ARNTP @ UniSA

Not really goodbye

2009-04-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

We would like to congratulate you on completing the course and wish you success in your continuing career.

Image compliments of Google

This is our final Blog in this format. For those of you who regularly visit this site, we hope you have enjoyed our posts and learned a bit about life in Adelaide.

The ARNTP Blog will be replaced by another social networking site, called Ning. The UniSA Ning enables you to post photos and comments as well as create your own interest groups.

For those of you who have participated in the ARNTP/MTP/DTP and Re-entry programs, both past and present, we hope you will come along with us to continue our online communication.

We will be sending you the new link inviting you to join us. See you again soon.

Regards

The Blog Team

Congratulations

2009-04-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

We hope you found your professional practice enjoyable and fulfilling.

Photo coutesy Google Images

As you approach the end of your current studies, it would be good to reflect on your experience. In May, a new group of students will commence the ARNTP course. What advice would you give them about:

Living in Adelaide?

How to cope with the demands of returning to study?

How to get the greatest benefit from your professional placement?

Any other information you feel would be useful.

You can do this by posting a comment on the Blog. Go to the end of this entry and click on comments. Type in your response, then scroll down to select Anonymous as your identity. You can then Publish your comment. Alternatively, email Alison in the library and we will write a collective and anonymous response with your feedback.

We hope you can find the time to respond and look forward to your comments.

Congratulations and best of luck!

Regards

The Blog Team

Easter holidays

2009-04-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

April 10-13th is Easter. Many of the larger supermarkets will be closed Good Friday, Easter Sunday and the public holiday on Monday. However department stores such as Myer and Target will be open, as well as other traders. Check with your local shopping centre for opening times.
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb Image courtesy of Google

Please note, the UniSA library closes for the four days and the two week teaching break commences.

The State Library on the corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue is closed on Good Friday, but opens for the rest of the holiday period. Check with your local public library for their opening times.

Places of interest, such as the SA Museum & Art Gallery, Adelaide Zoo and the Glenelg foreshore are worth a visit if you're looking for something to do. It is also the time of the very popular Oakbank horse racing carnival.

Have a safe and happy time wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Regards

The Blog Team

End of Daylight Saving this weekend

2009-04-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

Before you go to bed this Saturday night, 4th April, remember to put your clocks back one hour: e.g. if you go to bed at 10.00pm, change the time to 9.00pm.

A whole extra hour to catch up on sleep!

Image courtesy of Google

Regards

The Blog team

A taste of India

2009-03-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend is Mela 2009, a celebration of Indian Culture in Elder Park.

"When the gates open on the annual Mela, organised by the Indian Australian Association of South Australia, Elder Park will burst with the colour, movement and flavours of the culturally diverse subcontinent.”

Make your way to Adelaide’s beautiful Elder Park by the River Torrens on King William Street, just north of Festival Theatre. Click here for a map

The festivities promise fun for all ages - Indian food, dancing, displays, a shopping bazaar, and classical, folk and Bollywood music.

When: Saturday, March 28, 2009

Where: Elder Park, Adelaide

Opening times: 11am to 11pm

Autumn-spring – a great time of year!

2009-03-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

"Where flowers bloom so does hope ... "
Lady Bird Johnson

We hope you are enjoying the wonderful autumn weather we’re having at the moment. And we are all looking forward to the Easter weekend when many Australians go to church, get together with friends and eat the customary foods for that time of year.

Of course in most of your home countries your friends are enjoying spring after what has been for many people a long cold winter! We searched the internet to find out if there were any festivals associated with spring in the northern hemisphere and were amazed at how many celebrations we found. Here are just a few…

The Prague Spring International Music Festival in Czechoslovakia.

The Annual International Spring Festival and the Festival of world class music in Newbury both in the USA.

The Baltic Spring Festivals in Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia

The Beijing International Kite Festival

The International Spring Festival in Peru

The Annual Spring Film Festival in Hawaii

An International Buddhist Festival – the Kadampa Festival

The 'Spring Festival' in Kuwait

Spring Festivals in India

Soonchunhyang spring festival in Korea

And we wondered what YOU usually do around this time of year when you are celebrating at home? Please tell us a few of YOUR stories.

Regards

The Blog Team

Clipsal 500 car race

2009-03-12T16:13:00.000-07:00

The Clipsal 500 car race begins next Friday 19th March, and it goes for four days. The car race is held on the streets of Adelaide in the eastern parklands and roads. Preparations for it have already started, and roads are starting to be blocked off.

Traffic will be slow and congested and you may need to leave home early to get to your placement on time.

More information can be found on the Clipsal 500 Adelaide 2009 website.

Regards,
The Blog Team

Clinical tips from Tina to help you with your placement

2009-03-12T15:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a guide to clinicians' expectations of students undertaking a clinical placement

Understand the nursing context and the work you are involved in
Know when to ask for help
Know where to go for help
Recognise your own limitations and deficits
Demonstrate commitment to the nursing team
Be enthusiastic, motivated and positive
Have time management skills
Take advantage of learning opportunities
Be open to suggestions and guidance that is offered
Have good interpersonal skills
Understand the importance of accurate documentation
Practise according to occupational health and safety guidelines

Tips on how you can meet patient expectations

Make sure that you are prepared before you approach a patient
When you are doing a procedure, review it prior to carrying it out. Discuss with mentor, ask as many questions as necessary before approaching patient
Admit when you are out of your depth. Find someone who can assist. Watch and learn
Involve patients in their own care
Listen carefully and learn from your patients
Respect patients' privacy
Be honest about what you can and can't do

Regards,
Tina and the Blog Team

Writing that Journal

2009-03-05T14:51:00.000-08:00

We hope that your placement is going well and that you're learning a lot about the Australian health system.

