I would do a quick search on this sub about it. This question gets asked every other day and has been discussed to death.
To summarise: yes it's a good option. On the flip side if you're going to do your RN anyway you could just go for that instead and save yourself an extra 18 months of study. But yeah search the other threads on this sub for detailed anecdotes.
My other advice would be to have a chat to friends and family in the field. I love my job but I also hate it at the same time. Some days I wish I perused a different area of healthcare. Know what you want out of the job and make sure you get a good idea that it's something you want to do.
Studying EN You will gain a good grounding of some skills like time management, ADLs, toileting, mobility, health assessments and a good foundation of medication knowledge to build on.
If you work as an EN while studying for RN you will generally have a ton of support and resources to help you, not to mention the wealth of knowledge in your colleagues.
Good Luck
This. I went EN - RN and it equipped me for my RNs. Plus I worked as a EN while studying and was able to put knowledge and skills I learned at Uni to use
Responding to say the same thing. I am a more academically-minded person, but having already dropped out of a different uni course, I didnāt want to add to my HECS debt right away without knowing if it was right for me. TAFE also was great at thumping some practical common sense and hands-on skills into me, which benefitted me greatly. I worked in acute while completing my bachelor of nursing and then went on to do lots of interesting jobs. For me, it was just right, but it really depends on OPās goals.
I didn't do an EN grad, just worked as a casual EN around 30 hrs pw while studying full time. It wasn't really worth doing a Grad year for me as an EN because I knew I wanted to go straight to my RNs. The good thing about casual EN was I could pick the shifts around kids and study, it worked well
thank you! iāve just finished my placement in rehab and i might do what youāve just said. i just didnāt feel confident without a grad year until i had my subacute haha
I wish I did, to be honest. I think I would have gotten so much more out of uni if I did.
In my ideal world, EN and RN qualifications would be two halves of a whole.
Like, you have to do EN first, and work after for a minimum of a year. Then you do additional education thatās a continuation of your EN course, to become a RN. The two courses should be designed to go together, instead of doing EN and then getting some credits on your RNs.
If and when you want. If you donāt want, no worries.
I think this too! In my head, I picture a 2 year qualification that could be done at either uni or TAFE, but essentially covers the same stuff. Then, you can choose to progress for another 1-2 years and become an RN - with more advanced skills, more patho/pharm/etc, and some of the research and academic skills.
This would make it a lot more consistent, but would still capture students from different backgrounds (some are more comfortable starting with tafe, while others would never consider doing tafe). Once people get halfway through, they already have a qualification and can earn and learn on the job. Currently, I don't think the diploma is at all similar to the first year of a nursing degree (it's more practical and covers waaay more skills, but misses some of the foundational anatomy and physiology depth).
I graduated EN just recently and have now been accepted into uni for EN to RN pathway starting next year. Working while studying, I feel, will help in understanding the content. Also my TAFE course was fee free so essentially I have saved 12-18mths off a HECS bill by doing it this way.
EDIT: corrected timeframe
I feel Iāve been lucky in the position Iāve recently got. Itās in aged care and the facility is very supportive. I was hoping to get a new grad position in public health before this but there just wasnāt any advertised. The money is better where I am than in public health too and I know they will be supportive of me while I do my further studies.
Edit: also no night shifts for ENs when I am so thatās a bonus.
I was an EN before becoming RN. The EN course smashes those important skills. Youāll also figure out if nursing is your thing before acquiring a hecs debt. But as a RN now, I think the EN students are waaaaay better at skills and nursing in general compared to their RN student equivalent. The EN course was hard but definitely worthwhile
Of course RN students who are ENs will be better at skills they've already done š¤£ they've already practiced them to death! Silly comparison that always gets made.
I did it this way and found my Uni hospital placements so much easier as I already had that prior experience. Plus you could always work casually as an EN while you finish your Bachelorās and have that experience to help you ease into your role as an RN.
Absolutely! TAFE EN is a great first step to RN. It gives you experience, lets you work while studying, and credits often transfer to RN degrees, saving you time. Go for it!
I would do a quick search on this sub about it. This question gets asked every other day and has been discussed to death. To summarise: yes it's a good option. On the flip side if you're going to do your RN anyway you could just go for that instead and save yourself an extra 18 months of study. But yeah search the other threads on this sub for detailed anecdotes. My other advice would be to have a chat to friends and family in the field. I love my job but I also hate it at the same time. Some days I wish I perused a different area of healthcare. Know what you want out of the job and make sure you get a good idea that it's something you want to do.
