r/NursingAU

I work in a tertiary hospital and during some periods we have back to back nursing students over those few months during prac blocks. As a student I was lucky enough to have some wonderful nurses showing me the ropes and on the flip side I think we all have experienced a less than ideal preceptor who rattled confidence and made being on prac anxiety inducing at times when being a nursing student is hard enough! I get it I really do and for this reason I always do my best to be patient and understanding and share what knowledge I can, especially those willing to learn!

HOWEVER, over the last 12 months or so I have had a huge influx of students, and I would love to say it's minority but I have to say it's realistically about 60% of students I've had from various universities, that do not have the clinical knowledge/safety you would expect from 2nd/3rd years. I'm not talking specified clinical knowledge or skills and I don't ever expect students do be perfect! I'm talking the basic stuff like hand hygiene, maintaining sterile fields, setting up basic dressing packs, infection control, med checking, patient identification, normal ranges for vital signs, patient confidentiality, not knowing their scope of practice! Some cases from 3rd year students who you'd expect to be working up to manage their own patient loads!

Some of the students are very accepting of feedback and willing to learn, and those students succeed, but the concerning part of all of this is how many of the students on clinical prac DON'T! They don't take on feedback, repeatedly make the same mistakes after being offered the education, lack either the theory or critical thinking skills, or are just downright dangerous! That to me is the red flag for unsafe students and it makes me sad that this is an ongoing issue that myself and colleagues have noted and had to report back to clinical facilitators sadly resulting in students failing, which obviously no one wants.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding was that their learning institutions are supposed to prepare them with the skills to understand clinical safety, and that clinical practice, was just that, a PRACTICE opportunity to improve their confidence in those skills in real life situations under the supervision/guidance of a qualified nurse, whilst starting to connecting the dots on how to apply all that theory they learn to their nursing practice along the way.

As I said I love to teach and do try my best but I'm continuously feeling bad for students on prac, and left feeling honestly a little disappointed or wondering if I have done enough to help my student that day.

Am I being too harsh? Has something changed at uni/tafe? Has the standard dropped? Whats going on because some of the stuff I've seen from students in the last 12 months has me flabbergasted.

is it easy to get a job in gp clinic after grad year. I have no interest in hospital as i hated it and had a gp placement and I absolutely loved it. I am wondering if they hire you with no experience as obviously i would have just graduated. Thanks guys!!

Hey all, just hoping to get some advice for my specific situation. I'm an RN that's 3 years out. I dream of becoming a nurse educator someday (knowing this will take time to get there) because I genuinely love teaching students and helping break things down in a manageable way. I was working in a public hospital in my grad year, 2 months post I got injured, pretty badly. I jumped between multiple different areas in the WorkCover journey gaining some fun experience in the day infusion centre, infection control, and floating across wards as a helper. After a year I had to leave because my injury was too debilitating to be doing the manual handling work of a hospital. I found a radiology nursing job, my back is so much better and have been doing that for almost a year. It's a great, relatively relaxed gig but it's definitely not my passion and I feel my growth becoming impacted. I won't be able to return to ward nursing because my back still has issues that manual handling would ruin. I want to find a good balance of clinical and education in an intellectually stimulating environment that won't impact my physical health. I was thinking of doing a Cert IV in training and assessment for starters. It's also hard to know what to do for a post grad as I don't have the specialised ward experience in a single area to become a CNS. It's hard to know that I can never become a clinical nurse educator through the typical pathway of being on a ward for 5-8 years and then becoming an educator due to my injury but I want to try hard to find my own pathway. Just wondering if anyone has any advice or stories to share about different pathways they have experienced so I can find some inspiration in knowing what to do next.

TLDR: How to become a clinical leaning nurse educator if got injured in early career

Hi everyone, I had been wait-listed for a public hospital for grad since last year. I recently received and accepted a grad offer from private, should I still remain in the wait-list? I start in Sept. we get monthly check ins and I said yes, because I have heard horror stories of offers being rescinded for no reason.

should I withdraw from wait-list or wait till I start and then withdraw? I don't plan on accepting an offer from public.

I am about halfway through my nursing degree and have applied to some public and private AIN jobs to try get some experience . I have had one interview so far and they are now asking for referees, but no one wants to be my referee. I had 3 facilitators only one wanted to be my referee, they are asking 2 additional clinical referees so 3 referees in total. I only probably have one lab tutor that I can ask realistically so I won't have enough references and probably won't get the job. It feels like I am doing all this work and study for nothing, like how am i going to get a grad placement and subsequent employment if I this is my luck in getting experience.

