Aug 18, 2008, 02:55 pm
Hi Jess,
I am currently studying Cert IV in Nursing at Box Hill Institute (TAFE) part time. I'm really enjoying it but wishing I was able to complete if Full Time as I feel it is taking forever!
We do not get any choice of placements. They try to place you close to where to live (especially if you rely on public transport to get there), but due to a huge shortage of placements, some students have had to travel really far, some even choosing to get accomodation near their placement for the weeks they are there (there are some "rural" placements). There are not as many problems obtaining Aged Care placements since there are so many facilities (whether they are suitable or not is another matter...), but getting Acute Care placements has been notoriously difficult. There is a full time group of students currently doing 6 weeks of placements back to back in order to finish the course ontime. Unfortunately, that's pretty indicative of the type of organisational prowess of the school, but of course placements are beyond their control as well.
We have had issues with changing of teachers, not enough rooms, grouping of 2 groups together in one room to save on teachers and venues (so there are over 60 of us in one "class"), but some issues are being slowly fixed.
Having said all that (which sounds really negative!!), the teachers work hard with what they get given, and they are really supportive. The school is investing alot into the nursing course, so they updated our course to include all sorts of things like Medications and possibly Canulation. They are also building new nursing Labs, including a Simulation Lab with some pretty flash equipment.
I would still encourage you to apply - most of the issues I've outlined will probably be sorted by next intake as alot of the problems are due to the new course outline and length.
With the entrance test, they are now doing interviews as well. To be honest, there were 400-500 applicants doing the test (no one knows the exact number but I was applicant number 437!!), and 60 were accepted Part Time, and around 100 Full time. The majority of students in the Part Time stream are Mature Age students (many in their 40s), lots with families, so lots of us are balancing other things with study.
The test is not too difficult, but the questions get harder as you go along. No one I spoke to managed to finish them in the time provided, but that's okay, they're just looking at how many you can do. I hadn't brushed up on anything and was fine, as long as your basic maths is okay, you should be fine. You have paper to do the working out on. The reasoning test is fairly standard (what comes next in the pattern, etc), and the English test is fine for anyone whose first language is English (plenty of overseas students found it fine too). You can buy a practice test I believe, to give you an idea of the questions.
I was in almost the exact same position as yourself, and decided to not to do Cert III in Aged Care as I felt I would end up doing Nursing anyway. There are a few people with the Cert III in our course, but this course goes into far more than what they learned in the Cert III as it does not only apply to Aged Care.
Wow, this is a long post so I'd better end it here!
Hope some of that was helpful, and not too negative! I'm really happy that I'm doing the course and am looking forward to our first placement in October.
Mara (SilverLining).
