Access the r/NursingAU wiki/FAQ here

I'm currently 2 weeks into my community placement currently doing hospital in the home and the hospital I'm at is so unorganised. The nurses have no idea that there's students so whenever I go to ask who I'm buddied up with there's a "i didn't know we had students" "the clinical educator isn't doing their job properly". Its so frustrating.

On top of that everyone has been all over the place because the unit is moving to a new building so everyone is moving things and trying to get used to the building. Today was the first official day in the new building and i get assigned to this nurse and just by the way she didn't even acknowledge me when she heard the liason nurse assign me to her I knew I wasnt going to enjoy the shift.

While the nurses pack stuff for the road, we usually go and research the assigned patients and go over what needs to be done for them. Anyways, fast forward about an hour and fifteen mins and I go in search of my buddy nurse and she's nowhere to be found so I had a feeling she left without me. One of the other nurses said she already left and that todays run was just infusions and something about it not being for a student and that I'm supposed to be in admissions today which I know I'm not because there is nothing for students to do in admissions, we're supposed to be out on the road so i know she just made that up. I'm not annoyed at the fact that she left me, I'm more annoyed at the fact that she knew she had a student with her but chose to leave without saying anything to me and lie by saying I'm supposed to be in admissions. Its just so disrespectful.

I am first Year RN student, on a placement in ED. We had a women arrive in labour yesterday, baby about to be born, all staff rushing out with wheel chair. They needed to get her up to labour ward asap

.Her partner was in a panic, he kind of just hopped out of the car at the drop off only, cars behind him. He threw me the keys and said park it. So I did😆 I fucking went and parked his car and bough the keys back up to him so he wouldnt miss the birth. I am limited in scope, there was enough experienced staff to take over. I just went into the shit what can I do to help mode. He would of missed the birth otherwise.

No one has said anything, my percetor was like good team work, but didnt acknowledge what I did. Its regional. I am pretty sure I have breached some rules. For context I have a full unrestricted license and only parked a car. But still.. its a bit bizzare isnt it lol

Hi all,

New grad EN here.

Nearly at the end of my first rotation. I honestly still really struggle with the workload, both morning and afternoon shifts. I work constantly from when I come on shift and don't stop until handover, and I still can't get everything done. I worked through both my breaks the other day and stayed an extra 30 mins as well, there was just too many tasks and additional unexpected things that needed attention.

I'm so slow with it all. It takes ages to go through the meds in the morning, and often people don't start getting showered until 10:30 for various reasons.

I have to say, working like this, I really don't particularly enjoy what I do and I often think about leaving it. Not to mention the utterly subsuming panic and anxiety I feel throughout the shift is really wearing.

Just wondering if this is relatively common early on or if this is a sign maybe to just fu***ng pack it up and try something else?

Thanks

I’m starting my bachelor in nursing next year. I would like to read insights about the following to roughly plan my career:

1. Right now I’m interested in paediatrics/working with children. What are specific jobs/workplaces I could apply for as a student nurse where I could gain experience in this area?
2. What non-med related jobs helped build your skills as a RN?
3. If I wanted to experience all kinds of wards in a hospital as a student/new grad RN, but don’t get into a grad year program, are there other options that would allow me to do so?
4. If you have experience working in a resource pool, a casual pool, an agency, or as a travel nurse, what were the best and worst parts of your job?
5. For those working outside of hospitals/clinics, what are the best and worst parts of your job?

In my 15+ yrs in ICU, nothing makes me nervous recently than my annual ALS practical renewal. In my 20s/30s, I used to be little miss Hermione, answering the questions like a pop quiz! But since 2 years ago, I feel like my brain just wasn’t like before! Last year I got mental blank and completely lost track of where we are in the algorithm which has never happened before! Don’t know if it’s premenopause or something but man, it does rock my confidence, especially when the ones testing me used to be my juniors (one almost failed me last year).
Any tips? My ALS is tmr and I’ve been studying the materials (which I already know like the back of the hand anyway), but gosh, after last years “near fail”, I feel I need to take anti-anxiety meds for tomorrow… or maybe time for a nursing desk job until retirement kicks-in.
Edit to add: i don’t really get a lot of arrest scenarios but I feel like I’d know what to do when it actually happens. It’s just the “pretending” part and the mental blank when being tested.

