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Vixen
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- Joined: May 2011
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Sun May 08, 2011 7:05 pm
Hi all
I'm new to this forum but just want to gain an insight into nursing. I'm currently doing another course and looking into transfering into a nursing course.
Basically I just want to know what you love or hate about it....don't hold back
Also if you are specialised in a certain area of nursing and what it requires for your daily job. Thanks, Kim
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midaz
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- Joined: Nov 2007
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- Posts: 23
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May 20, 2011, 12:24 am
I suggest you don't transfer course but rather get a job as a carer or similar to get some insight into the harsh reality of nursing. Which is IMHO: Pay - does not compare to most degrees, does not compensate for shift work, does not reflect huge amounts of reponsibility, does not compensate for OH&S issues Conditions - Physical endangerment from violent patients/heavy lifting/needlestick injuries etc, shift work is compulsory in most areas (including nights and weekends = no social life), lack of flexibility with rostered hours, unsafe workloads which endanger patients and you. I heard a quote once that if you get told when to go to work, when to take your breaks, have to wear a uniform, are in a union and can only get paid the award rate you are not a professional, but a blue collar worker. It's not really worth going to university for is it? If you're smart and you want to help people or give something back I suggest either pursuing a different caring career where you will be treated like the professional you are or working in another field and spending some time volunteering in your community.
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danii2011
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- Joined: Feb 2011
- Location: Melbourne
- Posts: 51
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Jun 08, 2011, 04:42 pm
@MarieAnderson Are you actually a nurse? it seems that most of your replies are copied and pasted from the internet. This forum is a place for GENIUNE advice and information not to spam or advertise your website! @Vixen Goodluck with whatever you choose! I start my div 2 course next month and I am hoping to do a Div 1 conversion degree afterwards :)
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Schizo
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- Joined: Jan 2009
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Jun 10, 2011, 11:10 am
@Midaz, sorry to hear that you're not happy with nursing. In many ways what you say is very true. Whilst so, i am happy with my lot. Maybe its because I enjoy looking after my patients and leave a lot of the politics and bitching outside my work. I am also very very lucky in that I have a fantastic team of colleagues who would go out of the way to help one another. For this blessing, I cannot wish for any better. Could it be that your work place is stifling your motivation and aspirations? I hope that this is not the case as I have seen how it can sap the will out of good nurses. I left an excellent career as an Accountant to be a nurse, I am now working for less that 25% of what i use to earn, but for me, i cannot be happier. That's just me...I think I have lost a lot of my marbles. @Vixen, Midaz has penned some good points. To be a good nurse and enjoy this profession, one must have an altruistic outlook. Whilst the salary is an important component of this mix, the true motivating factor is WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE A NURSE? lol. A strange question indeed but it will make a lot of difference in being happy with your choice. I nurse a lot of palliative patients and whilst it can be hard, the care you provide them means a lot of difference in their last days. I have sat with patients after my shift, waiting for their relatives to turn up because the patient is afraid to be alone. If it is a 9-5, it will never do you. When i walk away from my shift and patients, I know that I would have like to be treated with the same dignity and care. The best parts for me, family members whom I happen to meet in public, many months on, coming up after i have long forgotten their faces to say thank you and give you a hug, for looking after their mother/father who has since passed on. To me, that's reminds me of why I made the switch to nursing.
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T- rex
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- Joined: Jun 2011
- Location: Sydney
- Posts: 7
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Jun 11, 2011, 10:25 am
I'm also seriously exploring studying nursing at a fairly mature age and am well aware of the notion that caring professions (not just the nursing field) appear to be considered a thankless task but believe that I've come so far in life that the need that I have now for an active helping career is stronger than the youthful and fairly ignorant notions I had about remuneration,.. A person is truely successful if they are in the employ of something they love doing,.. @Schizo, you seem to have you head screwed on fairly firmly,...could you throw any advice my way regarding grad entry (Sydney)? I posted an advice blurb recently but manged to prick it onto the wrong section (IT Mong!). If you care to check it, its in the General section under suggestions! Its about this 10 year rule for grad entry etc etc,.. Cheers, Hope Vixen can find more positive job descrion to help make her mind up,..