I don't know why it's so hard for me, I know that I am a good student, I get good grades, always helpful to my nurses on placement, good feedback on my placements, but I just dont really seem to fit in this nursing clique, nurses ignore and exclude me, facilitators aren't really that helpful at best and rude at worst. I just feel so hopeless rn :/

Hi all - wanting to get the nurses and my facilitator a gift at the end of our placement. My go-to is chocolates but is there anything you have received and loved that’s a bit nicer than just chocolates?! Thanks ☺️

I had a drs appt today in regards to a reproductive issue my doctor requested I take two days off due to needing to complete a bunch of tests. I have attempted to ring my AHNM x4 and have either received user busy or unavailable, I contacted my TL and let her know that I am unable to attend my next two shifts and that I have tried getting in contact with my AHNM, my TL said that she would inform my AHNM - and to send an email to my line manager for her to see when she gets back on Monday which I did with my medical certificate.

I have logged onto my roster and my shifts haven’t been changed. I’m worried that my TL hasn’t spoken to my AHNM - I am still unable to get In contact with the AHNM. I’m just worried that it’s going to show up as a no show even though I’ve told someone and tried to contact who I needed to.

What do I do??

EDIT: I managed to get in contact with my AHNM at 2am - she said that she had me off but I needed to contact the AHNM not the TL.

Soo I'm on my stage 5 placement atm (neuro ward) and was reading their heparin policy and learned that it's made from pig intestines! Got me thinking, if we had a patient we knew would object to animal products for either religious, cultural or ethical grounds is there an obligation to tell them where the medication is sourced from? Has anyone ever experienced a situation like this out in the wild?

Also.. I realise lots of medications may contain animal-related materials like gelatin, lactose, etc, and it's not practical to provide a full ingredient list every time. But yes this is a genuine question so pls don't drag me lol.

What are the core must-have things you put on your planner?

I'm not a student but I do have ADHD. I try to do a good planner but I always seem to miss something 😩

I’m 25F with a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) and have worked in corporate marketing since 2020. I never wanted a corporate career, I was pushed into it by dad. I’ve never lasted more than 10 months in a marketing role. Since I was 15, I’ve had my mind set on working in healthcare, at 18, I wanted to study nursing in uni but my parents were against it. In 2025 I actively planned to transition into nursing.

I now live in Victoria with no safety net to fall back on (like family) and job security matters a lot to me. The corporate job market since 2020 has felt brutal, and nursing appeals to me because nurses will always be needed, especially as the aging population increases. I’ve also had friends in nursing who gave me insight into nursing and none discouraged me from pursuing it.

On reddit I mostly read about burnout, pre-shift anxiety, emotional stress, and new grads struggling to find nursing jobs. I’d genuinely love to become a nurse for the right reasons but now worry if I’ll survive as a nurse. My plan was to become an AIN or EN first before studying to become an RN, so it’s easier once I’m a graduate to land a job. I’d love to be a nurse but I’m just seeing negativity. Any advice for me?

Hi!! im planning to work part time as an EN while doing full time accelerated Bachelors of Nursing to be an RN. I’ll be graduating my diploma in a month, want to start working as an EN (if i get offers lol), and going to uni next year to study RNs accelerated while keeping my EN (public hospital) job.

I just wanted some insight on how the balance/workload would fare between the two? I’m sure it IS manageable, but I just wanted to prepare myself for how strict I’ll have to be to keep my life in order lol

Im just worried because I do have a fair bit of commitments that I would have to otherwise sacrifice if it will be hardcore…

If it also plays any factor at all, and it’s not to sound prideful HAHA - but I am quite academic and retaining & understanding clinical/pharmacological/physiological concepts have always come fairly quick to me, so studying isn’t TOO difficult. Of course there can be curveballs, but I’m just also unsure of the workload of the accelerated course as well ..!

hi everyone, I start nursing school this July and I’m just a bit worried about how my work will be affected. I’m going to obviously update my availability to let them know the days I’m at uni and when I’m not but I work as a hotel receptionist and there’s only 8 people hired including me but one of my coworkers is never there. I usually get called in when it’s really busy which it has been for a long time now like for example just today I finished work at 11pm and got asked to start at 8am 😭 but I want to put my full focus on nursing school and not get burnt out by work so I was thinking maybe saying I’m not available any time of the week. I do get Centrelink payment fortnightly So I’ll still get income anyways. I also heard you can’t work when you’re put on placement. Also this job has been really stressing me out because I get mistreated by the guests but still push through. I’d like to know other people’s experiences and what they did with their work situation. just to add the 4 people who are full time usually only work in the morning but 2 people work in the morning and usually 1 person at night.

I remember a few years ago when I was a ward based nurse and hearing about all these changes and improvements to aged care that were going to happen. Recently I have transitioned to aged care nursing casually for family reasons (but I also have a background of Geri nursing so it’s a familiar area) but I am absolutely blown away by how under staffed we are and the normalising of this. Our management literally talk like having two RNs on the floor for 80 residents (many being very high care needs and including a secure memory unit) is amazing. Like we should be grateful… Often there will be two RNs, or RN, EN, plus two med comp carers. The med comp carers can’t do a whole bunch of stuff obviously and they still make errors also ( and I get that) . I just find I am absolutely running for the whole shift between meds, wounds, documentation, endless phone calls and emails, plus whatever clinical incidents occur. It is completely normal to have no lunch break or just have a coffee at the desk while doing some notes. I don’t get how this is ok ? I literally do not understand lol. Why can’t we have a few more nurses and NOT experience this kind of burnout 😂😅🤔 doesn’t seem like a solid business plan at all.

