University: The University of Notre Dame

Degree: Bachelor of Nursing

School Subjects: English, Mathematics Applications, Human Biology, Modern History, Certificate II and III in Business

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As I frequently visited the hospital, my passion to pursue nursing continued to grow. It did help that I already had an interest in the human body and its ins and outs, but being able to see nurses in action opened my eyes to the fact that I wanted to be a part of the hands-on process of patient recovery. After graduating high school in 2020, I jumped straight into the uni life, commencing in 2021. The duration of the UNDA nursing course is three years; however, I deferred a semester and had to re-sit a course I had found challenging. Despite these setbacks, I persevered and was determined to graduate and start my career as a nurse.

Nursing

Nursing is not for the faint-hearted. Despite Grey’s Anatomy’s depiction of what healthcare looks like in a hospital setting, it could not be further from the truth. Sorry to break it to you, McDreamy isn’t in the ER (I was disappointed too, don’t worry). Nursing is blood, sweat and tears in the med room after being yelled at for forgetting to get someone a blanket. Despite its challenges, nursing is also extremely rewarding. You always have the chance to upskill your ability to advance your career, become a part of leadership teams and, most of all, be able to send healthy patients back home.

Studying nursing at UNDA is extremely rewarding; the tutorial classes are smaller, meaning more one-on-one time with your tutors, giving you the perfect time to ask questions and get help with assignments. UNDA is also known for its extensive professional practice hours compared to other universities. I found this aspect to be what drew me to UNDA, as I am a hands-on learner, and the increased opportunities to practice my skills have increased my confidence, making me feel industry-ready. This aspect is also what makes UNDA graduate nurses so desirable, and this is reflected in the fact that UNDA nurses have the highest employment rate straight out of uni. As UNDA is a private university, it takes pride in core Catholic values and has compulsory course units of philosophy, theology, and ethics. I rolled my eyes when I first heard of this; however, I am so grateful that I did these courses, as I believe they helped me to establish my critical thinking skills.

Theory

Nursing also requires a lot of theory work, thanks to Florence Nightingale… From nursing theorists to psycho-developmental theorists, global health, public health, primary health, mental health, they all have theorists. If nursing is the path for you, I highly recommend creating a table with all of the theorists mentioned throughout your degree from day zero, as this will help you further down the track (something I wish I had done). You’ll also be taught some familiar content from ATAR Year 11 and 12 Human Biology, so I also highly recommend keeping your books and notes from these subjects. Topics such as the function of kidneys, the different pathways of diabetes, the function of the heart, the digestive tract and respiratory tract, the pathway of inflammatory response, as well as the immune response. On top of the basics of these topics, you will be taught about diseases and disorders associated with these body structures and the medications used to treat, prevent, and manage. You’ll be supported through the learning of these topics, as they can be content-heavy and overwhelming at first. Course coordinators are very lovely, as they provide us with resources in all forms for individuals to study in whatever way works best for them. Personally, I prefer a video format to help me understand a topic, but you may prefer mind maps or to read journal articles, but luckily there was something there for everyone.

As I am a hands-on learner, I found the new simulation labs on campus to be amazing for gaining experience before you perform skills on real-life patients. Some of the skills I was taught in these labs include taking manual blood pressures, checking blood sugar levels, early warning vital signs and how to chart them, simple wound care, medication administration, nasogastric tube insertion, intramuscular injections, subcutaneous injections, head-to-toe assessments, and critical care resuscitation. These skills were taught while on campus; however, you will learn the most when on placements. You’re buddied up with a nurse, and if you take initiative and are proactive, you will open your learning opportunities, as nurses are more likely to teach you skills if you show interest. Personally, I enjoyed being buddied with senior nurses, as they tend to have all the tips and tricks to make life easier for you on the ward floor. That being said, bedside nursing is not the only type of nursing. Other types of nursing include cosmetic nursing, general practice nursing, theatre scrub scout, PACU, midwifery, community nursing such as Silver Chain services, and hospital in the home (HITH), and even a FIFO medic. The opportunities are endless with nursing, which is handy because if you become bored of bedside, you can easily transfer to a different field.

Advice for future nursing students:

5 tips and tricks to survive uni from a freshly graduated nursing student:

1. Socialise!! Social clubs and sporting groups are a great way for you to maximise your uni experience. Spark conversations with the person sitting next to you in class. You never know, you might have a lot more in common than you think.
2. Don’t use AI to write assignments… As much as you want to when it’s 10 pm at night and you’re nowhere near finished with that assignment that’s due in 2 hours, it’s not worth it. They can and will be able to tell. It’s not a good look on you, and you are doing yourself a disservice as you aren’t learning the content.
3. Ask questions! That’s why tutors are there.
4. Self-care, take that break, go touch some grass, or even defer a semester if you need to. There is no timeline on when you finish your degree.

It’s not the end of the world if you make a mistake, fail an exam, or have to re-sit a course. As cliché as it is, mistakes are lessons learnt.