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Schizo
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- Joined: Jan 2009
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- Posts: 239
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Jun 12, 2011, 05:31 am
Last edited Jun 12, 2011, 05:31 am
update #1
@T-Rex, thanks for the compliment...lol. The graduate entry program is great as it short cuts all the crap subjects that one has to go through in normal undergraduate entry. The 10 year rule has an loop hole in that even though your degree is over 10 years they will still accept you is you have been practising in the profession that you've graduated in since or until of late. They do allow 1-2 years sabbatical in between. Just present your references and other form of proof to demonstrate this and you'll be on your way. As for study methods, which I will include as FREE advice...lol. You don;t have to be in UNI all the time. Skip boring lectures but download tutorial and lecture notes. You can effectively study as an external student!! ;) You only need to show up for lab sessions and some compulsory tutes. Also please plan for your clinical pracs, they can place undue burden on your family and finances if you're needing to work part time to haul in some moola. I have also answered in detail where you have your "mis-placed" thread..lol All the best T-Rex
modified: Sunday 12 June 2011 6:12:13 am - Schizo
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T- rex
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- Joined: Jun 2011
- Location: Sydney
- Posts: 7
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Jun 12, 2011, 09:27 pm
@Schizo Thank you very much for your prompt reply and full advice including the study method freebie! I have renewed zest in my determination to gain entry into a course now! I understand the 'chicken vs Egg' issue that GRN are subject to, but hope that my ophthalmic background (optom) along with hopefully doing well in the course will pull me through that difficult stage. Is the grad entry M.N at Sydney university course considered a 'good one' amongst employers/hospitals/professionally?? Regards my English. I can prove that I spent alll of my secondary schooling to UE (old NZ highschool qualie) level in NZ. I I only did my 1st degree in a foreign langauge and had to learn Dutch proficiently (with a certificate to study at tertiary level). I also have just had my Duth Optom degree check and endorsed by NOOSR for its validity as comparable to an Ausie bachelor's Degree. I have many records of CET as an optom and a full CV - so hope tjis will all enable an offer from Syney Uni. Will keep you posted. Cheers, T- rex
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Schizo
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- Joined: Jan 2009
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Jun 14, 2011, 04:55 am
I am not familiar with Unis in NSW....I am a Qlder...lol. I am certain that you will do well...not sure if you would be required to pa tuition fees as an international, you'll have to check with unis themselves. The GNP problem is pretty serious and I certainly encourage you to keep a very close eye on this and start building networks when on clinical prac. Anyways all the very best on your journey and keep us posted.
Cheers
Schizo..now where's my olanzapine
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T- rex
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- Joined: Jun 2011
- Location: Sydney
- Posts: 7
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Jun 16, 2011, 09:09 am
@Schizo Hi there again, Yes I will be keeping my 'feelers out' regarding the GNP situation - the current crisis seems worryingly unendorsed or ignored by any government website or Uni website I've been on regarding employment. They all elude to the 'shortage' of RN's nationally but again I take this to be those with more than 12 months experience under thier belts. Obviously theres gonna be lotsa competition by the time I graduate - but as you say being resourceful and taking personal charge of the opportunities that might be around will be paramount. Again, hopefully my fairly specific knowledge and skills in the ophthalmic field will enable me to get a foot in the door, even though I might ultimately be interested in other areas of nursing. I really wonder though what the real statistics are as uni's have a habit of oversubscribing - only to blame the government when their graduate students end up working in the local chippy! I see though that the goverment in Australia has been backing endorsement for more puplic access to mental health programmes/treatment - perhaps it would be sensible for me to think about that? Anyway, alot can happen in just a few years, ay. If old Nostradamus is right 2012 will throw a spanner in the works for everyone,....lol? Cheers, T- rex
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Schizo
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- Joined: Jan 2009
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- Posts: 239
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Jun 16, 2011, 11:42 am
@ T-Rex, If Nostradamus is correct then I better start living it up NOW!!! lol Mental health is a specialised field and again the chicken precedes the egg, in that you will require having done a transition (1 year) program in mental health to be psych qualified. Problem is that you can only do this under employment with mental health operators. The courses are internal and cannot be studied externally at Uni....sigh. So it still begs that you get a foot through the door and into mental health as a grad entry. Yes there's bigger demand in this area but the reason why many avoid mental health are as follows - 1) One tends to loose clinical skills - No surprisingly, over time mental health nurses forget how to set an infusion pump or auscultate with a stethoscope. 2) The only operators of mental health facilities is the government and there's a limitation as to where you can go with the experience. Very few private mental health facilities...no money in this. So in short you will end up circulating in and around mental health settings. Whereas clinical nurses can shift between disciplines - ortho, cardiac, ICU, emergency, geriatric, CCU, general ward, infectious ward, wound care specialty and etc etc. Albeit some of these units stillr equire additional qualification or transitional qualification. For example ICU requires all staff to be Advance Life Support trained. 3) Mental Health settings can affect people working within the ward. Most I know have become cynical, basically a product of their work environment. They are cynical because they have unconsciously learned not to believe everything you hear...since most with mental health issues are not always as forthright with in their communication.
