From sim lab to real life: Ardra's nursing journey
For third-year Bachelor of Nursing student Ardra, studying at VU has been a journey of hands-on learning, clinical placements and confidence-building training – all brought to life by simulation labs that bridge the gap between theory and real care.
Before starting her degree, Ardra completed a Certificate IV in Disability Support and a Diploma of Health Science.
That diploma gave her the credits to start her nursing degree in second year – a fast-tracked, practical pathway into a field she’s deeply passionate about.
“In my Bachelor so far I’ve done simulations like vital signs from the beginning,” Ardra explains. “After each unit it progressed and went on to IV, CPR, and lots of other stuff.”
The simulation labs at VU replicate real clinical environments with state-of-the-art manikins that respond like real patients. It’s a level of realism that prepares students for life in hospital wards and out in the community.
“The first time, it’s scary! The manikins can respond with blinking their eyes and the chest compression can feel really realistic.
"But later when we got used to it, we realised it feels like a real patient in front of you, and that you are treating the real patient.”
These immersive training sessions aren’t just about technique – Ardra speaks on how they have built her clinical confidence.
“If the ‘patient’ is not feeling well, or if they have a stroke or symptoms of, they will be droopy, and they will be making realistic sounds. It gets us thinking like, if the real patient is having the stroke, what are we going to do? So it makes us think about what we are going to be doing in real life.”
And it’s that connection between simulation and real-world application that Ardra says made all the difference on her placements.
“In simulation, we can ask for help. But in real hospital, we often can't – we have to step up and then do our thing.”
“I can do patient assessment, even if I don't know anything about the patient – I can jump on to the assessment and can do A to E. From there, I can pick up what's going on with the patient.”
Ardra has completed multiple placements as part of her Bachelor course already – all of which gave her new insights and direction for her future.
"I have done one placement in a ward setting. It was in Bundoora, and it was an awesome experience I had.
"The educator was so helpful, and the mentors, like the buddy nurse, were so helpful. They were letting us know like,
this year you need to focus on this, and this stuff, and then you can gradually do some research, and then you can go from there
…
"Then my community placement, I loved the place. It was different from hospital settings. In community, we go into their houses and we visit them. We do care, it's different from the hospital care. I might in future look into that as well.
"My third placement was in mental health, and I loved the placement. It wasn’t dealing with physical assessments, or body disease. It's dealing with the patient’s mental health – their mental peace. It used the skills like administering medication that we've learn here."
Industry intel
Through all of it, VU’s hands-on approach and industry-connected learning have helped Ardra feel more prepared for life in her industry.
"Learning by doing simulations at VU, it helps us dealing with real life patients and help us with clinical life, in clinical settings.
After completing training in VU’s simulation labs, it helped me work on my placements, carrying out real life clinical work.”
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