2012 Nursing and Midwifery students chat

[spice]

Kelgc, I would definately pick Griffith over SCU. You don't have to go to the Logan CPUs very often. You do 2 weeks of intensives on campus at the beginning of each semester and the rest is mostly external. A lot of the coursework is online and you log on to your computer to attend live interactive lectures. You also attend weekly tutorials at the hospital where you are placed. If you live south of Coomera you have a pretty good chance at being placed at gch for placement. The advantage of GU is that once you are placed there that's where you will do all your clinical. As far as I know at SCU you do bits and pieces everywhere do its harder to build a relationship with a potential employer iykwim? Also at GU your placement consists of rostered shifts. From second semester onward you do 2 rostered shifts per week. This can be any shift over 7 days you just write your name in the spot so it's easy to work around family or work commitments. I have to say I love this degree

[kelgc]

Hi Spice, Thank you so much for taking the time and answering my questions. You have just confirmed my decision, Thank you so much!!!
I am anxiously hoping that i will get in next year for the bachelor of midwifery. I can't wait. I am now getting ready to get all my documents ready to apply via QTAC. I hope it will be easy!!!
I look forward to meeting you next year!!! Thank you so much for your advice!!!
Take care xx

[Brunfelsia Dreaming]

Hello Everyone, I have read this thread and i seriously think some of you may be able to help me decide which uni i should enrol. I have a bachelor of nutrition and I now would like to do a bachelor of midwifery.
I live on the GC therefore my first option was to go to scu, however i spoke to the student liaison and she told me griffith has the majority of the placements on the GC so therefore i was expected to go to lismore if needed to do my placement. I wasn't expecting that .
So I decided to look into griffith Logan, The secretary of the course was so helpful and she did say to me that they have the best midwifery course of Australia, she also told me i have chances of getting into GC hospital for placement. I have also spoken to the professor and she was extremely friendly!!!
Oh my goodness, I am so confused. i have two little boys and the driving to logan was something I was hoping to avoid, however i have been told that we don't have to go to the campus much.
Could I please ask for your opinion in regards to the courses and is it possible to do it with 2 under 5 boys?
Thank you so much and i look forward to participating in here more!!!

Although each hospital's process may be slightly different, generally we can 'request' a shift wanted but doesn't necessarily mean we will get it 100% of the time. If your only choices are GU or SCU then probably GU. Last year 15 SCU students came to GU and I believe some came from there this year too...........

Good luck for getting a spot

[Hollywood]

Yay just got offered a graduate midwife position at the RBWH (My dream spot)!!! 3 years of hard work has finally paid off!!

Congrats!

[RHJ]

Hi there!

Just wanted to check in to this thread - I've been wanting to start my midwifery studies since 2009, but have had to keep putting it off for various reasons. It looks like I'll be finally biting the bullet and applying for the 2013 intake, so I have been keenly following you all as you progress down this road. Like a few other posters, I was also a teacher in my previous (pre kids) life, but have always felt that midwifery was my true calling. I can't wait to make it a reality.

How is everybody finding their courses, now that we're deep into Sem 1?

And how has everybody who has gone before found the jobs situation upon graduation? Are midwifery positions really as abundant as we're lead to believe?

Good luck to everyone currently studying, and a special hello to everyone else waiting to get going with the course :-)

I am in my 3rd year and LOVE the course. It really is the best job ever! The study is hard, but overall I really do love it, and miss it during the holidays- thus why this semester break I am lucky enough that the hospital is able to give me 2 prac shifts each week which are extras! I just love it! Can't believe I will actually be being paid (hopefully) next year to do this.

Jobs situation- Depends on which state you are in. In VIC- NO, It appears that for grads at least, there is very little employment opportunity. Very competitive to get the graduate positions. However I believe a lot of the VIC girls who didn't get employment here were able to get grad spots interstate. So that to me would suggest they are elsewhere, just not here sadly.

Goodluck with your application!

Yay just got offered a graduate midwife position at the RBWH (My dream spot)!!! 3 years of hard work has finally paid off!!

Congratulations!!!!

[Parksider]

I am in my 3rd year and LOVE the course. It really is the best job ever! The study is hard, but overall I really do love it, and miss it during the holidays- thus why this semester break I am lucky enough that the hospital is able to give me 2 prac shifts each week which are extras! I just love it! Can't believe I will actually be being paid (hopefully) next year to do this.