We thought it would be a good idea this week to focus on your reflective journal that is part of the assessment. Your journal entries may be well under way, but we thought we'd send you a link to the guide about writing journals to remind you of some of the important aspects of writing good entries. If you have any questions or suggestions about writing reflective journals, please post them to this blog or email Tina or Bev Kokkinn (Learning Adviser).

Regards

The Blog Team

What's on - the Fringe Festival

2009-02-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

The Adelaide Fringe Festival starts today, and runs from 27 February to 22 March. The Fringe Festival started out as a community arts festival held at the same time as the official Adelaide Festival of Arts, which is held every two years. The Fringe is now held every year, and includes some free and inexpensive events.

One of the free events in town is the BankSA Concert Series. There is a free concert held at 6pm each Thursday to Sunday night, in the Garden of Unearthly Delights. This is 5 minutes' walk from City East campus in Rundle Park, on the corner of East Terrace and Rundle Road, Adelaide.

Another free event is the Fringe Family Weekend , held on 7 - 8 March in Rymill Park.

Regards,
The Blog Team

Clinical placements

2009-02-21T16:56:00.000-08:00

You are about to go on clinical placement, and although it may seem scary, it is the start of an exciting time for you and a great way to see how the hospital system in Australia works.

You may also find information about the hospital where you're working by doing a search on Google. For example, we found information about St Andrew's Hospital in Adelaide. If you're travelling to your work placement by public transport, you can plan your trip and download your timetable at Adelaide Metro. Tickets are available at most news agencies and at the InfoCentre, Corner King William and Currie Streets.

We would love to hear your stories about your placements, whether in Adelaide or elsewhere. Please email Tina, or post a comment on the blog.

Regards,
The Blog team

Your feedback is important

2009-02-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

We want to know your thoughts about the information provided in this Blog. Please tell us by completing the short survey to the right of this Blog entry.

Regards

The Blog Team

Need to improve your English Language Skills?

2009-02-12T16:55:00.000-08:00

Good English language is essential for study and work in the professions.

Australian employers consistently cite good communication skills as one of the critical attributes of an effective employee. This links to the Graduate Qualities which UniSA seeks to foster in its students.

Being proficient in English provides the best opportunity to fully engage in your community at home, at university and in the workplace.

UniSA and Learning and Teaching Unit (LTU) offer a range of options to develop English Language proficiency. Helen Benzie and Bev Kokkinn are your Learning Advisers at City East Campus. They have considerable expertise in linguistics and language.

You can also use the online resources provided by LTU: Clarity of expression, Grammar and punctuation, Summarising and Quick Clicks, which provides English Language advice and worksheets from the learning advisers at LTU.

Fire Awareness

2009-02-12T14:55:00.000-08:00

Hopefully you’re discovering that Adelaide is a safe and peaceful city to live in, but as with any other place in the world, there are hazards. House fires can happen anywhere in the world, especially in times of extreme weather.

Photograph courtesy of Flickr

The Metropolitan Fire Service provides information on how to prevent a house fire.
Adelaide has a seasonal Fire Ban in place from 1 Nov to 31 April,

which is the hottest and generally driest part of the year. For information on the ban and fire regulations go to Country Fire Service website.

Regards

The Blog Team

Your tips for future students

2009-02-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

You've been here for four months now and have probably learned a lot about living and studying in Adelaide. We'd like you to tell us what advice you would give to future ARNTP students. You can do this by posting a comment on the Blog.

Go to the end of this entry and click on comments. Type in your response, then scroll down to select Anonymous as your identity. You can then Publish your comment. Alternatively, email Alison in the library and we will post your ideas in this Blog.

Regards
The Blog Team

What’s on this weekend?

2009-02-05T15:25:00.000-08:00

It’s going to be another hot weekend, so take care and remember last week’s tips for staying cool. There are several outdoor events on Sunday when the forecast is for cooler weather.

Outer Harbour is hosting Flotilla For Kids 2009, an event in support of children living with cancer. The flotilla promises to be a spectacular parade of boats on our local harbour.

If you like watching Korfball or Volleyball, or just enjoy being by the sea, then head to Holdfast Bay. Catch the tram from the city.

Regards
The Blog Team

Extreme heat

2009-01-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

We are in the middle of an extremely and unusually hot period. As nurses, you will know the warning signs of dehydration. Make sure you drink a lot of water. Soft drinks such as Coke are not beneficial. Also, avoid the outdoors as much as possible, and make sure you wear a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses if you must go outside. Umbrellas also provide excellent protection from the sun.

You may have noticed that the sun is quite fierce in Adelaide, compared to your country. Australia has a high level of Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and you will see the current levels mentioned in the weather forecasts on the news. Everyone is at risk of getting burnt, so be careful!

Tips for staying cool
If you have airconditioning, switch it on. If not, use a fan. You can buy cheap fans from Target, Big W, Cheap as Chips and other discount stores. Use wet towels to reduce the temperature. For example hang it up near the fan so that the air will be cooled by blowing through it.

