, Doomadgee and Mornington Island. After I registered I continued to work at Mount Isa Base and then Emerald and Dysart Hospitals, from which I have now offically resigned from, sniff, sniff. I started my Grad Dip of Midwifery in 2002, however only finished one semester and deferred due to pregnancy and lack of carers for my children while I went away to do prac. I live 350km inland from Rocky and Mackay and couldn't get anyone to watch the girls for two weeks while I did a prac block. I will finish my mid one day, Townsville Base offers the PAid Midwifery program and I think I will join in in a couple more years.
I love Nursing but my real passion is in Midwifery.

Sorry typing while B/F Nate.

[Mother Goose]

Lisa Are your results in yet? How did you go? I got two Credits and an I - they haven't put my NC6 results up yet although I know I passed. I will prob get a C for that too. Got a P1 in the assignmnet (worth 60%) and a HD in the exam - go figure! I didn't do any of the course work for NC6 so am pretty stoked! Hope you did well. Will be interedted to hear your thoughts on the new program structure once it's released next month....

MG