CAO question.

Laydee

Right, I'm in a pickle.
I was told by a friend that your CAO application has 1 personal profile on it but I'm applying for 3 different courses

I can't write why I'd love to be a nurse when I'm applying to something else too. Can I have more than 1 application?

A Neurotic

EDIT: Heh, had a suspicion I'd gotten it wrong. Disregard

bythewoods

Sounds like you're getting confused with the UK application- UCAS.

If you're applying to the UK then, yes, you write one personal statement for the 3 courses you apply to.

There's nothing like that for the CAO at all, it's a very impersonal list of 10 courses you want to do.

Larianne

You're applying as a mature student, right? Then yes you do need a personal statement.

If the area you are looking into doing is all Healthcare then you can say why healthcare as a whole and then go into detail why each one. It's a bit risky as it may seem like you don't know what you want to do.

Most colleges ask you to send a separate application directly to them- I know for each course at TCD you have to (takes forever!) so you can go into more detail there.

What are the different courses you hope to apply for? Radiography is one, right?

If you look at thestudentroom.co.uk it has a brilliant section on personal statements. Well worth a look.

Laydee

Larianne, that's some memory that you have, yes I'm applying to Radiography in UCD

My list of courses in the order that I'd like them are
1. Radiography - UCD
2. Radio Therapy - TCD
3. General nursing & paeds. - TCD - mature entry
4. General nursing & paeds. - UCD - mature entry
5. General nursing & paeds. - DCU - mature entry
6. General nursing & paeds. - TCD - fetac entry
7. General nursing & paeds. - UCD - fetac entry
8. General nursing & paeds. - DCU - fetac entry
9. General nursing - TCD - mature entry
10. General nuring - UCD - mature entry

I could have all my nursing applications on one form because I'd easily have 10 of those.

And on my 2nd form I could apply for Radiography & Radio Therapy.

That way my personal statements would be more detailed towards Nursing or Radiography.

Am I allowed to have 2 CAO applications?

Larianne

No, you can't have 2 applications in the one year! Ha!

Just to say a little note about Radiation Therapy - it's a pretty tough course and a lot, well pretty much all of it is about cancer and talking about cancer and you will be working with very very sick people. Have you got any work experience in the area? I think you said before you got some work experience in a radiography dept. in a hospital. Was that diagnostic or therapeutic? I'm not trying to put you off but I know a girl who transferred into my class didn't like it because it can be quite depressing. But then I know another girl who repeated her Leaving to do it and she loves it... (so don't mind me!).

EDIT: Have you looked at thestudentroom.co.uk and at their personal statements section?

Oh, also, forgot about this website that I also looked at: http://www.studential.com/personalstatements/

Laydee

There's my plan out the window so.

If I get into nursing I intend to continue my studies until I am an oncology nurse, Oncology & Radiography are 2 areas that I am majorly interested in.

I have 3 weeks experience in a diagnostic radiography dept.

The only therapeutic experience I have is that during my nursing experience I was in the Radio Therapy dept for a few minutes, not enought to get onto the course though.

I have a week in February that I want to work in a Radio Therapy dept, Crumlin said no but I will keep sending applications until someone says yes.

Larianne

I think then you should base you application on that, that you are interested in Oncology and then why you would like to do either Nursing or Radiography.

Your work experience sounds great so just expand on that.

Laydee

That's probably my best angle to approach it from.

I will get cracking on the new & improved personal statement so.

Thank you Larianne

TirNaNog.

Is it not a bit early to be applying to the CAO ,is there any advantage in applying now?

lonestargirl

Laydee wrote: »

The only therapeutic experience I have is that during my nursing experience I was in the Radio Therapy dept for a few minutes, not enought to get onto the course though.

I have a week in February that I want to work in a Radio Therapy dept, Crumlin said no but I will keep sending applications until someone says yes.

The only public radiation therapy centres in Ireland are in St. Luke's, Galway and Cork. Paed patients in Crumlin travel to SLH daily for treatment.

There are three four private groups, running six seven centres, they are:
Mater: Dublin and Limerick
Blackrock: Hermitage and Galway Clinic
UPMC: Beacon and Whitfield
St. Vincents

If you want to shadow for a week you need to contact the RTSM (radiation therapy service manager) to get permission. St Lukes is the biggest centre with 8 linacs and about 80 radiation therapists on staff. I have seen people on work experience here.

Laydee

I won't be submitting my CAO application until January, I want to go to the open days & get talking to some students there, especially the mature students.

I also want to make sure that my personal statement is perfect.

Laydee

I've applied to Mater private, Hermitage, St. James' & St. Vincent's private.
I will apply to The Beacon tomorrow & St. Lukes.

A friend of mine said that St.Luke's can be hard to get into as they take the Trinity students there. I don't know how true this is though.

lonestargirl

Laydee wrote: »

I've applied to Mater private, Hermitage, St. James' & St. Vincent's private.

There's no radiotherapy in St. James' - they do have a PET scanner now though in diagnostic

Laydee wrote: »

A friend of mine said that St.Luke's can be hard to get into as they take the Trinity students there. I don't know how true this is though.

True, TCD students do placements in St. Luke's. There aren't always students in though, it there are none during the time you want to visit you might get lucky.

Just to warn you it is a tough job, quite physical and you have a lot of responsibility. You need to be good at Maths and will end up doing a good bit of mental arithmitic.

Larianne

TirNaNog. wrote: »

Is it not a bit early to be applying to the CAO ,is there any advantage in applying now?

Don't worry. Laydee's just extremely organised!

I would suggest getting cracking on your personal statement though Nog. It takes a while to get it right.

TirNaNog.

Larianne wrote: »

Don't worry. Laydee's just extremely organised!

I would suggest getting cracking on your personal statement though Nog. It takes a while to get it right.

Oh yes Hil,
We actually discussed this topic in study skills tonight!

Larianne

TirNaNog. wrote: »

Oh yes Hil,
We actually discussed this topic in study skills tonight!

I'm telling ya, Shea has nothing on me!

bythewoods

Ah sorry, I didn't realise you were a mature student at'all!