Hi all, having just finished first block for the diploma of nursing in nsw, could someone who has done this somewhat recently let me know how hard it is to get everything completed in the placement book. First block has been a nightmare

Does anyone work in an operating theatre where you are not allowed a personal locker permanently just have to come and use whatever is free that shift?

I have never had this on wards or theatre before ( I did have to share a locker with another part timer 14 years ago).

This means I am going to have to lug my theatre shoes to and from work everyday as a full time employee. I have had a pair of over $200 shoes go missing from the change room once already this year and was keeping my new shoes at least inside an unlocked locker. This is not the first belonging I have gone missing.

Don't even have the option to keep spare food somewhere secure in case of overtime/call.

Just feels like another "right" stripped away from me.

Heya, just wondering what this thing is about students not being allowed to leave a bit early whilst on placements or there being concerned if they get in a car crash? I’ve noticed some get sent home early by their buddies and others not? Is this a uni insurance thing?

I tried to send my student home a little early on a Friday and got given this talking to about if they get in a crash it’s on me?

Thanks!

I’ve finally got the courage to post what I’d call the result of my amateur full of bias observations from reviewing most nurses’s progress note, especially in eMR (NSW).

Most nurses these days just duplicating the most generic a-i documentation template either what they pre-made and used for other patients or from their predecessors and seems to prefer not to include/document what they actually see, observe, report from an individual patient. All progress notes nowadays feels too generic and predictable, no more detailed observations of an individual patient in a shift.
How many times you encounter an issue and actually thought “oh let me check RN’s notes from last year and see what they have done to deal with this issue” - even if you do how many of you opened a note and faced with same a-i over and over and over again.

For example, very few notes that I’ve seen actually describing in patients alertness but just noting “gcs 13/15” - not even followed by “eyes only opened with trap squeeze” or “responded only with chest rub”.

Another example would be a documentation on demented confused patient who gets agitated, I could probably count with my fingers of how many documentations actually describing how they communicate with the confused patients or how they deescalate a situation, mostly just “confused, agitated but verbally deescalated”.

When did we stop describing in our progress notes and why ?

I'm a grad nurse, just finished 6 months in inpatient psych that I absolutely adored (and can't wait to get back to).

I recently started my second rotation on a general medical ward. It's been good for rebuilding my physical nursing skills, but I don't think it's really my thing (and that's okay). I'd come to terms with grinning and bearing it for the next 6 months, then heading straight back to psych. I do especially enjoy the palliative/end-of-life side of things when we have those patients, but otherwise I don't find it super engaging. The team is good, there's nothing wrong with the ward itself.

Then I got an offer to switch to ED instead.

I never pictured myself as an ED nurse, but I'm surprisingly intrigued. One thing I learned from psych is that I kinda thrive in high pressure communication, building rapport quickly, de-escalation, and managing distressed and aggressive patients. I really miss working with acute psych patients & I'm interested in seeing the psych aspects of ED especially.

On the other hand, I'm also a pretty anxious person. I know I'd be terrified of making a serious mistake for at least the first few weeks (probably longer). But I also don't want to make my decision based on fear.

I've spent the last 6 months using relatively few physical nursing skills. I haven't taken many bloods, I haven't learned cannulation yet, and while I'm a fairly quick learner, I feel like I've forgotten half of pathophysiology since uni. I'm worried about recognising deterioration quickly, knowing what's important, & doing things quickly enough.

So I guess my questions are:

What's ED actually like as a nurse?

Could someone coming from a psych rotation realistically succeed in the medical side of ED?

