I just got into Div 2 Nursing for next year!

Wow congratulations, and welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy nursing.

What is division 2 by the way? Is that like enrolled nurse or something?

Yay well done, Im just about to finish off my Cert IV in nursing, just doing my final placement, plus a couple of make up days just b4 christmas. Then finally when i get my registration form in, i'll be a Div 2 nurse. I did the course part time as well over 2 years at TAFE and although there had been a few problems with the TAFE's organisation and with getting our final placements, i have enjoyed it all. Here's a tip......stick with it - it occasionally gets tough and dropping out seems to be an easy option but when you finally see an end it is definately all worth it. Div 2's are moving along well in Victoria and if you have strong goals, you can move high in the ranks as a Div 2, esp if you are Endorsed later on. And shut your ears to those who continually say Div 2's cant go very far, they have no vision. Well done and enjoy the course, you'll find it a real eye opener at times, and always interesting.

Thanks for all your kind words, peoples! :-) Yes, us Victorians are a weird bunch with the whole Div 1/Div 2 thing, I really don't know how anyone gets their head around it, especially as some job ads around here still use the old classifications (for example, for psych nursing). It's all rather confusing.

Yes, I am going to be here alot in the coming years, so you all had better stick around to answer my questions as time goes by!!

Thanks all!

Thanks Keeshy!

I don't actually know if the med modules are included - the rumour at the entrance test was that it will be inlcuded, but they haven't updated this on the coure outline on the web, and no one there has been able to answer the question definitively yet. I'm attending the enrolment session this coming Wednesday, and that's where we will find out more info about it all, presumably. I need to know what days classes will be (2 days a week part time), so that I can tell work what days I can work next year, so i'm hoping they'll have an idea of that soon.

The course starts on 29 Jan, and I am going to be so busy during Dec and Jan that'll it'll all fly by!

I'm excited about the enrolment, but not so excited about having to pay for the course on that day! It will be great not to add to my HECS debt, though!

Good to hear that you've enjoyed your placements, Keeshy. What kind of placements did you do? I know that my course will include at least one Aged Care placement, specifically, but that's all I know for now.

Hope everyone else is well!

Hi megsmel,

I'm studying Cert IV in Nursing at Box Hill Institute (TAFE). The course is 2 years part time, and includes med endorsement in the course itself (as it is new). RMIT also offer it, as does Victoria University TAFE. It is not the traineeship, nor is it private college. I paid about $1100 for one year part time, so will prob cost same as the private college you mention, as it is Govt funded throught the TAFEs. Currently I'm there 2 days a week. Full time is 4 days a week for 1 year. We get 4 x two-week placements throughout the course.

The course also includes a few "electives" (chosen by the Government, not the student) from Diploma level. As I understand it, they're just bringing out the Diploma here in Victoria, and eventually, new Div 2's will be Diploma trained. And it includes medications, which is why the course is 2 years part time, instead of the 18 months they told us it would be initially.

The workload is fine if you have studied recently. If not, it may take a term or so to get into the swing of things, but as long as you are organised and know that you can approach the skills counselor for help (or whoever), it's really quite okay. I'm in a class of 60, 37 of whom are mums (and 2 dads!), so you wouldn't be alone in the kids department.

As I understand it, all the new TAFE courses for Div 2's (Certificate IV) include meds now.

We won't have our first placements until mid October. One thing I've noticed with the full time groups at the moment is the difficulty the TAFEs have in obtaining placements, especially for the acute placement rounds. There is one full time group whose graduation/registration is being held up past their course end date by several weeks due to placement probs. Our TAFE has had issues surrounding enough classrooms and teachers for us all, and teething probs with the new course content. I do believe it's getting better as we go on, so hopefully next year's group will benefit.

I'm hoping to switch to full-time study next year for 6 months to finish it, as I currently feel like I never will! But that is just me being impatient. :-)

Sorry for the the long-winded reply. I'm rather sleepy!

But I am enjoying the course very much so far, and highly recommend it. Just make sure you are ready to take responsibility for your own learning, and it'll be great!

Good luck with your choices. I must say, if I'd known I could do the course 3 days a week over 18 months (which none of the TAFEs provide) with a private college for the same amount I'm paying for TAFE, I would have jumped at the chance. :-)