Australia’s first teaching nursing home will be established in Melbourne this year. Teaching nursing homes developed internationally, largely in the USA from 1985, to improve the experience of student nurses on clinical placements in aged care; and to encourage graduates into the sector by close affiliations between universities and aged care facilities.

While the teaching nursing home concept is largely based on improving nursing students’ experiences in aged care, the Australian project will also focus on the development and support of existing staff in aged care facilities and develop materials on best standards of practice.

The teaching nursing home will be based at a new 100-bed high and low residential aged care facility in Doveton, Melbourne. In the first eight months materials such as workshop manuals, best practice guides, clinical leadership models and change champions will be developed, followed by teaching of staff at other aged care facilities and evaluation of resident outcomes.

For more information go to:
http://www.deakin.edu.au/hmnbs/nursing/news/index.php?NEWSID=59#59

Did you know that on the Deakin website you can access many different reports from the School of Psychology lecturing staff? These reports cover areas as diverse as “The Wellbeing of Australians”, “Interventions to reduce harm associated with adolescent substance use” to “Genes, environment and depression: The nature - nurture debate just got more complicated?” They highlight just some of the fascinating research and investigation which is taking place within the School of Psychology. For more information go to: http://www.deakin.edu.au/hmnbs/psychology/seminars/index.php

Lyn Golder

I’m Bianca, a third year mechanical engineering student at Deakin University’s Waurn Ponds Campus. And like many students, I also had no idea what my plans were beyond year 12 and VCE.

My teachers and careers councillors‚ suggested that my strengths lay towards a career in engineering. At first this wasn’t a direction that appealed to me much, I didn’t understand what was involved in going to uni or more specifically an engineering degree!

The university open days were especially helpful for me when I was deciding what course I wanted to do. They gave me great insight into what the university was about, Deakin Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus had a relaxed, rural atmosphere. It was also a great opportunity to speak to students, past and present, about selected degrees and work opportunities.

The open days were an opportunity to gather as much information as possible, in the form of handouts and advice, about different degrees I was thinking of doing. So when my decision for my preferences was made, it was an educated one.

I made the right choice and am thoroughly enjoying uni life. There are plenty of social and networking events which will help you find a job beyond your degree.

You will do fabulously at university as long as you are doing something you love!

Hey, my name is Amanda. I’m in my third year of Nutrition and Dietetics at Deakin. I realised that Deakin was the uni for me when I attended Deakin Open Day in year 12.

Open Day is a great opportunity to see the uni campus in action and ask all the questions you want to faculty reps, lecturers and current students in your areas of interest.

I had questions about the course content, job prospects after graduation and what practical experience was involved, but my number one question was if it was possible to study overseas as part of my degree. I liked that the dietetics degree at Deakin was more flexible than at other unis, with some elective subjects available, whereas other unis offered none.

I loved the campus at Burwood; it was small and friendly and had a good vibe. I felt at home there and not as intimidated as at some of the larger campuses I had visited.

The biggest factor in making my choice Deakin was that overseas exchange programs are available for all courses. Spending some time overseas has always been a dream of mine and doing it as part of my uni degree seemed an ideal way to see the world.

Adjusting to uni life from school was not as daunting as it first seemed. Everyone you meet is in the same boat as you, being in a new place and wanting to make new friends. Plus there are loads of social events run in O’week which are great for meeting people.

So I ended up choosing Deakin, have enjoyed my electives in Sport and Exercise Science, studied a semester at Oxford Brookes University in England, travelled Europe and am about to embark on the more practical end of my degree which is very exciting, getting out into the field to see what it is like to be a dietician.

Amanda Hill

As a VCE student I recall thinking at the time that year 12 was the most important year of my life. I later came to realize that life actually begins after year 12 and there are many more exciting things to consider than ENTER scores (trust me no one asks after O’week) and exams.

One of these exciting and important things to consider is what university to attend next year. Attending University Open Days is a really great way to distract yourself from the pressures of study for a day and to remember what it is you’re studying so hard to achieve.

