EN or RN - choosing between the two

Hi teapot,

I am currently studying diploma of nursing at tafe in Victoria. I am three months in doing it part time and working. At my tafe you can studying part time or full time, full time is 18 months and part can be 2 years to 2 1/2 years. I can not compare the work load to uni but at tafe we get four assessments for each subject there are 26 subjects in total, plus study you need to do hot understand different subjects. 

One of our teachers said studying at tafe is a good path way to uni nursing and in total it's only 6 months more based on a full time work load. I have to say if I am not at tafe or work I am studying I find that there is a lot of Studying that's needs to be done. Not to scare you or anything but some of the full time students have changed to part time because of the work load. We had a student that graduated last year who studied part time say it was not easy but worth it in the end, that was in orientation week. 

I was going to go to uni but with having to work full time part time study is better suited to me and when I go to uni in two years time I will be working as EEN which is one big advantage compared to students going to uni we will have experience and working. 

As for essays and short answers they are pretty much even so far generally one easy and short answer per subject and oral presentation and in class assessment too.

I hope this helped. 

If you have any more quests please feel free to ask me.

Hi everyone. I completed my Diploma of Nursing last July and despite best efforts and grades did not attain a post-grad nursing position within private hospitals and public hospitals (QLD Health) were not even interested in new grad ENs. So I think I'm very very lucky and very grateful to have my position as EN in an aged care facility. The reason I'm saying this is that based on my experience in aged care there is no way I would now complete my RNs if the only option available to me was to work in residential aged care as an RN. I now realistically look at the choice between EN and RN as being one of employ-ability and as soon as I become an RN I cannot work in an EN role and new grad places for RNs are very limited. So instead of looking at the pathway, I tend to look at the destination and see how practical it will be to find employment as a grad RN and I know my classmates thought the same - 96% of the class went into aged care EN positions; 2% into new grad positions and 2% went on to study as RN. As far as studying the Diploma of Nursing goes, I'm sure you will have no problem at all. I worked full time as a Diversional Therapist in aged care while studying nursing full time in a blended class and it was do-able (and with three kids!). You will get a lot of support from your classmates and teacher. The assignments and work sheets have word limits for each question which can be challenging so make sure you put the information in there they are looking for and there are numerous oral presentations/powerpoints and debate which were great. Good luck with your decision! 

Thanks 90323 for the info. I think for me it's the not knowing exactly what the workload for the Diploma is like - that is what I am afraid of that if I discontinue with the Bachelor to do the Diploma & then I find it is even more of a heavier work load, I would probably have regrets. Four assessments per unit is roughly what we get at uni as well (give or take) and we have 24 units. From everything I have read so far, most people seem to do the Diploma as a pathway to the Bachelor degree and don't usually go the opposite way, hence my hesitation & indecisiveness.

Summerly, so have you made any decisions? Are you in your first year as well? What uni are you at? Good luck with this hard decision!

MissyA, thanks for your helpful reply! That's very disappointing to hear that there were hardly any grad spots in the hospitals. I have to say that my biggest worry, whether I study EN or RN, is the ability of attaining a grad spot. I've heard & read about the grad spot shortages - although I don't believe WA is as bad as some other states? At this point I think my preference is to work in a hospital as one of my areas of interest is paediatrics. So with this in mind, this is why making the decision is so hard. I would hate to study for the next 3-4 years only to find I am unemployable as a RN at the end. But I would also be disappointed if I didn't get a grad spot in a hospital once I completed the EN Diploma. So can I ask, are you going to go study RN in the future?

Hi everyone! If you do swap from RN to EN studies you should manage EN Diploma just fine: similar subjects/ assessments but at a lot less complex and  in-depth level. You should also get credits from what you have already done at Uni. Also, TAFEs etc are well experienced in catering for part time/flexible study for people with families etc and there is a lot of support for you. The experience you gain working as EN will also be useful once you decide to follow through with your RNs, maybe when the kids are a bit more independent. Swapping over to EN is not going backward, it's just a matter of working smarter, not harder. 

Also, I think most students (but not all) would prefer a post grad spot in a hospital acute care setting to consolidate and shape their nursing practice; then with this firm foundation, they can transfer their skills to any field. BUT it's important to look at the worst case scenario. Not necessarily to be negative but more realistic and practical. If you were unable to practice in pediatrics or even gain a post grad hospital spot, would you work in aged care? This is the fastest growing industry in years to come and it's a more viable prospect.

Personally I was gutted to not get a hospital grad spot after ENs were finished but so so grateful now to be working at least as an EN but in residential aged care which has many many many challenges. Even now, the market is starting to flood with ENs trying to get into aged care as more RTOs put through more and more nurses and most of us were all expecting something quite different to where we ended up! If I did do my RNs and did not gain a hospital post-grad position; I would be prepared to cast my net wide and use my degree in another way maybe. I have a young family too and would not cart them to another town/rural area just for post-grad. A job's a job, but my family are my life. Good luck with the decision to you both: it's something worth thinking about...

teapot, did you get my message?

Teapot

I am happy to have a chat to your about studying at Challenger for Diploma of EN - since I finished in November 2012 - so still fresh in my mind.

Unlike a few fellow graduates over in the east - there are an abundance of grad positions for EN's and RN's in Perth.  I got six job offers both from private and public hospitals.  I believe 90% of my class got grad positions and a couple have gone to study RN straight away.

If you email me on rebeccag@mosperth.com I am happy to chat.  I think you sent me a PM via this site - but for some reason I can't access it.

Good luck everyone.  I personally found the Dip of EN great, manageable with kids and a job and now am very happily working at one of the top private hospitals in Perth as a grad EN.  All worth the effort!

Cheers

Rebecca

I went from RN course to EN course, but it was more to do with going from distance ed to face-to-face and I figured if I was going to do face-to-face, sitting in a lecture theatre at uni was not the best productive use of my time, so EN was the way to go. Lots more lab time (mind you, I have no on-campus Bachelor of Nursing experience), lots more interaction with peers, less feeling like just a number to a far off lecturer but difficult to do things like group work with classmates who aren't as academically minded. Since it is local (within 100km), the TAFE uses the same admission forms, falls risk assessments, nursing care plans etc as we do in my town - little things like helps me to ease into such a different industry than what I am used to. Means I can work as an EN whilst deciding and doing RNs. Means I will be eligible for 'upgrading' scholarships to help pay for my RNs. Works for me, but the inflexibility of classtime is challenging compared to distance ed.

I know it's a bit late to answer, but wanted to contribute anyway.

I am currently doing my AIN course and intend to go on and do EN at TAFE. I have three children and am a single mother. I plan to work part time.

I have a bachelor degree in a different field and can definitely say that the study load and pressure will be much less in the TAFE setting. Your teachers are experienced nurses, often working when not teaching, and are very supportive of their students. The classes are smaller, you will not get lost in a lecture theatre. Assessments are done throughout the semester.

Don't feel like you have wasted the last year at uni, you will have gained some valuable knowledge. Keep in mind that what you learn at TAFE can be used as RPL at uni if you do decide to go back (I believe it knocks a year off).

As far as employment goes, from what I can tell there is plenty of EN work around (I'm in NSW). I regularly check Seek and MyCareer to see what positions are available and to review job descriptions.

I wish you all the best in your future