External study for BA Nursing

Hi Dave,
Thanks for your reply, I just looked at CQU, it looks not to bad. Can you give me some information about the uni and studying externally. How are the exams, the work load and the delivery as well as the support provided by the uni. I was interested when I saw they had a Brisbane based office and that you could still study externally.

I am thinking of starting either end of this year or early next year.
Cheers
Bec

Hi-

I am also a uni sa extrernal student currently completing second year f/t and i'm also in the same boat my time at the uni has been beyond dreadful so much so i'm applying for on campus unis in Melbourne for mid year intake and will most likely be adding an extra full year onto my course because UNI SA has been so bad.

I personally would avoid them unless your in Adelaide as i was recently told i will most likely NOT get any of my 3rd year placements in melbourne and will have to go to Adelaide for 2 x 8 week placements because they prefer you to be in adelaide because it's easier to assess and also because hospitals interestate have different insurance requirements to Adelaide and as a result a lot won't take on Uni SA students which they neglect to put on their prospectus.

The last 2 workshops i've been in Adelaide for were also dreadful having spent money on flights and acocmodation for a number of days and then to spend the whole time with Tutors and clinical staff who had no idea what we had learnt, what the assessments were and no idea what was going on. On one day we had and assessment worth about 30% and up unitl we got into the assessment no staff memeber from tutors to course co-ordinators could tell us anything abou how the assessment was to be run i think i heard about 10 different plans of what the assessment was over 3 days.

In 18 months of studying with Uni SA i have very few positives on them

Cheers!- Jess

Just a quick update on my quest to start studying a bachelor degree in Nursing. I've signed up for some WIST units which I start soon and will hopefully gain access to the B of Nursing with CQU in 2012 (Sem 1).

Let me just say how absolutely fantastic the staff are at CQU - their encouragement, support and help have been amazing. I am looking extremely forward to studying with them and pleased that I have picked them over UniSA and others.

I'm super excited.

Are you in NSW? I would also suggest looking into CSU and UNE.

Hi Schizo,

How many times did you have to attend QUT a week? I'm studying with CQU externally (part-time) and will be starting pracs very soon. It would be nice to know in advance where you are placed.

I ruled out QUT as I didn't think they offered the course externally. Having said that I am really enjoying the course with CQU and the lecturers have been extremely helpful and professional.

Thanks!

@Dave aka abbeyside, QUT is a strange animal. Some of its units can be done externally within an full time course in nursing. Don;t ask me how this works. Whilst I am a full timer, I rarely attend lectures (less than 25%) and tutes (less than 35-40%). Well one would say that i am like an external student, which for all intents and purposes, its so. I only attend lectures and or tutes about 1-1.5 times a week at MOST...lol. I am a lazy bastard.

What i find go about this arrangement is that I can meet my peers for information anytime when i am around Uni. to gain a heads up on what's happening and also for some group discussion on assignments, also it provides me with an opportunity to share information about what's expected in the tutes or assignments from other mates who are in different tutes. these tidbits does help a lot when you'e wondering what the hell do they really want out of the assignment. Sometimes what we think is an answer is NOT because someone in another tute has already brooched the points with a tutor whose more willing to narrow things down for his/her students.

Like you I download my notes and hardly listen to lectures, the notes are usually more than sufficient, What I find most important are pracs, it gives you a real heads up and allow you to marry what you have learn in textbooks with the real thing. So far I have done pracs in ICUs, CCU, Emergency (including helping in a code), general wards and etc. I look back on those days and I am happy that I made QUT my choice. I am sure CQU and other Unis are great, heard good things from those with them but I can only share from my experience. I think gone are the days where we have to physically attend Uni and scribble hard to follow the lecturers...lol

lol..Like many of you guys, I too have to look after kids (4 of them monsters), cook meals for the family (my kids will not eat my wife's cooking...sigh), work part time as a research assistant for QUT and run a small business from home. Cheryl...it is certainly do-able, I have even expressed my studies to include extra subjects in my second year so that I can have an easy final semester when I have to concentrate on my pracs.

The reason for my encouraging you to consider full time is that you have the support of your peers, you NEED not do 4 subjects a semester if you feel like it, so there's an opportunity to drop back. In QUT and like many other unis, you can start the semester with 4 subjects and if you find it too difficult, you can drop the subjects before the census date. Its only on the cut off date that you are required to pay your fees.Its usually about 4 weeks from start of semester to the cut off census date, so there's plenty of time to see if you can handle the load.

Secondly, plodding alongst a few subjects at a time can be a strain on your motivation. Many who had been doing part time eventually came back to full time in a bid to finish off.

Anyways, all the best in your decision.