If it is hard to stay cool at home, visit the local library or shopping mall or take time out and go to the movies.

If you have children or animals, never leave them in the car in the heat. Even in cooler weather, cars are very dangerous as the temperature inside a parked car rises in a few minutes to lethal levels.

Always make sure that animals have plenty of water and shade. Even animals can get sunburnt, especially on their noses and ears.

You can find more information on sun safety tips at the SunSmart section of the Cancer Council Australia site

Regards,
The Blog Team

Chinese New Year...!

2009-01-22T15:17:00.000-08:00

春節

January 26th is an exciting time in the Asian culture. It is the start of the Chinese New Year Spring Festival, and there will be lots happening in Adelaide during this time.

The festival is a time of ancient traditions and Adelaide likes to embrace multicultural festivals of other cultures, and the Chinese New Year is no exception!

China Town on Grote Street, will come alive on Monday night with Dragons, Dance and Chinese Dumplings! Many other local suburbs will also have their own celebrations with local festivals.

An important part of the festival for the Chinese, is to cook Chinese Dumplings! If you want to have a try at cooking some yourself, here is a great recipe that you can use to give it a go!

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/potstickers/r/potstickers.htm

Happy New Year!!

The Blog Team

School is back!

2009-01-22T14:50:00.000-08:00

You can expect to see more cars and pedestrians around the streets from next week. Children return to school from Tuesday the 27th January, so the traffic will increase to the level prior to schoool finishing in December.

So from next week, make sure you allow extra time to get around Adelaide and into University if you catch public transport.

The Blog team

Australia Day!

2009-01-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

You will notice on Monday the 26th January, that there will be lots of flags and Aussie BBQ's around the place for Australia Day!

We celebrate the landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove on this day, and all cities in Australia celebrate the colonisation of Australia with parties, bbq's and fireworks!

So have a look around your local area, and see if your local council are doing an Australia Day Parade, a BBQ, fete or open day in the park, and join in!

The Blog Team

Support the UniSA cycling team in the Tour Down Under!

2009-01-15T14:54:00.000-08:00

Have you wondered why there are so many cyclists on the road at the moment???

The Tour Down Under International Cycling event starts on Sunday night in the City. There will be thousands of people out to watch the world class cyclists begin the 6 day event which runs from the 18th to the 25th of January.

There will be road closures all around Adelaide and some suburbs at various times, so it may be wise to check out the event course during the week to see if it will impact you.

Don't forget Tour De France winner, Lance Armstrong, will return to competetive cycling at this event, so go and cheer him on!

The UniSA has a cycling team http://www.unisa.edu.au/tdu/ competing in the event, and you can join the free supporters club on the website.

Full details can be found on the Tour Down Under website http://www.tourdownunder.com.au/2009/

The Blog Team

Sharks!

2009-01-15T14:38:00.000-08:00

You may have heard recently in the media about a number of shark attacks on swimmers at the beach. Don't let this put you off swimming! Despite how bad it sounds, there are no more attacks than normal. All you need to do is keep your eyes open, and swim on a beach where there are Life Savers on duty, and you will be safe. The Life Savers will be wearing yellow clothing, and there will be flags in the sand indicating the safe area to swim.

The Blog Team

Happy New Year!

2009-01-08T15:04:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, and best wishes for 2009. We hope you had some time for rest and leisure over the break. The weather has been very nice - not too hot!

We saw from the discussion board that a few of you saw the film "Australia" and we would be interested in what you thought. You can post a comment at the bottom of this, or send an email to Tina.

We also saw that you had tutorial presentations on Tuesday, and an exam on Wednesay, and we hope these went well for you.

We will be introducing some new Learning and Teaching staff to you in the next few weeks. Don't forget that staff there can help you with academic and personal problems you may encounter.

What would you like to see on the blog this year? We want to keep the blog relevant to you, and so would really like some feedback on what topics and information you will find useful. Please let us know either by posting to the blog, or through your discussion board.

Best wishes,
The Blog Team

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2008-12-11T14:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas is an exciting time of the year for Australians, and as part of this season, people get together with family and friends to celebrate. Many Christian families use this time to celebrate the birth of Christ by worshipping at their local churches on Christmas Eve, or on Christmas Day.

On Christmas Day (December 25th) you will find that most shopping centres are closed. Some Petrol stations and a few small supermarkets may be open on limited opening hours. The major shopping Supermarkets WILL be closed (eg. Coles and Woolworths) during this time.

Boxing Day (December 26th) is also a public holiday where major shops are closed. The Movie cinemas however, will be open and many new release movies premier on this day.

Most shopping centres reopen on the 27th December.

New Years Eve is also a time when many people celebrate the New Year at Midnight. Shops will again be closed on New Years Day (January 1, 2009). Places like Glenelg and the City of
Adelaide have Firework displays, and some people have their own fireworks displays in their street.

The University Library will be closed from December 24th 2008 at 6pm, until Monday 5th January 2009. The website will give you answers to many of your questions, but there will be no assistance available. The Library reopens at 8.15am on Monday the 5th of January at all campuses.

As this is the last Blog entry for 2008, we thankyou for your comments and contributions during your time at UniSA, and look forward to continuing in the new year.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2009!