Jobs situation- Depends on which state you are in. In VIC- NO, It appears that for grads at least, there is very little employment opportunity. Very competitive to get the graduate positions. However I believe a lot of the VIC girls who didn't get employment here were able to get grad spots interstate. So that to me would suggest they are elsewhere, just not here sadly.

Goodluck with your application!

Congratulations!!!!

Thanks for your insight, RHJ and studentmidwifeipswich (and a huge congrats on the job offer too!)

I have heard that about grad positions in VIC. I'm in regional QLD (same area as flowerfae, and you may remember the dramas she has had with the local hospital here). The only course I can do at my local uni is the combined degree, which is not my preference at all, but I'm hoping that if nothing else having the nursing too will make me more employable. I can't do the CDU or griffith courses at my local hospital either as they only take students from the local uni.

I wonder if Qld Health will start a formal grad midwifery program like it has for nursing? It feels strange to commit years of your life to studying for a degree when the process of finding a job afterwards is a little uncertain. (Though as a BEd survivor/former teacher, I know that this is not a unique situation).

There is a chance that we'll be moving back to SEQ next year so I can do a BMid at (hopefully) Griffith or UQ, but that brings me to another question: the direct entry midwifery courses have not been running for that long in qld, right? I believe griffith's first cohort is graduating this year? I wonder whether south east qld will end up with a similar situation to victoria, where there will be so many BMid only qualified midwives coming out, all vying for the same number of positions in the bris/gold coast/logan/ipswich area. I wonder whether the unis have capped their course places at a small enough number so that the freshly minted midwives looking for jobs each year stays roughly apace with the number of midwife positions around? To be honest, this is my biggest fear. I know many of you would be like me: happy to relocate to WA or wherever for a job, but it is not that easy when you have a husband's job, kids etc to consider...

Aaargh, what a brain dump! Sorry!

Oh, and studentmidwifeipswich, how many of your classmates have found employment for after graduation? Do you expect most of them will?

Thanks for making it through my angsty little essay ;-)

[Brunfelsia Dreaming]

Yay just got offered a graduate midwife position at the RBWH (My dream spot)!!! 3 years of hard work has finally paid off!!

Congratulations

[mapalesa]

Well done!!!! What a relief that must be and how exciting!!

Are any of those jobs that have been offered , at the Mater?? I'm planning on doing summer semester, and would love to get into the grad program at Mater, but I've been to,d they don't do mid year intakes, so just checking out my options for in between .

[purpledragon]

I have just applied to do a pre uni course through Central Queensland University called STEPS and then my plan is to go on and do the Bachelor in Nursing.Has anyone done the STEPS course?Also who has done the Bachelor in Nursing Science through University of Sunshine Coast?Who has done the Bachelor of Nursing through Central Queensland University?How did you go with doing it by distance and juggling placements and residential school?When you do work placements, what time do you start and finish or does it purly depend on where you work and when they need you?I am just asking as I have only been in Australia for 9mths (New Zealander) and I have a 7yr old daughter. I am just trying to get my head around what the expectations are and how to fit it in around the family.Thanks in advance

[monkey face]

Does anyone know the difference between an enrolled nurse and a registered nurse? Is a registered nurse better if I want to continue to midwifery? I'm abit worried about this because Tafe only offers diploma for enrolled nursing.

An RN's starting salary is the same as a senior EN's. EN's work under the direction of an RN (even if they have 10 or 20 years experience, they are still put under the direction of an RN that may only have a year or two experience) and there is no chance of management or 'moving up' in their career. RN's are in charge of the overall care, where as the EN follows the orders of the RN- eg/ I want you to do the vitals of patient in room 305- so are not in charge of a patients overall care. Because they RN is playing a supervisory role, their own license in on the line, so your work may be double checked by the RN. They are unable to start IV's or operate some of the medical equipment. This means there are areas of nursing they are undesirable to work in as they are unable to do any of the work. This includes ICU, many emergency departments (some hire to do initial assessment such as history, vitals, assist with toileting, to free up RN's time), theater etc. However things are always changing. Until recently, EN's had to take a whole seperate certificate if they wanted to have the ability to administer meds. Now it's a standard part of the tafe course. So in future, you may see more changes.

Now that accreditation guidelines have changed, you don't need to be an RN or EN to do midwifery, so I guess either path is fine; just the final certification and amount of time you want to spend on it that is important. Universities are in the process of having only DEM as a way to become a midwive due to postgrad no longer being accredited. As a mother of all girls though, I thank you for chosing to do nursing first. The nursing qualification will be very very very much sought after by hospitals by the time you finish your midwifery degree and give you an edge over all the other finishing students.