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March 28, 2024, 09:39:16 pm

Author Topic: ATAR nursing - not enough, other paths?  (Read 1307 times)

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Rakuu

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ATAR nursing - not enough, other paths?
« on: April 05, 2020, 10:13:52 pm »
+5
Hey guys,
So after being unsure of what I wanted to do for the past 2 years, I have finally decided to take nursing (my previous ones were IT, then it changed to architecture then business -___- ; anyways so basically I just kept changing and tell people idk what to whenever they ask).

I was just wondering if it's still possible to get into nursing in unis such as qut ,uq and griffith when my atar isn't enough. I've talked to one of the kinda guidance staffs in my school about it and she said I was being harsh to myself. Although I appreciate that she is making me feel better and glad that she actually listened to me I would like a realistic answer regarding it. I am aware that there are other paths but not entirely sure. I am not doing well so far and I really do regret it since I did not handle it properly and did not get rid of my bad habits that I had during the past years.

My questions are:
  • What are the other paths? According to my research, there are tafe courses out there that you can do then transfer in uni and go to second year or something. There also paths where you can take bridging course. BUT I am not entirely sure if this applies for nursing as well or if there are other specific paths that varies for every course.
  • At the end of the day, does it really matter what university I went to?

If it helps my current subjects are: Physics, Methods, English, Accounting, Chemistry and Art. I didn't really picked these subjects because I wanted to but just did them random :< (weak subjects: chem, methods, accounting and just a bit of english)

JerryMouse2019

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Re: ATAR nursing - not enough, other paths?
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2020, 12:40:26 am »
+7
Hi Rakuu,

The good news is that you've cleared the prerequisites for a nursing degree at each of the 3 big universities (UQ, QUT and Griffith).

Now if you think that you won't get the ATAR that you need in order to get into any of these degrees then there is no need to stress.

You can spend one year doing a degree that your ATAR allows you to get into and then you can transfer into a nursing degree. I suggest that you do a degree from any of the other fields that you got interested in before (IT, architecture, business).

This path is the most common one according to my knowledge.

Also keep in mind though that currently we don't know what ATAR rank any university degree needs (as the first cohort to graduate under this new system hasn't been assessed yet completely). This means that you might not need to worry about your path into university as well.

I'd also recommend that you use the ComparED website to compare which university gives you the best experience. This data is collected by the federal government through surveys that university students complete annually. The university students are surveyed on how much they would rate the: overall experience, teaching quality, skills development, positive interactions with teaching staff, happiness with university facilities and satisfaction with support services (of their university).

https://www.compared.edu.au/

I hope you find my tips to be helpful :)

Good luck with everything,

Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019

By the way, QUT has the best business degrees and IT degrees (I've seen their business school and it's well renowned and practical) (Their IT degrees are really practical and they teach IT in a way that works for people who have no previous experience in IT at all). I have a friend who is doing architecture at QUT and he says it's amazing as well (the ComparED website backs his statement).

Also I checked out nursing on ComparED and apparently Griffith has the best overall experience out of the 3 big universities (with QUT coming in a distant second). I'd also like to mention that UQ wouldn't be the best option as UQ is a more theoretical research based university. They focus more on the theoretical work (assignments/exams). They focus less on the practical skills that help prepare you for your job.



« Last Edit: April 06, 2020, 12:56:15 am by JerryMouse2019 »
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JerryMouse2019

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Re: ATAR nursing - not enough, other paths?
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2020, 02:06:36 pm »
+5
Hi Rakuu,

I also forgot to mention that if you find that you were not able to pass any of the prerequisite subjects that you needed to pass in order to get into the degree that you wanted to get into. Then here is the website (that TAFEQLD runs) that can help you re-complete and pass those subjects in close to 6 months.

https://unilearn.net.au/

Once you've done the online course you can do the exam and then if you pass the exam then the university will accept that you've successfully passed and completed the prerequisite for your chosen degree.

The course itself (for re-doing chemistry, maths methods or physics) would cost you $950. While the exam for the course would cost $75 extra. The exam would be conducted online and if you wanted to do a paper version of the exam then it would cost you more.

All in all you would be paying $1075 for re-doing any one of these subjects again in a 5-6 month time frame.

Now I would not recommend this path (for getting into the degree that you want to get into) because it would force you to learn so much content in such a short amount of time. There is also a path where the university might let you complete the prerequisites as university subjects while you're studying at university. Now I don't know if all universities offer this path but some do.

Going to university open days should answer most if not all of your questions.

I hope you find my tips to be useful :)

Good luck with everything,

Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
« Last Edit: April 06, 2020, 02:29:32 pm by JerryMouse2019 »
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JerryMouse2019

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Re: ATAR nursing - not enough, other paths?
« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2020, 02:24:03 pm »
+1
At the end of the day, does it really matter what university I went to?