The Blog Team

The study break

2008-12-04T14:50:00.000-08:00

Over the coming Christmas and New Year period, the Library will be closed from 6.00pm on 24th December and will reopen on Monday 5th January. It is important during this time for you to plan your study times and continue to speak and listen to English as much as you can. Although you will have a break from your studies you will need to do some academic work as your nursing subjects require a lot of reading that many of you find difficult.

Ways of keeping up your English language development during this time are listening to the radio and television, particularly the ABC, reading magazines and newspapers and attending social events that can help you understand the Australian culture.

Regards from the Blog Team

Protect yourself from the Sun

2008-11-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

From the www.cancercouncil.com.au website

Now that the sun is coming out and the weather is warming up, it is time to make sure you are protecting your skin from the damaging sun.

The sun in Australia can be very harsh, partly due to a thin ozone layer, and it is essential to wear sunscreen (a 30+ formula is great), a sunhat with a large brim, and keep your fluids up by drinking water and other liquids to keep you hydrated.

The hottest part of the day is between 10am and 3pm, and it is important to keep yourself protected. If you start to feel the sun "biting" you and your skin starts to turn red, it is time to move undercover!

There is some fantastic information on the SA Cancer Council website that will give you lots of information about protecting yourself and your skin.

http://www.cancersa.org.au/aspx/sunsmart.aspx

No matter what the colour of your skin, getting burnt is a real possibility. Should you find yourself to be burnt, don't put any ointments on it, and keep yourself cool. If you develop blisters, you will need to get medical help.

As long as you take care of yourself and reapply your sunscreen every 3 hours, you will enjoy yourself in the sun!

Regards

The Blog team

Some tips for living in Adelaide

2008-11-27T15:03:00.000-08:00

Shopping opening times
With the Christmas period coming up, shops will be open for longer periods of time. For example, some large supermarkets open at midnight, while other shops open for late night shopping during the week. Check the opening times at your local shopping centre.

Public Holidays
In Australia, we have public holidays over Christmas and during the year, when most shops are closed. Christmas Day (25th December), Boxing Day (26th December) and New Year's Day (1st January) are all public holidays. Cinemas and entertainment venues and some small supermarkets may be open.

Traffic safety
Just a reminder when crossing main roads in Adelaide. Make sure you cross at the lights, when the green walking person is displayed. It is a legal requirement to cross at the lights if you are close, and it is the safest way to do so.

Kind regards,
The Blog Team

Mumbai tragedy

2008-11-27T14:53:00.000-08:00

We were sorry to hear about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. We hope that everyone's relatives and friends are safe. If you are distressed and would like to talk to someone, don't hesitate to contact Learning Connection for help.

Regards,
The Blog Team

What do I do today?

2008-11-20T14:44:00.000-08:00

Have you wondered what to do during the weekend, which won't stretch the budget and will be interesting as well?

There are lots of free activities that people can do in Adelaide, and they aren't too hard to find if you know where to look!

In Rundle Mall, there is a Tourist office which provides free information and ideas about activities which you can do that are cheap, but entertaining and interesting.

The State Library, the Art Gallery and Museum on North Terrace are free to visit at any time. The Glenelg Christmas pageant is on this Sunday morning at 10.30am, and you will be able to follow up the pageant with some Christmas shopping on Jetty road in Glenelg after the parade.

If you are feeling like having a burst of energy and riding a bike, Adelaide City Council provide free hire of bikes in the city. You can visit Elder Park and have a picnic, feed the ducks, or take a ride on the River Torrens in Popeye!

Our Public transport system can take you to interesting places, such as Gawler, Port Adelaide, Glenelg, into the Adelaide Hills and provide access to places such as the Belair National Park.

Adelaide is a great place to explore, and you will find everything you need to know in Rundle Mall at the Information Centre or at the SA Visitor and Travel Centre at 18 King William St, Adelaide. You can find further information on their website http://www.southaustralia.com/

The Blog Team

Congratulations!

2008-11-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to all the people who have successfully completed the ARNTP program! Thursday's ceremony was a wonderful, uplifting celebration of your achievements. We hope you found your placement beneficial, as it was your first experience of the Australian health care system.

For those of you who will be sitting your OET tests in the future, we wish you all the best. Stay focused, practise your English and be positive!

Thank you all for upholding the ARNTP and University reputation, and all the best with seeking work in Australia.

Kind regards,
The Blog Team

Library support

2008-11-06T14:54:00.000-08:00

Library staff welcome you to the library and thank those of you have attended the training sessions. We hope you found them useful and are feeling more confident. There are two teams at the library who are there to help you with any concerns you may have. The staff who work on the Service Desk are called the Access and Enquiry team and they are very helpful and knowledgeable.

The other staff are members of the Academic Library Services team who provided training sessions for the ARNTP program. If you found the training sessions difficult, ask for help from these staff members. Their email is: LBY-Health-DivLibrarians@unisa.edu.au

Best wishes from the Blog Team

Library database workshops start Monday

2008-10-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

Hello to new ARNTP students from the Library staff. We are looking forward to seeing all of you next week at the Library database workshops. The workshops are very important as you will need to know how to access and search Library databases for high-quality nursing journal articles. Tina will be expecting you to use journal articles for assessments in the nursing segment of your studies.

