Nursing & Midwifery. (1 Viewer)

[trace7988]

Hi there wondering if anyone could help me..

Just looking into midwifery as a career, considering studying nursing then midwifery at UTS, starting 2008..

Is anybody here studying, finished or about to start studying nursing &/or Midwifery?

Do you recommend it as a rewarding career, and worth the 3 years studying (or 4 if studying midwifery diploma aswell).. considering the pay is really bad?

I read somewhere that nurses get paid an average of 24% less than Primary school teachers.. That makes me have second thoughts.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

 

[Me-Shell]

i just finished a degree in Nursing. But I'm not a very good person to ask, as I'm about start med. Nursing is ok. The pay is not that bad compared to a lot of other areas of work - but you'll probably never earn more than about 80k/year at the peak of your career.

I enjoyed studying nursing, but I don't think Nursing is a good career choice if you are really smart. Nursing is really for people who aren't stupid, but aren't really super bright either. If you're too bright you're likely to become bored with the study and the attitudes of your fellow students. Not to mention the nurses you will eventually work with. This will make you frustrated and depressed. Nursing in practice is very much a 'vocation' rather than a profession. Nursing is very heirarchical and you get dumped on a lot. Although the whole health system is like, not just nursing.

I think nursing is great for people of average intelligence. I can't wait for all the people to bomb me for saying this. But in my experience this is the truth. Smarter people should so something in allied health, or med. If you want to 'help' people - you can still do it as a doctor. You don't need to be a nurse to find your job rewarding and help people. I dunno.

 

[vodkacrumble]

I think nursing is great for people of average intelligence. I can't wait for all the people to bomb me for saying this. But in my experience this is the truth. Smarter people should so something in allied health, or med. If you want to 'help' people - you can still do it as a doctor. You don't need to be a nurse to find your job rewarding and help people. I dunno.

.......okay.


i've just finished my Nursing degree at UTS. i'm not exactly sure what to say to the above as i'm obviously offended, but at the same time i guess i have no proof to say i have more than 'average intelligence'.
have i considered studying med? yes, of course i have. but what always changes my mind is the lifestyle choice - i would probably end up frustrated in a career where i have to find a path and stick with it for my whole career life.

the difference in pay between a first year nurse and a first year doctor is actually pretty slight, especially when you consider the HECS debt. the thing is that the drs pay then rises at a considerably more exciting rate thereafter.
but if you want to get out of clinical nursing and enter management then there's the opportunity to earn $100,000 as a base salary in the higher positions.

i wouldn't recommend doing a job just for the money anyway.

i'm doing Midwifery next year, i'm not interested in it as a profession but it does mean that i can get a work permit in the UK and it will be highly useful in rural practice (where i am and where i'd like to work more in).


personally, i don't think you can really compare the work of drs and nurses to say one is better than the other. but then again, maybe i'm simply biased because i enjoy my job and my lifestyle.

 

[trustmenever]

i really don't thnik people should judge intelligence based on someone's career choice. some people are very intelligent but can't afford to go to UNi so they do lots of shitty jobs. Some people just choose to do something based on interest and wht they feel like, they don't give a dam about what degrees they have achieved or what career path they have chosen . My grandfather's friend was a professor of social science in UNiversity of Edinburge, weekdays he used to teach and during the weekend he used to be a street sweeper . he is a very intelligent man but he never, ever judge people by their career choice .
To be honest , same in my family , my dad is an Urologist,he never ever forced me to get into medicine or anything , he doesn't care if i decide to become a street sweeper , as long as i m proud of wht i m doing , it doesn't matter wht the rest of the world think"

i m doing medicine next year in monash , my dad has said to me not to get into medicine if i want a relax lifestyle but i just want to c how far i can go , but hey if i don't like it and find it stressful i will quit anytime, i don't feel the necessity to become a doctor to fulfill my desire or become successful. ,
Just do something that u r really passionate about and which will bring u joy and happiness. Don't give a dam wht the rest of the world have to say abt ur career . As long as u feel proud and not ashamed of wht u do, u r a cham and successful already. by the way ,thats my personal theory , so people don't have to agree with it.

 

[+Po1ntDeXt3r+]

i think michelle means its not academically challenging overall in the degree.. like its more practical.. and care-wise nursing is primary.. and ure role is very similar day-to-day if u stick to the status quo... diagnostically they play almost no role in the decision.. so yeah..

given its 3 yrs.. its not meant to be academically thorough.. tho thru further study u can further your education..

and i feel that 10 yrs of RN nursing would easily trump 5-6 yrs of medicine practically..

tho medicine is not rocket science.. so i think its just the years u keep doing sumfing.. and its also very repetitive.. ull never finish.. and it never ends..

 

[jooobl]

I think nursing is great for people of average intelligence. I can't wait for all the people to bomb me for saying this. But in my experience this is the truth. Smarter people should so something in allied health, or med. If you want to 'help' people - you can still do it as a doctor. You don't need to be a nurse to find your job rewarding and help people. I dunno.

