Division of Health Sciences
I
chose to study nursing as I love people and I loved biology in high
school – and nursing was a way that I could combine the two. I liked the
fact that Nursing is a wide field – so one day I could be working in a
medical ward, next I could be working in mental institution or in the
RFDS (Royal Flying Doctors Service).
What I enjoyed most about UniSA was the way the tutors were willing to
talk to us more deeply about our learning and gave us examples of where
they would be important in our nursing careers. UniSA staff were always
willing to help us to understand concepts, and I found the Clinical
Sciences teachers very good at explaining concepts in an
easy-to-understand way. Other staff have made assignments easier to
understand, and I especially found discussion pages helpful when I was
doing external studies.
A highlight of my time at UniSA has been having my nursing placement in
the prison system – just one of the areas where nursing could lead me in
the future.
My first practical experience was in a Dementia ward where it was normal
to hide the alcohol gel so clients couldn’t eat it. My second placement
was in Paediatrics/ ENT (Ear Nose and Throat)/ Plastics, so I
communicated with children and their families before and after surgery,
and looked after ENT clients and people before and after surgeries. My
third placement was in Infectious Diseases at the Royal Adelaide
Hospital, which I enjoyed so much that I applied for a job there and now
work as a Pre-registered Nursing Assistant. As part of my specialisation
in Alcohol and other Drugs I worked in the prison system. It was a
mixture of a clinic in the Infirmary, as well as drug rounds.
Interesting aspects of this was the Methadone program and the way mental
health plays a part in the holistic health of prisoners.
This experience was valuable through seeing how the theory that was
learnt could be related to the experiences I had in the nursing
environment. It was also interesting to see the many problems that we
could have as Registered Nurses, such as understaffing and ethical
issues.
I found the on-campus lab sessions very useful – especially when things
that we learnt were related to scenarios. I especially found discussion
pages helpful when I was doing external studies because it was a way of
talking to other students about the topics and comparing our
understanding. It was also great that I could organise my studies around
the other aspects of my life, such as work and family-life and the staff
were very accommodating.
When I graduate I plan to work in the RAH. I’m not sure in what field
because nursing is so large. I also plan to work overseas as a
Registered Nurse, after I finish my Graduate Nursing Program and gain
experience, and travel at the same time. I am also hoping to work as a
Nursing Officer in the Australian Defence Force.
I believe that to become a leader in this field it takes the ability to
work not only with your work-mates, but also with clients and their
families, allied health teams and higher management. It requires
forward-thinking and higher-learning to keep up with the times. Nursing
is a field where we are always learning, which means it is always
exciting.
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