Make sure you know which session you are attending. Speak to your lecturer if you are unsure of your group. The session times can be found by checking the Library - City East oncampus training web page. All students are expected to attend these sessions.

Regards,
The blog team

The Christmas Pageant!

2008-10-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

Next Saturday the 8th of November, one of the biggest events of the Adelaide calender will be occuring! The annual Christmas Pageant will take place on the streets of the city. The Christmas Pageant is the first event of the South Australian Christmas calender, and from now on you will see lots of decorations in the shops!!!

If you are coming into town on that day, you will find many roads closed, and the streets crowded with young excited children as they are going to see Father Christmas (Santa Clause) with his Reindeer and elves!

The parade begins at 9.30am, at the corner of South Terrace and King William Street, and takes about an hour for the full parade to pass a point. The parade is telecast on the television on Saturday morning, and replayed Saturday afternoon!

If you want to see this parade, you will need to get into the city early on saturday, so that you can get a good spot. You will notice that there is a blue line on the city streets, and spectators need to stay behind this line. Children are allowed to go to the front so that they can see.

For more information you can go to the website http://www.cupageant.com.au/Home.aspx

The Blog team

Welcome from CELUSA

2008-10-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

The ARNTP program which started in October, is into its 3rd week of a 15 week program. The CELUSA team welcomes you all to the University.

There are several people in CELUSA who are here to help you - Tiffany Lynch, Cheryl Russell, Gundi Tophinki, Fiona O'Neill and Sue Petty.

By now many of you would have started your community service placement, and we would love to hear your feedback!

How is it going?
Have you found anything that you don't understand?
Have there been any workplace situations that you have found to be strange?

Please feel free to comment on how your experiences are going by clicking on the comment link on the blog site, and writing a short paragraph of your thoughts.

You may have also heard about Bandana Day, Movember and Pink Ribbon Month?? Do you know what these health related events support? See if you can find out what these causes support and let us know!

Hope you have a great week!

Regards
The Blog Team

Hello and Welcome!

2008-10-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Welcome to all new ARNTP students. Today we would like to tell you a bit about the ARNTP blog, and introduce some of the people who write for the blog each week.

Each week we post useful and interesting information, and ask for your comments and stories. You will have received an email last week asking you to click on a link to verify your subscription to the blog. Once you do that, you will receive an email each week with the new blog entry, and you can click through to the blog itself to look at previous entries. Anyone anywhere in the world can look at the blog. Its internet address is http://www.unisaarntp.blogspot.com/

The people writing for the blog come from CELUSA, the Learning and Teaching Unit, the School of Nursing ARNTP Teaching Team, and the Library. Today we will introduce some of the people from the Learning and Teaching Unit. You may have already met them at workshops.

Susanna and Belinda (pictured) and Kathy

We are your learning support team from Learning and Teaching Unit at the City East Campus of the University of South Australia. Our names are Susanna, Kathy and Belinda and we are here to help you with your studies at UniSA. If you need any help with your studies, please contact us at the unit. Good luck to all of you.

Hello, I'm Jennifer the counsellor at City East. I'm here to support you if you need to talk over anything that's causing you concern. Some of you may be feeling anxious about your study or finding it difficult to adjust to living in Adelaide. There are several resources available on the Learning and Teaching website and you may find it useful to look at these over the next few months. Meanwhile, you can come to see me if you wish.

Next week, we will introduce other Blog team members. In the meantime, best wishes from the team.

Study and Stress tips

2008-10-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

Congratulations!

You are nearly at the end of your clinical placement, and many of you are nearly finished! There are however, some of you who need to resit an exam, and we thought that you may need some hints and tips on how to prepare for this.

1. While you are doing your placement, it is important that you remain focussed on your experience and learn the most you can! Try not to think about the exam whilst you are working. It is important that you don't get yourself too stressed. Make sure you do the things that you know help you relax! Tips on preventing Stress from the Learning and Teaching Unit.

2. Study for only 1 hour at a time. Do a different topic each night, so that you cover all the major topics over a couple of weeks.

3. Remember to take time out for yourself. With doing your placements during the day and studying at night, you need to find time to rest and relax. Perhaps you could take a leisurely walk, or watch a bit of TV. How about grab a good book, sit on a pile of cushions and escape from your life with an exciting story!

4. You musn't forget to keep your fluid levels up and ensure that you eat 3 meals a day. It is really important that you eat good nutritious food to ensure your brain gets everything that it needs to keep you working at your best levels!

5. Try and keep yourself positive. Use the exam process to demonstrate what you know and keep yourself calm. You will be able to think at your best if you are calm. Now that you have seen what the exam is going to look like, you know what to expect. This is a real advantage!

Make exam anxiety work for you online workshop

If you are really struggling and need more help, please contact the Learning and Teaching Unit for additional assistance.

Best wishes from The Blog Team

Invitation to share your experiences and photos

2008-10-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

As you enter week 3 of your placement, we would love to hear about your experiences. You will have some really wise information to share with the next ARNTP group, who are just starting their orientation this week.

They could learn more quickly about their time in this course from your stories, either good or not so good. You can post a comment to this entry on the blog, or email your stories and photographs to Mary.O'Connor@unisa.edu.au Mary can't wait to hear from you!

