Mature Age Entry Into Nursing

hi there

I am doing the same thing.

I am 34, never done anything toward nursing before. Only Cert IV in Business in 2004.

I am about to enrol into Northam tafe (CY Oconnor tafe) they are the only ones in WA to do the Cert IV in preparation for entry into Enrolled Nursing.

I dont have to do that stupid stat test either.

it takes 6 months by correspondence and i will then have direct entry into the diploma of nursing.

its taken me nearly 2 months to find all this out, considering over xmas etc everyone has been closed.

The entry course will be great by correspondence so i can keep working. once the diploma starts, i have no indea how i am going to get a job 2 days per bloody week.

anyway, good luck, but i am enrolling 15th feb, its a full day up there , 1 hour drive will be relaxing. I took a part time job 4 days per week so i could do this enrolment and take the 1 working day off if i need to go there and do other things with the couse.

good luck

to both of us! ............

Hi, since ur obviously a 'science' person, I'd suggest u just apply for the graduate entry bachelor of nursing. I'm not sure exactly which uni's offer it, but I know Latrobe uni at Bundoora certainly used to. Basically if u already have a degree (doesn't have to b related to nursing by the way), then u can get into a 2yr graduate entry degree course in nursing. I think u have to do some kind of a summer school perhaps to ensure u are up to scratch with certain science based subjects- but I imagine you'll have no trouble at all given ur science background. I'm just about to start a cert iv in health (div 2 nursing) @RMIT, it'll take me a year full time 4 days a week. Once I finish I'll apply for a 'conversion'course which will hopefully get me into a 2yr degree. So in the end it'll take me approx 3 yrs of study to be a div 1 nurse. It's been my choice to do it this way for various personal reasons rather than just go straight into the 3 yr degree. This way suits me much better. However for you I would really suggest just jumping straight into a 2yr graduate entry degree course- it'll save u a whole year of studying & I think would b ur best & most time efficient option. Perhaps start off by giving a couple of uni's a call, or look up the VTAC website & find out which uni's offer the graduate entry course. Hope this helps!

hi, just wanted to mention...you didnt sound to 'sciencey'! : ) i just mean your someone with a science background who will find the nursing course probably quite easy given that background...as opposed to me who is A+ at everything humanities based ie engligh, literature, history etc..but not so flash with the sciences..i have to work at them!

glad i could help! dont give up on your dream...im 35 and finally going back to nursing after dropping out of a nursing degree in 1998! its taken a while but im finally here again and very excited about it too!

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the helpful advice and information. I just thought I'd let you know where I'm up to with my inquiries. I received a reply from Australian Catholic University in Mlebourne regarding recognition of prior learning for entry into a Nursing Degree. They said that they would have to review my academic transcript with the individual units of study in order to work out whether I would get any recognition. I will contact the course co-ordinator tomorrow and see how I go.

At this stage I'm leaning towards doing a Degree from first year entry because I know that my years away from study would make it very hard for me to go straight into a second year degree, it might be a bit of a shock to the system, and I definately need refreshers especially in my Human Biology subjects.

Who knows, with the more information I'm getting this could change again.

Again thanks for all the info and please if you have any other ideas or suggestions please let me know.

Kindest thanks to everyone.

RELHY

hi again, weighing up how long things will take is the dilemma isnt it? im 35 myself and ideally want to try and get pregnant this year too (no kids yet). and this was a HUGE past of my decision making process when choosing what path i wanted to take to get into nursing. so i'll tell you wot i decided and maybe it will help??

i decided that going into a 3yr degree right now was really not wot i wanted. i didnt want to start something that would take 3-4yrs minimum..bcos even if you defer, you can only defer for a year. i knew that i wanted to try for baby this year, and if i started the degree then that would definitely mean having to defer the 2nd yr and be prepared to go back to uni the following year. and as much as i want to do nursing, im not prepared to put a hold on babies for it...bcos i can do nursing anytime, but i cant have a baby forever! : )

so i decided to apply to RMIT for the Cert IV in nursing. i got in to both full time and part time, FT was 4 days a week and PT was 2 days a week. i choose full time. i started 3 weeks ago and will be finished in november this year. so i figure i can start trying for a baby from around april /may and still finish my course. then if i get pregnant at some point mid year onwards i can take next year (2011) off, and then if i want to, in 2012 i can apply to do the 2 yr conversion course at RMIT and be a Div 1 in 2yrs. OR alternately, if i never want to go back to uni then i'll already be a Div 2 and will be more than content with that too.