How dare you say that. Some of the most smartest people in this world are nurses. My mother was a nurse and she is one of the smartest people I know. Some people just think the work of nurses is more appealing and enjoy helping people on a more personal basis. Some people can still be very bright and intelligent - and not feel the need to pursue a career as a doctor etc because they are content and get satisfaction in the work that they do.

If you want more in life then for sure go for it, but do NOT generalise that nursing is just for people with average intelligence. That is really offensive and to think that nurses are just the 'average' people of the hospital industry is very ignorant of you. And considering that you have studied nursing you should know better.

 

[rozymisty]

I'm so glad I found this thread!

I reckon that nursing is a great career to go into. Mum was a nurse long before I was born some 23 years ago. Then again the workload was completely diferent from now.

At my last prac, we got a handout from our facilitator saying the pay rates. Entry level nurses will start next year about $42K I think, and December 2008 will be getting 52K I think it was. That is for Qld Health though, not sure what the other states are....how do I find out the pay rates?

I work for a nursing agency as a AIN, and if I do two weekdays and a Sunday, i apparently get paid as much as mum who is a full time prep teacher.

I stupidly went and did 3 years of primary education at QUT, and we had hardly any prac, and i hated it..quit after wk 1 of our 3rd year prac-our first real prac. I origannly wanted to do nursing when i left year 12 in 2001, but mum said no I dont think you'd like cleaning poo and shit like that, and stupidly i listened to her reasoning that i enjoyed a wk doing work experience in yr 11 at a kindy.

So yeah preetty peeved taht I have wasted so many years, not to mention HECS, and then just change.

I really want to do midwifery too, but you have to have worked for at least a year before you can apply for the course. Unless you live in NSW, VIC or WA where you can do it undergrad, but then your prospects arent that good. THough i had wanted to apply for the nursing/midwifery degree at Latrobe uni, but alas I had no money to move to Melbourne. Then again, Id rather work for a year between and get the clinical skills than cramming 5 subjects in, and still taking another year anyway.

And the good thing about doing your midwifery degree, si that you can work as a student midwife, and you actually get paid! How awesome is that! I wish we got paid as student nurses....its so annoying being an ain and not being allowed to help the nurses do things like taking blood pressure etc, coz its not within the scope of practice of the job descrioption and you can get in big trouble if the patient sues and stuff!

hmm better stop there lol

 

[vodkacrumble]

its so annoying being an ain and not being allowed to help the nurses do things like taking blood pressure etc, coz its not within the scope of practice of the job descrioption and you can get in big trouble if the patient sues and stuff!

depends on the hospital policy and the RNs you work with.
i worked for 2 years as an AIN at a tertiary referral hospital in Sydney - i was there to do pt hygiene care, all obs and charting, but towards the end of my degree the RNs would allow me to give meds, put up fluids, etc. when i was worried about a pt i would tell the RN what was happening then call the doctor myself. they would just sign wherever it needed to be signed.

completely not within my scope of practice, but the educator encouraged it also.

 

[zoci]

hey i was really really inrested in your path towards med. did u always want to do medicine? how was nursing? i am currently deciding to do either nursing or med. i am very passionate about both profesions but i am not sure if i can get the REally high UAI and study for the UMAT at the same time. i am currently in yr 11. as for the intelligent comment that SHell u mentioned i u got me thinking. to give you an idea of what kind of student i am i DUX yr 10 and got four band 6 and 2 band 5 in my school certificate. any information is highly appreciated

 

[brolgaballet]

I am seriously considering Midwifery at UTS for 2008 if I don't qualify for Medicine for 2008. I can enter med afterwards post graduate. I am not entering Nursing first because (and this is nothing against nurses...they are hard-working and poorly rewarded) I don't want to spend my life showering people and waiting for whatever the doctor says.

i want to travel overseas. but in all honesty I am scared (not about the work...i thrive on stress and havoc) that i will be bored. I am a bright girl and none of my HSC subjects will prepare me for either Midwif or Nursing.

i do 4 units of english, 3 units of history, 2 units religion and biology.

id love to hear feedback.

 

[gracie007]

I think nursing is great for people of average intelligence. I can't wait for all the people to bomb me for saying this. But in my experience this is the truth. Smarter people should so something in allied health, or med. If you want to 'help' people - you can still do it as a doctor. You don't need to be a nurse to find your job rewarding and help people. I dunno.

This is really really incorrect. I want to be a nurse but would HATE to be a doctor...do you realise they are two extremely different professions and courses? Sure they are both about 'helping people' but it doesn't mean they are the same.
I'm sure you'd be very sorry if there weren't any nurses out there at all. You seem to be one of those people that judge each course by they people that undertake it. Surely after going through the HSC you'd realise that things like that aren't a measure of intelligence? It shouldn't matter how smart you are, you should just do a course you enjoy and find interesting. No matter what it is. I hate it when people are so ignorant.

 

[+Po1ntDeXt3r+]

I am seriously considering Midwifery at UTS for 2008 if I don't qualify for Medicine for 2008. I can enter med afterwards post graduate. I am not entering Nursing first because (and this is nothing against nurses...they are hard-working and poorly rewarded) I don't want to spend my life showering people and waiting for whatever the doctor says.

id love to hear feedback.

this is the attitude that gets midwives in trouble as some think they are the end all of deliveries... there is a need to work as a team...

midwives need to realise that if they need help... who do they goto?... unless u know how to do a C-section... good luck..

that said.. medics are just as arrogant and stupid... the need to work as a team is very important for the patient..