I would say it does matter because in the end you need to have experience and skills in order to get a job. If the degree that you're doing doesn't help you in that then finding a job might become a hassle. In some job fields: experience, skills and knowledge are the most important assets to a person (and getting a degree is only a start to helping you become certified for your chosen career). If you for example, completed a nursing internship while you were studying at uni then that would help you show your potential employer that you have some experience in nursing (and that you're suitable for the job).
QCE Class of 2021: English | General Maths | Business | Economics | Legal Studies | Digital Solutions

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy” – Dale Carnegie

K888

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Re: ATAR nursing - not enough, other paths?
« Reply #4 on: April 06, 2020, 03:28:38 pm »
+7
I would say it does matter because in the end you need to have experience and skills in order to get a job. If the degree that you're doing doesn't help you in that then finding a job might become a hassle. In some job fields: experience, skills and knowledge are the most important assets to a person (and getting a degree is only a start to helping you become certified for your chosen career). If you for example, completed a nursing internship while you were studying at uni then that would help you show your potential employer that you have some experience in nursing (and that you're suitable for the job).
Nursing is a bit different to other courses in that there's not internships like you'd have in commerce, science or law degrees. During the degree you do (mandatory) placement which gives you clinical experience and is where you pass your clinical competencies. Nursing students often choose to work as a PCA (personal care attendant) in aged care and the like (a position you're eligible for after doing a year of the degree) as a job that will earn them money and also get them experience in the healthcare field, but its not essential to get you a job once you qualify as a nurse. It's more important to do well in your placements and establish good relationships with people then because that'll stand you in good stead when applying for jobs.


OP - in terms of which uni you go to, it doesn't really matter because all courses are broadly the same - they have to be because it's a registered profession :) All courses will have little differences but you cover basically the same content. You'll just find differences in the way content is delivered, placement hours, etc.

JerryMouse2019

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Re: ATAR nursing - not enough, other paths?
« Reply #5 on: April 06, 2020, 05:20:45 pm »
+3
Nursing is a bit different to other courses in that there's not internships like you'd have in commerce, science or law degrees. During the degree you do (mandatory) placement which gives you clinical experience and is where you pass your clinical competencies. Nursing students often choose to work as a PCA (personal care attendant) in aged care and the like (a position you're eligible for after doing a year of the degree) as a job that will earn them money and also get them experience in the healthcare field, but its not essential to get you a job once you qualify as a nurse. It's more important to do well in your placements and establish good relationships with people then because that'll stand you in good stead when applying for jobs.


OP - in terms of which uni you go to, it doesn't really matter because all courses are broadly the same - they have to be because it's a registered profession :) All courses will have little differences but you cover basically the same content. You'll just find differences in the way content is delivered, placement hours, etc.

Thanks for correcting me K888 on how nursing doesn't have internships and how it rather has mandatory placements (as most healthcare-related degrees do). I did a ton of career research last year (since I had to decide on my senior subjects) and not all the research that I did was suitable for every job field. Also I agree with the fact that most university degrees are similar in content. The way in which the content is delivered (taught) to the students is the most important role of the university in my opinion. Establishing connections with people in the industry is also a key way in which a person can get a job. I'd also suggest picking a university that you can easily travel to with no distance problems.

Thanks for the awesome suggestions K888 :)
« Last Edit: April 06, 2020, 05:28:02 pm by JerryMouse2019 »
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Rakuu

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Re: ATAR nursing - not enough, other paths?
« Reply #6 on: April 06, 2020, 10:12:17 pm »
+2
I would say it does matter because in the end you need to have experience and skills in order to get a job. If the degree that you're doing doesn't help you in that then finding a job might become a hassle. In some job fields: experience, skills and knowledge are the most important assets to a person (and getting a degree is only a start to helping you become certified for your chosen career). If you for example, completed a nursing internship while you were studying at uni then that would help you show your potential employer that you have some experience in nursing (and that you're suitable for the job).

Thank you so so so so much for all ur replies !!! This was extremely helpful and thank you for all the suggestions I'll make sure to check the websites and read more. Thank you once again since you also answered questions I didn't know I had  ;D ;D ;D 

Cheers  8) 8)

Rakuu

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Re: ATAR nursing - not enough, other paths?
« Reply #7 on: April 06, 2020, 10:14:36 pm »
+2
Nursing is a bit different to other courses in that there's not internships like you'd have in commerce, science or law degrees. During the degree you do (mandatory) placement which gives you clinical experience and is where you pass your clinical competencies. Nursing students often choose to work as a PCA (personal care attendant) in aged care and the like (a position you're eligible for after doing a year of the degree) as a job that will earn them money and also get them experience in the healthcare field, but its not essential to get you a job once you qualify as a nurse. It's more important to do well in your placements and establish good relationships with people then because that'll stand you in good stead when applying for jobs.


OP - in terms of which uni you go to, it doesn't really matter because all courses are broadly the same - they have to be because it's a registered profession :) All courses will have little differences but you cover basically the same content. You'll just find differences in the way content is delivered, placement hours, etc.

Thank you very much for letting me know!!  :D :D :D :)