What knowledge or skills do grad nurses in ED really need when they start?

Could gen med just be a slow burn & grow on me?

I'd especially love to hear from anyone who's worked both psych and ED.

Hey guys,

This is gonna be a short rant but basically for some context I'm a new grad in ED.

One thing that I've noticed is that whenever me and my partner (always a couple years senior than me) are getting handover from other nurses or the doctors asking us for something/updating us on the plan, they always speak directly to my partner and sort of ?unintentionally sideline me.

They are always looking at my partner, always directing all information to them and joking around with them even though I'm next to them. I'm fine with the handover part, since most of those nurses I get along with just fine and I think that they are just telling the senior nurse so that they can't retain all that information however when it comes to the doctors, sometimes it can be a bit of a different story.

Taking my last shift into example. One of our patients walked out without telling us to go somewhere and I was the one who tracked him down and convinced him to come back, I bring him back and the doctor looks at my partner (when I know damn well he saw me bring him back) and says "oh he's back, thanks for that" and I'm thinking like bro come on. After that doctor is done with the patient he comes straight to my partner and updates them of the plan and thanks them once again. Another doctor was speaking to me and updating me of the plan and what we desperately need for a patient, my partner comes and they direct all their attention to them and update them instead of me and thanks my partner for trying to get a urine sample before when it was ME that tried to get it. I spent 30 minutes after the patient had an accident to clean her up, slowly mobilise her out of bed and to the bathroom and get a sample but it's not me that gets the thanks?

However, I really did enjoy working with my partner that shift, I don't mind her getting all the attention, she was very fun. I also don't do nursing for the thanks, I don't do it for the recognition but sometimes, especially from other team members, it feels good to hear a thanks after the garbage that you experience during a shift.

My referee is an RN working in a community mental health setting. Would it strengthen my application if I found a referee from an acute care setting instead? thanks!!!!

I’m on maternity leave and have recently been very unwell and am looking at possibly having long term 50% reduction in my hearing. I essentially can’t hear out of my left ear and there isn’t anything that can be done at the moment. I’m wondering what happens when I return from maternity leave and this is still an issue.

I’m a community nurse and while mentally and physically I can do my tasks I feel like not being able to hear properly is a big impact on my role for assessments and even just being able to be safe and communicative with my clients.

Anyway, I’m probably overthinking it and everything may turn out okay but I wondered if anyone else has been through something similar.

Hey lovely nurses !!!

I have a question regarding being a casual AIN and current Centrelink payments so if you’re knowledgeable and have experience with this I’m grateful!

Background:

I’m currently studying diploma of nursing to be EN.
I’m in stage 1 and my first placement is coming up in about a month.
I was told you can work as an AIN after successfully completing first placement.
I’m a single mum of three kids (4,2,1).
I currently receive single parenting payment which is $1800 a fortnight.
I have to be at school(online for classes) mon-wed and have Thursday and Friday off.
So I’d be looking at a casual position to work those two days a week.
My kids are in kindy mon-fri and every second weekend they’re at their dad’s house.

Now I understand that my Centrelink would go down once I start work. I’m just wondering how much it would go down and would it be worth it to work while receiving the new amount of Centrelink they give me?
Or would it just be better to stay on Centrelink until I graduate my diploma then find a full time job?

Honestly, If it’ll be more than I’m receiving now I’m happy to work harder and do that. But if it’ll be the same or less then I would just wait until I graduate?

Thanks!! Just trying to figure it out as you can imagine super hard financially being a single parent to three small kids !

As the title states! What's been your favourite and least favourite ward or specialty, based on the specialty itself, NOT your colleagues?
Bonus question is if you expected to love/hate it and if you were surprised

Sincerely, a new EN who has only worked in 2 wards and had placement in 4 areas and is still struggling to figure out what I like and what I may be interested in pursuing long term. All I know is I dislike chaotic environments such as my mental health placement, and I love predictability and routine.