Best wishes from the Blog Team - Tina, Learning Connection and Library staff

Daylight saving starts this weekend

2008-10-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that South Australia begins daylight saving from Sunday 5 October. This means that before you go to bed on Saturday 4 October, you need to turn your clocks forward one hour. By moving the clocks forward by one hour, an extra hour of daylight can be enjoyed at the end of the day. Daylight saving will continue across the whole summer, and end on Sunday 5 April 2009.

Daylight saving will also begin this weekend in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and ACT. Western Australia starts on Sunday 26 October, but Queensland and the Northern Territory do not have daylight saving.

Be sure to change your alarm clock, mobile phones, watches, personal computers, dvd players, and any other appliances that have clocks.

More information on time zones and daylight saving in Australia can be found here

Enjoy the long weekend!

Regards
The Blog Team

UniSA Library resources

2008-09-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

When you are on placement, you can still access the Library's catalogue and electronic resources. You can use My Record from the student portal or the Library's home page or the catalogue, to see which books you have on loan, and to renew them if possible.

Remember that the UniSA Library - list of ARNTP resources is there to help you with your studies.

Regards,
The Blog Team

Your plans for the future!

2008-09-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

Now that you have completed your exams and attended the workplace workshops, what are your plans for the future?

How different do you think it is getting a job in Australia compared to your home country, and what do you forsee as the challenges you may face when you start your work life in this country?

Do you need to have a resume in your country? Do you have the interview process which we use in Australia?

What about the competency standards of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery council? Do you have the same sort of standards in your home country?

We would really love to have some feedback on these issues. Tell us what you think as we would really love to know!

The Blog team

Staying safe.

2008-09-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

We were sorry to hear about some incidents which have happened recently with fellow students. This comes as a timely reminder for everyone to make sure they are aware of some of the strategies you can use to stay safe.

The South Australian Police Force have some safety tips on their website that are well worth reading. You can link through to this website for information about safety at night, being safe at home or on public transport and hints on safe driving whilst outside of Adelaide. Link Here.

UniSA also have information on personal safety.

We hope these tips help to keep you safe.

Best wishes
The Blog team.

Exams next week

2008-09-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

Next week, you have your Nursing examination 2 - Acute care, and you may be starting to worry!

If you went to the Exam Workshop last week, you have lots of different strategies to relieve stress. It's very important to be calm and relaxed during the exam situation, in order to do well.

Practise your breathing, visualisation and meditation exercises and get lots of rest. Be ready to perform at your best on the day.

Image sourced from Google Images

Don't forget to arrive with plenty of time to spare, so that you are not in a panic. A bottle of water is also a good idea and maybe some chocolate or nuts to keep the brain going!

Good Luck!

The Blog team

The Royal Adelaide Show

2008-08-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

Each year in September, the Royal Adelaide Show is held at the Adelaide Showgrounds on Goodwood Road, Wayville.

The show started many years ago as an Agricultural show, and has developed into a large community event where businesses demonstrate their wares, and all sorts of products are showcased.

Other big parts of the show are Sideshow alley, woodchopping, the dog and cat pavillion, children's farmyard, and other animal displays, such as pigs, cows and poultry. It really is a time when the country comes to Adelaide! If you are still there at night, you can enjoy the arena events and fireworks displays!

We really suggest you make some time to visit the show and have a carefree and relaxing day!

The Blog Team.

Returning Library books when out on placement

2008-08-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Good luck on your clinical placement whether it's in the country or in the metropolitan area.

You will learn so many new skills and meet some interesting people.

Perhaps you are wondering what to do with your Library books if you still need them during the next few weeks? Here is a link to some information about returning them while you are away.

Best wishes,
The Blog Team

The Rosetta Stone

2008-08-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

In August, the Library is trialling a resource called the Rosetta Stone, which assists non-native English speakers to practise their English language skills, including listening, reading and speaking. Some other languages are also included, for example Chinese and German.

To access, please go to the Rosetta Stone and enter the username - Eleanor.Thomas and password - password. We suggest you use the British English option, as this is closest to Australian English. If you are accessing this database on campus, you will need headphones to listen to the sound. You can borrow headphones from the Library's Service Desk. You will also need to select Launch Rosetta Stone without speech features, as this feature is currently not available within UniSA. You may be able to download the speech feature at home.

We would love to hear your feedback on this product.

Regards,
The Blog Team

Have you explored the blog lately?

2008-07-31T17:24:00.000-07:00

Did you know that when you get your weekly blog email you can click on the title, to see more information on the blog. Here is an example of what it looks like in your email:
You can see new features, including our cluster map which shows the location of online visitors to the blog, and our new short online survey. Please take a minute to fill this in.

We would also encourage you to make comments about any posts that you receive. To do this, click on the "Comments" link at the end of the entry.

Happy Blogging!
The Blog team.

Looking for news from home?

2008-07-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Do you like to read the news from home online? Take a look at the Library's International News Resources page and see if your country's newspaper is listed. If so, you can click through to see the latest news online.

If your country is not listed, or you would like to suggest other national newspapers be added, please let us know so we can consider adding it to the list.

Happy reading!
The Blog Team

Housing, exam results and holidays

2008-07-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

You may be interested to read an excellent story from Muditha at Mawson Lakes, about coming to Australia, settling in and finding housing. Have you had similar experiences? Let us know and we will post your story on the blog for others to read. Have a look at this map of Adelaide and see if you can locate where you live.