 

[aussiechica7]

give me-shell a break. she's a nurse who is studying medicine because she didn't find nursing academically stimulating enough. i think she has a good background to make comparitive judgments on the degrees/careers. u don't have 2 agree w her opinion, but she's entitled to have it.

 

[+Po1ntDeXt3r+]

I think in all fairness tho..

there are a lot of allied health people with good depth of knowledge compared to medics.. and medics need to get off their damn pedestal..

if the argument is that medics are sued more compared to others so hence are more important
there is a variety of factors:
-they lead the management team.. but alas they have no idea how to actually do an allied health professionals job
-they usually earn the most cos its a close shop industry
-they are traditionally more arrogant.. but then this is why they need to relax

i think she has a right to express her own opinion.. but it is some what degrading an opinion because frankly its not a career for her.. and she is explicit about that in the 1st lines but then basing it on intelligence was not accurate.. nurses arent limited to their bachelors degrees or diplomas

problem with doctors is that we dun care enough.. in fact im heading down this path and am somewhat apathetic but then the nurses are better in that they realli do manage their patients welfare directly.. there are pros and cons to all things.. it just needs to be more balanced not about intelligence

 

[Forbidden.]

I'll elect Nursing as my second option if I don't think I'm ready to be an engineer.

 

[watatank]

nurses don't become nurses for the doolahs but for the love of nursing. if it were about the doolahs they would be out of the game so quickly.

 

[Forbidden.]

nurses don't become nurses for the doolahs but for the love of nursing. if it were about the doolahs they would be out of the game so quickly.

... theres a compromise... variables, the pay, demand for nurses and skill.

 

[rozymisty]

I am seriously considering Midwifery at UTS for 2008 if I don't qualify for Medicine for 2008. I can enter med afterwards post graduate. I am not entering Nursing first because (and this is nothing against nurses...they are hard-working and poorly rewarded) I don't want to spend my life showering people and waiting for whatever the doctor says.

i want to travel overseas. but in all honesty I am scared (not about the work...i thrive on stress and havoc) that i will be bored. I am a bright girl and none of my HSC subjects will prepare me for either Midwif or Nursing.

i do 4 units of english, 3 units of history, 2 units religion and biology.

id love to hear feedback.

You are much better off career wise to do midwifery with nursing at the same time, as just having a midwifery degree without nursing seriously limits your employment opportunities, as you have no clinical skills which are important to have, as many other conditions will occur outside of the midwifery scope. For example if you just know aobut midwifery stuff, and a patient has signs and symptoms of another condition, you wont know how to treat that patient.

I know many uni's are now going to combine nursing and midwifery together. I wanted to do that 3 yrs ago, move to latrobe uni, but i didnt have the money to move from Brisbane. So I am going to work for a year, do the graduate nurse program, get some money and then do my midwifery.

Also to get into postgrad midwifery courses, they want to you have a nursing degree and experience of at least 1 yr. Although JCU told me I could go straight into midwifery next year, which is contradictive to everything else ive read.

I think you are just much better to do your nursing degree, and then do the postgrad year of midwifery. Good luck

 

[vodkacrumble]

this is the attitude that gets midwives in trouble as some think they are the end all of deliveries... there is a need to work as a team...

midwives need to realise that if they need help... who do they goto?... unless u know how to do a C-section... good luck..

that said.. medics are just as arrogant and stupid... the need to work as a team is very important for the patient..

i definitely agree with the team statement, there is one GP/ob/gynae dr here that will pretty much just do the opposite of what you suggest just because he can. he's sent women for caesars that don't need it and delayed sending women who do (along with other shit i've had to deal with in the adult med/surg ward).

midwives can easily come across as bitchy because they are trying to advocate for the pt (and baby) by avoiding unnecessary medical intervention.

 

[vodkacrumble]

I don't want to spend my life showering people and waiting for whatever the doctor says

that is the kind of attitude that totally shits me off.

for fucks sake, nursing isn't a job where you turn up, bathe people and put them on bed pans for 8 hours a day.

YES, you will have to shower people because they can't do it themselves (and YES, that does include women who are post-op from a caesar). YES, you are bound to a degree by doctors orders, but half the time i'm the one telling the dr what to do and just looking for a signature.

surprise, surprise - it is actually a job where you need to critically analyse what is going on with those under your care. if nurses were all just drones who only knew how to wipe arses you'd have many dead patients out there.


in the last 3 months since i started working as an RN i've had to do 2 showers. however, i have also had to care for multiple post-op patients, cardiac pts on monitors (me being the one that has to analyse the ECG and report any concerns/changes to the dr), sedated psych pts waiting to be transferred to Perth and just recently prevented a septic pt who was also withdrawing from alcohol from crashing and ending up dead on the ward.


so if all you think is that my job is to throw old ladies in the shower and hold their hand i'd like you to rethink.


thank you. there ends my rant for the moment.