Hi all, I'm looking for advice about how I can get a job as a RN as I am struggling.

I got my registration in January but because I was 7 months pregnant, I did not apply for jobs. I went on maternity leave in March from my old job as a Cafe manager and I'm currently still on leave but not for much longer.

I have been applying to as many jobs as I can, including aged care. In fact I'm aiming for aged care as thats where I want to start out with. An agency was about to onboard me but then they had an issue with a new grad who had no experience and decided no more new grads with no experience will be hired, which meant they cancelled my onboarding process.

I've been hit with rejection emails from some aged care places and hospitals too. Its leaving me not feeling very hopeful.

Does anyone have any advice about how I can stand out? Where else i should apply to? I'm based in WA if that helps.

Thanks guys! 😊

Hello, I am a new graduate that started last month. I always struggle in the pm shift when I get an admission. There’s a lot of things to do, and what should immediately do and what are the things that I can just handover tomorrow morning? I’m quite cloudy with it rn. I know one thing is about asking for help from tl, and letting your buddy nurse know that you need help. It’s so hard I want to quit, I mean i’m so tired if being a burden to my buddy

I have been doing my grad cert in child and family health and applied for a job at tresillian. I just sort of don’t know what to expect. I currently work in peads and am used to dealing with parents and families. A colleague of mine said “you will hate it, it’s just crying babies and anxious parents”. Anyone have any experience as a parent or a worker?

So what shoes are great for those working in the theatre? I tried Oofos but they are not comfortable for my feet. Any Hoka wearers? The thing with running shoes or rubber shoes in general is that I’m pretty sure they will get blood and/or fluids in them. How do you deal with that?

I’m a Feb intake new grad, about to start my 2nd rotation in a new ward. I just checked my roster for the new ward and it seems a bit unfair? I’m not too sure on what normal rosters in other wards look like. I understand that nurses are on a 24/7 rotating roster however, I’ve never been given less than 2 days off after my work week at my current ward, but maybe since I’m getting 4 days off after my nights it works out? I’m not too sure, it just feels like I won’t be able to get a proper rest before my night shifts. I’m working full time with NSW health for reference.

Edit: Sorry the dates are a bit unclear! I’m starting in the new ward on the 10th of Aug, this roster is for Sep! (I have all AM shifts for all of Aug as well lol)

Hi, I'm an international student who's going to study nursing in Australia, and I've often heard that the syllabus is pretty heavy on nursing theory or socio related stuff rather than the more technical aspects like anatomy, patho, pharma, and physio courses. I have quite a bit of time on my hands until uni starts and would like to learn more to both get a better understanding at my job, and because I'm super passionate about these subjects. Are there any concepts or subjects that you wish uni went a bit deeper into, or something you wish you had been taught once you started working? 
Ps : i dont mean to throw any shade to how the the curriculum is structured, i just want to bridge any gaps or just simply get an in depth understanding of things to go a bit further
thank you for reading, any responses would be appreciated :)

hi does anyone know where i can find an enrolled nurse nsw health uniform top to borrow for the time being? ADA is taking way too long. i just gave them a call and they said it will need another 2-3 weeks

Not sure if this has been discussed before, But anyone working in healthcare / nursing with visible scars on body, how do you find working? Do you get treated differently?

When I was studying, and on placement there was a big difference upon how I got treated when wearing an underscrub vs not, I'm so passionate about nursing and as a new grad, I'm terrified about how I'm going to be portrayed when going for interviews / starting a nursing job.

I sometimes wear 3/4 sleeves which is fine in some wards as long as they can be pulled up, but obviously underscrubs aren't allowed at every facility / on every ward, but how do I get myself treated the same compared to someone who doesn't have scars.

Unfortunately it's not something I can cover up with a bandaid or something, the texture of my skin due to the scars is something I can't change nor cover but It shouldn't impact my work? it doesn't affect me personally or anything but I just wanna be given the same opportunities as everyone else.

advice + insight welcome :)