You will all now have your exam results, and we hope you are feeling OK about them. If you have concerns, remember that Learning Connection staff can help you, either academically or personally.

We hope you are feeling rested and looking forward to the next phase of your studies.

Best wishes,
The Blog Team

It's holiday time!

2008-07-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

Congratulations for coming this far and sitting for your Nursing 1 exam! We hope you all did well.

Some of you also sat for the July OET exam last Friday. We hope that those who sat for this exam found it not too hard, and feel confident in passing. There are also students who are registering for the September exam at this time. Good Luck for this exam as well!

All the students in the ARNTP program, now have a holiday for a week! Some of you will be travelling interstate, and others will be rugged up on the lounge with a great book. Take the time to relax your mind, body and soul, so that you are ready to continue with your study next week!

Enjoy your break!

The blog team

A great post from Rupa

2008-07-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

Nepal is the second richest country in water resourses after Brazil.Nepal, with great Himalayas and many rivers and lakes is very rich in water sources.In every city there are rivers and in every hill there are water falls.

But due to the lack in proper utilisation of these reources there is always water shortage in cities.Population is incresing like sky rocketing everywhere,and to accomodate this growing population is one of the gratest challenges for every country.

Though population is incresing ,resources remain the same.So we need to be very careful in utilisation of these resources.It is our responsibility to leave a better world for the coming generation.Lets make the world a better place to live.Save water save life.

Rupa Pudasaini

Thanks Rupa from the blog team. It's very interesting to hear what's happening in other countries!

Australia's drought

2008-07-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

Have you heard a lot of talk in the media about the drought? Australia has had lower than average rainfalls for the past few years and the rivers and reserviours are drying up. Water conservation is on everyone's mind. The situation is so bad there may be permanent irreversible damage to the River Murray our main water supply.

To help save water the South Australian Government has imposed water restrictions on its residents. Level 3 water restrictions mean that there are implicatons for watering gardens, washing cars, filling swimming pools etc. They also recommend 3 minute showers.

If you want to find out more here is the link to the website:
http://www.sawater.com.au/SAWater/Environment/WaterRestrictionsConservationMeasures/

Please let us know if these restrictions are affecting you. How does this situation compare with your home country?

Cheers

The Blog Team

OET and academic support

2008-06-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

It's great to see that so many people are getting ready for the Occupational English Test (OET). For OET support (listening, speaking, writing and reading), please see your CELUSA teachers. For other academic support, eg for essays, critical reviews, literature reviews and time management, come for a drop-in session at Learning Connection. Check the Learning Connection website for drop-in times. A Learning Adviser will see you for an individual consultation.

Regards,
The Blog Team

Photos

2008-06-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

We were pleased to receive some photos of recent social activities and group photos that students have been involved in.

It is great to see you all out and about enjoying the sights of Adelaide!

If you have any photos of activities with fellow ARNTP students enjoying Adelaide, please send them through!

Another response from a student

2008-06-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

We have been delighted to receive feedback from students about their experiences of nursing in other countries. Rupa has sent us her comments, which we have included here for you to read.

I think the way we look after a patient or client is same everywhere. In developed countries like Australia there is use of modern devices which makes nursing easier and advance but in a developing or under developed countries nurses are bound to use the same old equipments and methods. The nurses in a country like Nepal have to look after many patients so its very hard to allocate time for all the cares of patient. It makes nursing instrumental.

There will be some differences between the nursing in Nepal and Australia but the way of caring and approaching patient is the same.

Rupa Pudasaini

Please continue to send in your feedback. It is a learning experience for us all!

Response from Devu Suresh

2008-06-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks Devu
It was very interesting to read the respoonse that you sent in regarding the difference for students between Australia and India:

Off course the nursing in Australia is very much different from India. I fond the ARNTP classess useful and I am looking forword for a bright future here.
The classes here are entairly different from those in India.Here students are given information about what to study.Therefore, students has to search and find out what is required for the class.But in India teachers used to teach and give notes for the important chapters, so we used the other informations from internet and journals very less.

Devu

First Impressions

2008-06-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

This week you started your nursing studies. What are your first impressions? How are the classes different from what you have experienced before? Do you think that nursing in Australia will be significantly different from your home country?

Please let us know.

The Blog Team

Professional Issues in Australia

2008-06-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday we start the next phase of the program and we welcome you into Professional Issues in Australia. We hope that you enjoy learning about the Australian health care system as it will enable you to make a smooth transition into this new health care environment.

We will see you on Tuesday in BJ1-13 at 10.00am.

The ARNTP teaching team and the Blog team.

A long weekend

2008-06-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

Australians celebrate several public holidays during the year to mark historic occasions such as Labour Day, ANZAC Day and Australia Day. This weekend we remember Australia's historic connection with England and the Commonwealth by celebrating the Queen's Birthday.

What do Australians do on long weekends? This weekend we have the Sea and Vines Festival at McLaren Vale in South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula.

Many Australians just stay home and catch up on mundane tasks like house work, gardening and window washing or catch up with friends.

What will you be doing? Our blog team suggest a tram trip to Glenelg if the weather is fine.

We hope that you take time out to enjoy the long weekend break and learn a little about how Australians spend their spare time.

Please let us know what you will be doing by posting your experiences on the blog.

Have fun.

The Blog team.

