LiveUrDream

Expressions of interest are now open to third-year international nursing students to film a series of videos providing clinical placement advice for their first-year peers.

Third-year international nursing students in Melbourne and Ballarat are teaming up with the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine to support first-year international nursing students as they prepare for their first clinical placements.

The LiveUrDream campaign is underpinned by research revealing the complex nature of learning for international nursing cohorts in an Australian clinical setting. This includes considerable differences in cultural and professional expectations of the role of the nurse around the world.

Led by student champions and international students Gurjot, Ruby and Shali, the LiveUrDream campaign invites third-year international nursing students to film a series of videos providing clinical placement advice for their first-year peers.

These videos will be uploaded onto LEO for first year students enrolled in NRSG140 in Melbourne and Ballarat to watch ahead of their placements in Semester 2.

When reflecting on his first clinical placement, Gurjot said, “I was apprehensive to undertake my first clinical placement as I did not know what to expect. Coming to a new country, I was completely unaware about Australian healthcare system and how hospitals work here.”

“My first placement was at an aged care home. We do not have aged care homes back in my home country, India, so I had no clue what to expect or prepare for.”

Gurjot said there are various things he would have liked to know before his first placement.

“I wish I could have known what to expect, what an aged care home was - as elders live with their families in India where I come from - and about Australian culture and values; specifically, why elders live away from their loved ones.

“In retrospect, I wish I would have known the answers to these questions before undertaking my first placement. That would have helped me build a better relationship with my patients and would have made my experience less daunting.”

When speaking about what motivated her to become involved in the initiative, fellow LiveUrDream champion Ruby said she wanted to share her experience with first year students.

“I want to share my experiences relating to studying, placement and gaining the knowledge necessary to pursue nursing. I faced many challenges but kept pursuing my passion,” Ruby said.

Shali said he wanted to help other international students have a smooth and fulfilling first placement.

“My motivation stems from my passion to help fellow peers have a better and positive experience than me,” Shali said.

“I believe that those such as myself who have gone through an experience can provide much needed advice to those who are about to embark on it. LiveUrDream is a great opportunity to do this in a creative manner!”

Gurjot, Ruby and Shali have spent the past few months promoting the initiative to peers, encouraging them to share their own experiences and brainstorm video ideas.

“We’ve interacted with other third year international students to investigate the challenges they experienced before their first-year placement. It was no surprise that every student had their own unique challenges as we all come from different cultures and perspectives,” Gurjot said.

“We’ve taken these experiences and have come up with ideas for videos for first year students. We are all so excited to start filming soon!”

The LiveUrDream campaign is funded by the Victorian Government’s Study Melbourne International Education Resilience Fund which aims to support, retain and attract international students to study in Victoria.

Expressions of interest are now open for third-year international nursing students based at the Melbourne and Ballarat campuses to participate in filming for the LiveUrDream campaign. Filming will take place on campus from August.

We encourage you to share this opportunity with your students who can express their interest via this online form.