My experience of Open Day at Deakin University was very positive and I found the staff to be very helpful and friendly when answering all of the 5 million questions I asked them. However in some ways I was lucky because I had a fairly good idea of the type of courses and the field I was interested in. This made it easy for me to seek out and approach the appropriate people.  

My advice to prospective university students would be to have a look at the Deakin website prior to Open Day in order to gain a sense of the courses on offer. Then you can write a list of questions for faculty staff and lecturers based on the information you have researched.

If you are unsure of what you want to study at Uni, try making a list of all the subjects you enjoy, your strengths, what you hope to gain from going to university etc. Then you can enquire about what subjects and courses fit in with your list at Open Day.

Don’t stress too much about choosing your courses as you will probably change your mind a hundred times between Open Day and Change of Preference week. The most important thing is to just have fun at Open Day and find out as much information as you can about what’s on offer.

Make sure you sign up for a campus tour as this will give you a sense of the campus environment and culture. Ensure you ask your tour guide as many questions about university life as you can think of. They are current Deakin students and therefore the best people to provide you with the goss about what life at Deakin is all about.

Lastly, don’t forget to pick up all the little freebies!

Komal Bedi

I went to my first Open Day in year 10, I didn’t really want to go to, I was 15, why should I have to think about this now? I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, I had looked at some of the brochures at school but nothing really leapt out at me.

Arriving at Open Day was quite daunting, everyone was unfamiliar and I didn’t know where to go.  I started with a tour, it was good to get an idea of the university, where I would be studying and what the facilities were like, it also got me thinking about which faculty I’d like to study in, what was interesting and how I could study it.

One of the best things I found about Open Day was the opportunity to talk to students; it was great to get a better sense of what I had been reading about in the brochures. Talking to students gave me the opportunity to find out what classes were really like, what it was like managing study and a job and what life on campus was really like. Students were able to point me towards the lecturers and tutors who would be teaching the subjects I was interested in who would then talk to me about the content of each unit and how it was taught. It was great to have someone break down uni life for me; it made it much less intimidating knowing that there were people who I could talk to.

My biggest problem with uni was deciding which course I wanted to do. My interests were varied and I didn’t want to be boxed into a course that offered me no flexibility. I was interested in health sciences but wanted to be able to branch out and study other areas, especially dance. After talking to the students and faculty members I found out that I could study health sciences and take on dance as a part of my electives.

My course has been great; Health Promotion offers me the opportunity to explore health issues in the community and abroad and learn how interact with the population to improve their situation.  Doing a single degree (as opposed to a double degree) has allowed me the flexibility to undertake a variety of subjects outside health sciences, such as dance, language and religion, which have really added value to my course.

The flexibility of my course is what attracted me to Deakin; I have really enjoyed the range of opportunities it has afforded me. Working at SunSmart as a part of my degree was a fantastic insight into the world of Health Promotion and offered me the opportunity to make contacts within the industry.

Laura Day

Open Days are all about being there and seeing it. My experience at Open Day was a very positive one as it really helped me make some important decisions. Starting university is always an overwhelming experience and you always have all sorts of questions popping up in your mind such as what will it be like? Will I like it? Will I fit in? How will I make friends? How will I be able to handle the work load?  Well the answer to that is go and see it for yourself! It always makes a difference!

When I attended Open day at Deakin, I got a very positive feeling as soon as I entered the campus and decided that this is where I would like to be for the next 3 – 4 years of my life. The people were so friendly and the environment was very inviting. There was so much happening and so much to see. It was like one big party! 

It also gave me the opportunity to get a gist of what university life is all about at that stage of my decision making process. There were a lot of activities going on, and a lot of information to collect that was very useful to take back home and read through.

All the faculties were present on the day with representatives as well as lecturers from each faculty answering questions related to specific courses as well as unit choices. This really helped me decide which courses I would be looking into taking in my first year and how to go about with selecting units that are prerequisites towards second year units?  What are the major areas of specialisation available?

My decision to visit open day was certainly very useful as it gave me a clear picture of what my academic journey would be like. It gave me the confidence to plan my career and decide what to look forward to in the future.      

Trusha Patel