Library Workshops

2008-05-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks for attending the recent Library Training Workshops on how to search the Catalogue and Health Sciences Databases.

Remember when doing your assignments, read the question carefully and identify the Keywords that you need. Enter the keywords into the search box, in either the catalogue or database that you are searching in.

Make sure you think about the alternative words that could be used, and alternative endings of words. You may need to truncate, and think about the AND/OR concept.

But most importantly, remember if you need help, you can ask at the Service Desk in the library, or go to the Ask the Library website. The friendly staff are here to help you.

Best wishes from The Library Team

Disasters in China and Burma

2008-05-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

The thoughts of the ARNTP staff and Blog team are with the students whose families, friends and colleagues have been affected by the disasters in China and Burma

If you have been impacted by these natural disasters, and need help coming to terms with what has happened, please come to Learning Connection where staff are able to help you.

Regards
The ARNTP Blog Team

Registration for the OET test

2008-05-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

Registration for the Occupational English Test (OET) is on Monday 2nd June and Tuesday 3rd June. You will need to go to Computer Pool P3-19 or P3-21, and you will be notified shortly of the the time and location for each CELUSA group. Staff will be there to help you with the process, and there will also be written instructions to refer to.

There will be lots of help available so there is no need to worry about the registration process.

Regards, Tina and the Blog Team

Coping with the change in weather

2008-05-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

You will have noticed that the weather is changing. Here are some tips to cope:

wear warm underwear (also called thermal underwear, spencers or longjohns) now available in bargain stores such as Cheap as Chips, Reject Shop, GoLo, and Cunninghams Warehouse. The thermal underwear looks thin and flimsy, but will keep you warm as toast under your other clothes
layer your clothing, so that you can remove layers if you get hot inside buildings which are heated
for example, you can wear a t-shirt, and a jumper or cardigan and maybe even a coat
you can also wear a hat or beanie to keep your head warm
you can even wear scarves, warm socks and gloves or mittens (these are also available in the bargain shops)

Enjoy the winter experience with a positive attitude and hot chocolate!

Regards,

Nimi, International Student Adviser

Welcome from Learning Connection

2008-05-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hi and welcome !
We are your learning support team from Learning Connection at the City East Campus of the University of South Australia.
Learning Connection - Learning Advisers

Hello everyone! In case you haven't met us yet we are the Learning Advisers from Learning Connection at City East who are supporting you in your studies. Good luck to all of you
Liz and Susanna

Learning Connection - Counsellor

Hello, I'm Jennifer the counsellor at City East. I'm here to support you if you need to talk over anything that's causing you concern. Some of you may be feeling anxious about your study or finding it difficult to adjust to living in Adelaide. There are several resources available on the Learning Connection website and you may find it useful to look at these over the next few months. Meanwhile, you can come to see me if you wish.

From the Blog Team

Ideas about posting questions or comments on the blog

2008-05-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

You have been here for several weeks now and may have some questions about your program or your studies or living in Adelaide.

Perhaps you would like to ask something but do not know who to ask or what words to use.

Here are some ideas that might interest or prompt you which you could post on the blog:

'I am a bit anxious about exams. Can the Learning Connection staff put some ideas or tips on the blog to help me?'
'I need some advice about preparing for and starting my Nursing assessment tasks. I would like someone to put some information on the blog about this.'
'What fun activities (including family events) can we do in Adelaide on the weekend? Can we have some ideas posted by staff or students?'

We look forward to hearing from you, and hope that you have a smooth transition into your Nursing classes.

Best wishes from the Learning Connection and Library staff.

Stay WARM in this cold weather!

UniSA Library

2008-05-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone, I am Mary O'Connor, your Academic Librarian at City East campus. I am supported by Louise Eldridge, Pam Good and Marilyn Fraser.

This is Jan Heath, our manager.

Welcome to the Library.
We hope you make good use of it as we have some really good resources that will support your studies. You can borrow now using your student id card.

Search the Catalogue to find books and other resources.

You can also find a list of resources specially selected for each course in the ARNTP program.

NURS1045: Health Professional: Culture, Language and Communication

NURS1046: RN: Professional issues in Australia

NURS1047: RN: Acute care

NURS1049: RN: Professional Practice

These resources are in the High Demand/short term loan area, next to the desk.

OET REGISTRATION

2008-05-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

Dear ARNTP and ARMTP Students (May 2008 Cohort),

Due to changes with the OET application (that is you cannot sit two subsequent tests) we will be facilitating ARNTP/ARMTP (May 2008) students to undertake the 19 July 08 OET – which will provide the opportunity for those who do not achieve 4Bs in the July test to undertake the 1 November OET.

1. Please note we will need to enrol you (and pay) for the July test well before 8 June.

2. Could all students notify Anthea McKee by 23 May 2008 of their intension to sit the 19 July test.

E-mail: anthea.mckee@unisa.edu.au

3. If you have already enrolled in the 24 May OET, you will not be able to register for the July OET due to the OET Centre ‘locking’ you out of the next available test. However, in this case we will assist you (and pay) for you to do the 6 September OET.

4. Students applying for the July or September test will be assisted with the registration online process. Ms. Anthea McKee will notify you of the computer pool location and time.

To preview the subtests, click on this link - Occupational English Test - Candidates

Thank you,

Tina Jenkins.
Course Coordinator.