The character of the nurse is as important as the knowledge she possesses.
Carolyn Jarvis
Nurses are built of tough stuff! They need to be — for all they see and do and for all the knowledge and skills they possess — yet the core of their practice is to always apply care and compassion.
Vivian Bullwinkel embodied this character. Born just outside of Adelaide, in Kapunda, South Australia, Vivian served as an Australian Army Nurse during WWII and was the sole survivor of the 1942 Bangka Island Massacre in Sumatra.
She was captured and held as a prisoner of war for three and a half years but, despite this ordeal, she continued to dedicate herself to her career as a nurse after retiring from the army as a Lieutenant Colonel, eventually becoming known for her skills and leadership in nursing.
The past two years have been extra tough on nurses and other healthcare practitioners. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a shortage of Enrolled and Registered Nurses throughout Australia, with the shortfall predicted to increase over the next few years. It's a vicious cycle — fewer nurses means more pressure on current nursing staff, resulting in higher stress and more resignations.
Perhaps you have been considering a career in nursing?
Yes, it's hard at the moment but you will be needed and appreciated. And, let's not forget, there are many wonderful things about this noble and rewarding healthcare career.
The Best Things About Being a Nurse
Nurses are central to healthcare and there are not very many healthcare facilities where you won't find a nurse working in some capacity.
Don't only think about hospitals — an Enrolled or Registered Nurse can find work in aged care facilities, palliative care nursing, mental health nursing, oncology, midwifery, general practice, disability support, education and training facilities and community healthcare services.
This is the first great advantage of enrolling in one of several different nursing courses and choosing nursing as your career — job flexibility.
Search for great nursing course in Australia here.
What are some other advantages?
Every day is a learning opportunity
In nursing, no matter where you work or what your professional duties are, no two days are the same. This is perfect for people who like variety and also great for those who enjoy a challenge as there are opportunities to learn and apply new skills on a daily basis.
Build relationships
If you're a 'people person', you'll be in your element in your nursing role. When you work with a patient, even for a short time, you get to know them closely and build a rapport. Your nursing colleagues also become your second family as you build trust and mutual understanding and solidarity. Relationships forged during any nursing experience can stay with you for life.
Feel good about yourself
A key human need is the need to feel valued. Once a nurse realises they have 'made a difference' or impacted positively on the life and experience of another, the personal satisfaction and feeling of self-worth can build your esteem.
Nursing also gives you the opportunity to find out more about yourself — strength you didn't realise you possessed, stamina, resilience, empathy and compassion.
Opportunities for professional growth
A little bit of ambition is a good thing and nursing is the perfect career for the ambitious and driven. You may start your career as an Assistant in Nursing or Enrolled Nurse, then upgrade your skills to retrain as a Registered Nurse.
Registered Nurses can specialise in a range of areas — pediatrics, oncology, disability etc. — with extra experience and professional learning. A Registered Nurse may also decide to undertake a postgraduate degree course to gain a qualification as a Nurse Practitioner.
A nurse can spend their entire career learning, growing and building upon their experience.
Adelaide Nursing Courses
Depending on what level of nurse you want to be, there are different types of nursing courses you can study. The qualification from each of these nursing courses is consistent throughout Australia.
The three main levels of nursing are:
- Assistant in Nursing — no specific qualification is required although a Certificate III program of study is recommended
- Enrolled Nurse — completion of an 18-month to 2-year Diploma of Nursing is required
- Registered Nurse — a 3-year Bachelor of Nursing is required.
Upon receiving the qualification, nurses must go through the registration process with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) before they are allowed to work as a nurse. If nurses wish to specialise in a certain area, such as midwifery, pediatric care or oncology, they may do so with practical experience and a short course.
Registered Nurses may seek further qualifications by completing a Master of Nursing or its equivalent, which allows them to work as a Nurse Practitioners.
Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, is a popular place with students seeking to study at a tertiary level at a university or Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institution. Students wishing to work in the healthcare field have a number of options for nursing courses in Adelaide.
You can some of the most effective nursing courses in Brisbane here.
TAFE South Australia
Domestic and international students are presented with a variety of study choices at TAFE SA, including:
- Certificate III in Allied Health Services (meeting the requirements to work as an Assistant in Nursing)
- Certificate III in Pathology Collection
- Diploma of Nursing (meeting the requirements to work as an Enrolled Nurse).
The two Certificate III courses are available to students as apprenticeships or traineeships as well as a direct study program.
In addition to the Diploma of Nursing, TAFE SA offers two university pathway programs, allowing students to complete their diploma program at the TAFE and then use this as a credit to study the Bachelor of Nursing program at a partner university. This pathway program is a great opportunity for students who were unable to meet the ATAR requirements to directly enrol in their university of choice.
The TAFE also has a limited number of scholarships available upon application.
Torrens University
The fastest-growing university in Australia, Torrens University has its main campus in Adelaide, as well as campus facilities and courses in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Through Torrens University, students can study for either a Diploma of Nursing or a Bachelor of Nursing. Both courses make use of the university's first-class nursing labs where students can gain practical experience and become job-ready and confident to begin their nursing careers.
University of Adelaide
This university offers the widest range of nursing courses in Adelaide, from undergraduate courses through to Graduate diplomas and Master's levels. In fact, the nursing degrees at the University of Adelaide are ranked Number 1 in Australia for overall experience.
As a student nurse, you will have access to the Adelaide Health Simulation facility. The undergraduate course and short courses also include various clinical placement opportunities in a range of health care settings.
Courses include:
- Bachelor of Nursing
- 10 Graduate Diploma options
- 14 Master of Nursing Science options.
Check out some of the best online nursing courses here.
Are There Online Nursing Courses?
Compared to pre-Covid times, there are considerably more universities running their courses online or in a hybrid format. Even now that lockdowns appear to be a thing of the past, online learning looks set to stay as a viable option open to every student.
Being such a practical professional career, you may wonder how online nursing courses work, or even if they exist. Well, they do exist although, of course, a nursing student must be able to complete the professional placement component of their course in person.
Institutions that specialise in online nursing courses include:
- Swinburne University Online (Diploma of Nursing)
- University of South Australian Online (Bachelor of Midwifery, Bachelor of Nursing, Graduate Certificate courses, Graduate Diploma courses and Master of Nursing)
- Australian Catholic University Online (Graduate Certificate in Clinical Nursing, Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Ethics)
- Open Universities Australia (postgraduate nursing degrees including a range of Graduate certificates and Master's courses)
- Lerna Australia was one of the first to offer distance learning and now partners with universities all over Australia to offer diploma, bachelor and postgraduate nursing degrees in an online format with a residential practical placement component.
The great benefit of online learning is, of course, that you can learn online from wherever you are in Australia or the world. This means you can do a nursing course at a Canberra institution or study nursing at a university in Perth without leaving Adelaide.
Also remember that there are many tutors out there who can help you with your nursing education, whether this involves help with writing essays, practical advice, study skills or exam technique. Check out the Superprof platform where there are over 1500 nursing tutors throughout Australia waiting to support you in your nursing education and training.
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