it all sounds kinda complicated, but it makes sense to me! which is all that matters right! : ) but basically it means i can still do everything thats important to me. and so far RMIT are fantastic. the teachers are great and im feeling really positive about the course and being a Div 2. the scope of practice for a div 2 now is quite broad and the options for employment are impressive these days. and as ive said, if you want to do the conversion course to div 1, then the option is there. by the way, if you want to work in aged care, there is a huge amount of work in aged care for div 2's. infact now that Div 2's are medication endorsed (and you can also go and do an additional subject for IV meds if you choose to) there is a big demand for them. i work for a nursing agency and we get loads of bookings nowadays from aged care facilities who want Div 2s (endorsed) rather than Div 1's.

so anyway, thats my situation...i hope your able to come up with a plan for yourself! its alot of decision making but im sure you'll come up with a plan your happy with.

Hi Rehly - have you considered an online Diploma of Nursing?? check out this link to Gold Coast Tafe's program www.goldcoast.tafe.qld.gov.au/search/course_finder/index.php?script_name=coursedetails&course_id=3331

The online option may give you the flexibility you are after???

Cheers Simo

hey holly,
yep i totally agree about the age thing you said!

my aunt had always wanted to do nursing. so she started the bach of nsg when she was 40yrs old, and was qualified by 43. she is now 55 and retiring in march as she will be looking after her first grand child while her daughter in law goes back to work. financially she never really needed to work, but for the past 12yrs she has worked in a gynae ward and loved every single minute of it- its never too late to realise your dreams!

I am a enrolled nurse (Div 2) but am currently studying to be Div 1 at Uni - (in my final year) - I started the first course mid twenties and have just turned 30. Being a mature age student is good in some regards but painful in others - being older and wiser means you have life experience and but being older means that you may struggle with writing an essay or doing your math compared to the school leavers in your year.. everything has it's pros and cons..

If you don't want to study for forever and a day - try the Cert IV which is a year, otherwise Bachelors (Div 1) is three years .. difference besides time is as a Div 1 you can move into management type positions, give medications, work in a variety of areas, and work overseas - but the gap in some regards is narrowing as Div 2's now give medications and are about to extend into Intravenous meds, and I have heard of Div 2's in some management positions, although they are limited... Pay is also different of course Div 1 more than Div 2... All I suggest is that you look into the two closely before deciding ..

I can only really answer one part of your question but I was a Div 2 like I said but I then returned to do my Div 1 - the offical course title is Bachelor of Nursing (Division 2 Entry) - so what that means is absolutely you can return to do your Div 1 and if you, do after completing Div 2, you can take one year off the normally three year course for Div 1 - but be warned only some Universities offer the time off so hunt around if that is what you plan on doing.

Does that sound confusing? I don't mean to be..

Oh just so you know as well - despite the expanded roles for Div 2 - it is still quite limited in areas you can work in and your potential to aspire to management - Div 1 you can work any speciality area - no limits - and can continue with masters degree to specialise (this is not available for Div 2) so that means working in intensive care or coronary care etc. Also Div 1 means you can work overseas - as Div 2 it is only England you can work in as they are the only country I know of to still have nursing assistants - oh sorry and a couple, but not all, of America's states. - these are the reasons I went back to do my Div 1 anyways. Also remember that on wards - the standard practice is to have a majority of Div1's on a shift with only 1-2 Div 2's - so therefore you will get more work as a Div 1 by far. There are plenty of differences even though it seems to you that there isn't.

I wish frankly that someone had of told me all the ins and outs before I did my Div 2 - but everyone just paints it in a rosey light and I never got the real truth.

HI

I have been doing a bit of research myself and i hope to enroll next year (i missed out mid year) to do the diploma div2. I know that Monash do the midwifery part time and it takes 6 years. It is at Frankston (penninsula campus)

Good luck

Regards

Georgie