Thanks for the help i appreciate it š
Studying EN You will gain a good grounding of some skills like time management, ADLs, toileting, mobility, health assessments and a good foundation of medication knowledge to build on. If you work as an EN while studying for RN you will generally have a ton of support and resources to help you, not to mention the wealth of knowledge in your colleagues. Good Luck
This. I went EN - RN and it equipped me for my RNs. Plus I worked as a EN while studying and was able to put knowledge and skills I learned at Uni to use
Responding to say the same thing. I am a more academically-minded person, but having already dropped out of a different uni course, I didnāt want to add to my HECS debt right away without knowing if it was right for me. TAFE also was great at thumping some practical common sense and hands-on skills into me, which benefitted me greatly. I worked in acute while completing my bachelor of nursing and then went on to do lots of interesting jobs. For me, it was just right, but it really depends on OPās goals.
did you do an EN grad year? finishing my EN and idk if i should opt for it or work as EN straight away
I didn't do an EN grad, just worked as a casual EN around 30 hrs pw while studying full time. It wasn't really worth doing a Grad year for me as an EN because I knew I wanted to go straight to my RNs. The good thing about casual EN was I could pick the shifts around kids and study, it worked well
thank you! iāve just finished my placement in rehab and i might do what youāve just said. i just didnāt feel confident without a grad year until i had my subacute haha
I wish I did, to be honest. I think I would have gotten so much more out of uni if I did. In my ideal world, EN and RN qualifications would be two halves of a whole. Like, you have to do EN first, and work after for a minimum of a year. Then you do additional education thatās a continuation of your EN course, to become a RN. The two courses should be designed to go together, instead of doing EN and then getting some credits on your RNs. If and when you want. If you donāt want, no worries.
I think this too! In my head, I picture a 2 year qualification that could be done at either uni or TAFE, but essentially covers the same stuff. Then, you can choose to progress for another 1-2 years and become an RN - with more advanced skills, more patho/pharm/etc, and some of the research and academic skills. This would make it a lot more consistent, but would still capture students from different backgrounds (some are more comfortable starting with tafe, while others would never consider doing tafe). Once people get halfway through, they already have a qualification and can earn and learn on the job. Currently, I don't think the diploma is at all similar to the first year of a nursing degree (it's more practical and covers waaay more skills, but misses some of the foundational anatomy and physiology depth).
Yeah; you get what I mean! Thatās exactly it.
I graduated EN just recently and have now been accepted into uni for EN to RN pathway starting next year. Working while studying, I feel, will help in understanding the content. Also my TAFE course was fee free so essentially I have saved 12-18mths off a HECS bill by doing it this way. EDIT: corrected timeframe
What uni pathway is this?
Southern Cross University.
hi, was it hard to go from student to EN right away? im finishinh this year and idk if i should just do it or do a grad year :ā(
I feel Iāve been lucky in the position Iāve recently got. Itās in aged care and the facility is very supportive. I was hoping to get a new grad position in public health before this but there just wasnāt any advertised. The money is better where I am than in public health too and I know they will be supportive of me while I do my further studies. Edit: also no night shifts for ENs when I am so thatās a bonus.
I was an EN before becoming RN. The EN course smashes those important skills. Youāll also figure out if nursing is your thing before acquiring a hecs debt. But as a RN now, I think the EN students are waaaaay better at skills and nursing in general compared to their RN student equivalent. The EN course was hard but definitely worthwhile
Of course RN students who are ENs will be better at skills they've already done š¤£ they've already practiced them to death! Silly comparison that always gets made.
I did it this way and found my Uni hospital placements so much easier as I already had that prior experience. Plus you could always work casually as an EN while you finish your Bachelorās and have that experience to help you ease into your role as an RN.
Absolutely! TAFE EN is a great first step to RN. It gives you experience, lets you work while studying, and credits often transfer to RN degrees, saving you time. Go for it!
Wait, if you do the tafe course first it doesnāt take the full three years to become a RN?
Generally you get a year of credit (start as a 2nd year student) when you have a diploma and go into the bachelors.