I have one more semester left of my nursing degree and I’m currently on placement. I’ve been so burnt out lately that it’s been affecting how I work during my shifts. I think it’s just the back to back shifts, assignments, and unfortunately sometimes experiencing buddy nurses that clearly don’t want a student to work with them 😔. In the back of mind I just wish that I just did a business degree instead or some corporate degree. I’m just holding on rn cause of my friends who are also studying nursing are kind of on the same boat. It’s so hard right now.

I feel really stupid writing this but I'm pretty lost with what do and I'm not sure if anyone can relate to this extent. I have started my grad 4 months ago and already I have had to call in sick multiple times because I cannot sleep due to anxiety before a AM. I do not feel safe driving an hour to work and working with 0 sleep on a really acute ward then driving home again. It's not safe for me to do so especially with the meds I am on. Sleep anxiety and insomnia has never been a big issue for me until my grad year.

I have been seeing my doctor regarding this and I am on medications. I am about to see him again today asking for another review of my medications. They sometimes don't work because my anxiety can be so high. In terms of sleep hygiene I have a "really good" routine and I do all the "right" things. But my anxiety overrides it all.

I have also let the educators know and I'm about to have a chat with ANUM about it. They have been really supportive. Reducing my Eft has been one of the options layed out for me if I'm still struggling but I'm really unsure if it would help. I have noticed my roster has been made less

By the way: My next rotation I picked has no shift work so I'm going to push to try and get it.

Has anyone else been in this situation or have suggestions.

hi all. grad nurse here 3 months into my program and absolutely loving it! i love my area and my team is so supportive. (qldhealth)

i’m currently laying in bed trying to decompress for an AM shift tomorrow when i remembered that i completely forgot to riskman the fall one of my patients had last week. i documented it all, the TL/other staff were aware, i called the treating team to let them know about it, and i made sure to hand it over clearly. for context there was nil headstrike and i continued to monitor and assess the patient with the assistance of a lovely USIN until the end of my shift.

edit*** the patient was also A+O, 15/15, independently mobilising, and i was not handed over any mobility issues (they were also cleared by physio having nil mobility issues), but i had since initiated a falls risk plan order and followed the post-fall pathway.

a lot of things happened that week so it completely slipped my mind 😕 i could do a retrospective riskman but i do not remember the details of the patient, but i remember exactly what happened.

i’m worried i’ll get in serious trouble for this, although i might be overreacting a bit. my plan is to chat to my NUM about it tomorrow and let her know. this is just the first time something on the bigger end slipped through my mind. 🥲🥲

Hello!

I am a social worker looking for a career change. I'm currently weighing up different nursing courses and am wondering if there is a major difference for nurses in the field between people who have done a masters or an undergraduate nursing degree.

I currently have an undergraduate degree so am eligible for the masters. However, all the masters courses are very intense and I need to stay employed to pay my rent.

So I'm considering an undergraduate degree so I can do some bits part time. Just wanted to make sure this isn't going to disadvantage me in the field.

Thanks for your insights ✨

New grad here on my first rotation in a paeds ward. Wasn’t my first preference but happy to be here. Anyway, theatres was always my aim though I want to develop some core nursing skills before I think about trying to get into theatres. Is it hard to get in if I don’t get my second grad rotation there? And if I want to leave theatres down the line would it be hard to get a job in a different field? I just have this feeling that I might be limiting myself by going into theatres, thoughts?

Also, I have inattentive adhd (not the kind diagnosed by TikTok). So this has always added to my anxiety about counting gauze and instruments etc. I’d be interested to hear from any adhders in a scrub nurse role and how you coped.

Thanks all 🙏

For those of you who have recently graduated or are to graduate soon, I'm curious to know, did you have any idea you might find it hard to find a job when you graduated? Did the unis sell the course to you in terms of you'd have job security when you graduated? Feeling really bummed out seeing all these student's graduate only to have no jobs to go to. I graduated 2 years ago (Tassie) and everyone from our course was offered a ttpp. Nursing is definitely shifting and not in a good way I feel...

Hi all, 23 paeds/neonates + urgent care RN in Perth WA.

I was wanting to get some insight on the Master of Paramed at Notre Dame which is a 2 year postgrad.

Also wanted to get insight into the career and pay. I don’t have a family or kids to take care of and am pretty flexible in the perspective of ‘life’. I don’t see myself in nursing forever and knowing I kind of stuck myself in paeds, I feel like I’m quite limited in general.

Ideally I would’ve loved to pursue medicine or dentistry but I don’t have the gpa for it and don’t have the determination for extra 7+ years of study if I re-do an undergrad.

Any advice on the career would be great! Thank you all 🫶🏼