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ticklish
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- Joined: Sep 2009
- Location: North Brisbane
- Posts: 38
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Jun 19, 2011, 01:21 pm
Hi Vixen Nursing is a loverly job and career and I personally love it but there alot of good & bad points about it. Autonomy is probably the biggest con- we may like to think of ourselves as 'health professionals' but generally nurses are still treated as second class citizens in the healthcare sector. If you can get past this and enjoy the other aspects of nursing then thats great. Alot of frustrated nurses cant seem to get past that fact and affects their attitude towards the job. What I love about it- I love the shift work. I love working weekends (my husband works weekends aswell) and having weekdays off. This suits my lifestyle perfectly. I enjoy doing night shift aswell. I work 12.5hr shifts, so I only work 3 days a week and have 4 days a week off which is a great lifestyle for me aswell. I enjoy the variety in nursing- no 2 patients are the same! I love the flexibility- I have been an RN for 5 years now and in those 5 years I have had 4 different jobs in 3 different hospitals. Besides my very first job as an RN, every job ive had i never even interviewed for- ive found it very easy to move around. I love the physical side of my job- i would be bored to death sitting in an office everyday, and being on my feet all day is exhausting at times but id prefer that then sitting at an office. The pay is not too bad, I think its quite reasonable. Im a 5th year RN, I work 72hrs a fortnight and with my qualification allowance (graduate certificate) I earn about $70,000 per annum gross. I love patient contact, its inspiring to see people go through hell & get better and being apart of that. Bad points. Politics would have to be the worst, its up to you how much part of that you want to be involved in. There is ALOT of politics, alot of backstabbing and alot of generally foul people to watch out for. You do need to have a backbone to survive this industry. Sometimes the shifts can be hard, depending on rostering I sometimes get stuck with a fairly awful roster but usually its ok. Missing out on alot of family functions, holidays etc because of shifts will happen unless you work in an area that doesnt do shifts. Bad patients can be very testing, alot of people are very ungrateful for what we do for them or see nurses as slaves and treat us as such but this is fairly rare. It certaintly gets me down in the dumps though sometimes! There are so many specialties in nursing. My specialty is intensive care, mainly cardiac surgery and general ICU (respiratory, renal & sepsis). To work in ICU in the public sector in my state it is mandatory to do a 12 month study program through my employer called transition which is a an introduction into ICU nursing. This course gives you 2 subjects credit at university for the graduate certificate in intensive care nursing (which ive done) which although isnt mandatory is strongly recommended. ICU is quite knowledge & skill demanding and you do need a fairly advanced level of knowledge. In my daily job, I look after 1 patient who is critically ill. They are usually intubated and ventilated along with other life-supporting machines including dialysis, ECMO (extra corpeal membrane circulation), nitric oxide, IABP (intra aortic balloon pump), VAD (ventricular assist device) cardiac pacing, and a whole host of complex monitoring systems. In my daily job I need to understand how all these machines work, use them, troubleshoot them and interpret the data to plan the care for my critically complex patient. Its a very demanding task but I love it. Cardiac surgical ICU is alot of fun aswell. The patients return to ICU after their heart surgery (CABG's, valves etc) and we warm them, wean them, wake them then extubate them all in a few hours. They usually only stay in ICU for a day or two, compared to general ICU patients who sometimes stay with us for months or even years in a critical condition. Its a very demanding and stressful at times specialty but its what I love most! Good luck with your choice to do nursing or not and with your future career. Regards, Ticklish
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