PLEASE NOTE: The current Bachelor of Nursing Program will transition to a new curriculum from 2014 onwards.

The Bachelor of Nursing is designed for students who wish to become registered nurses, prepared for practice in a wide variety of clinical and non-clinical areas. Students will gain extensive practical experience in the clinical setting, more so than is traditionally taught in university programs.

This program will have significant and extensive clinical focus supported by academic rigour. Therefore, students will graduate as clinically competent and theoretically knowledgeable practitioners and will be highly desirable as employees in a variety of nursing settings.

The program is structured over an extended academic year in order to facilitate clinical placements and increase the amount of clinical time available to students. The program comprises two courses per semester; Human Sciences and Nursing Practice, each of which includes four modules.

Key features of this program include:

• Emphasis on health care as a dynamic and ever-changing system: Students will be encouraged to accept that review and change is a natural feature of health care. The program will assist understanding of how policies and politics effect change. Students will be prepared for work as clinical leaders and managers.
• Focus on practice: All teaching and learning will be practice-focused and practice experience will be extensive. Students will engage in practice placements as rostered members of the nursing team. The focus throughout the program will be on developing excellence in core clinical nursing skills.
• Reliance on experiential learning: The practice experience and integration of students into the nursing team will provide an opportunity to embrace experiential learning throughout the curriculum.
• Philosophy of person-centred nursing: Care of patients in hospital will be understood in the family and community context through the concept of a patient's total 'journey of care'. This will be reinforced by involvement of consumers in teaching.
• Increasing emphasis on health, health promotion and primary care-led health services: Practice experience will occur across a range of institution and community settings.
• Preparation for evidence-based practice: All teaching and learning will be strongly research-orientated and clinical decision-making skills will be evidence-based.
• Emphasis on developing team-working skills: Developing the skills of team-work are essential as health care in hospital and in community settings is multidisciplinary.
• Interdisciplinary learning: The School of Nursing is part of the Faculty of Health Sciences and students will benefit from working with other schools and disciplines within the university.
• Information technology literacy: Students will be prepared to work in a technological environment to enhance patient centred care.

For entry pathways, please refer to the Program Information Leaflet.

The Bachelor of Nursing reflects the reality of the working environment and the characteristics of the population that nurses care for in various health care settings. It is essential that graduates are prepared to adapt to the demands of a rapidly changing and dynamic health care system; including the ability to integrate theory into practice.

While there are no pre-requisites for admission to this program, knowledge in Biology, English and Mathematics will be helpful in achieving the course outcomes. A Biology Bridging Course is available free to all Bachelor of Nursing students through the School of Medical Sciences.

Applicants to this program should make themselves aware of the program structure as courses are not repeated each semester. Therefore, if a student fails one course they may need to take up to 10 months off before repeating that course and therefore progressing in the program.

This program expects students to attend lectures, tutorials and clinical placements. The amount of contact time often approaches 40 hours per week with each year of the program extending beyond and across the usual academic periods.

In week 9 of first year students begin clinical placement two days per week while also attending lectures three days per week. University based study and clinically based learning are central to the program. Integration of clinical experiences and academic learning will be fostered through the input and interaction with academic staff, clinical tutors and clinically based titleholders.

This degree program provides a professional qualification, which is recognised for registration as a nurse in other Australian states and most countries around the world.

Bachelor of Nursing Graduate Attributes

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (AHPRA) is responsible for student registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. It is completed upon enrolment in the program. There is no fee involved and the student will be advised when they have been registered.

In order to be able to register as either an Enrolled or Registered Nurse with AHPRA, all applicants must be able to demonstrate English language skills at IELTS academic Level 7 or the equivalent.

Throughout the program, students will work in the clinical area as members of a health care team. Clinical placements may be undertaken at a range of public and private health care settings.

In preparation for clinical placements, students are required to have the appropriate level of immunisation as described under the Prescribed Communicable Infections (PCI), tuberculosis (TB) screening and criminal history checks (CHC). Students without valid immunisation history, PCI, TB screening notifications and CHC will not be allowed to attend placement.

Placements are compulsory for successful completion of the program. All costs associated are the responsibility of the student.

To find out more, visit the Faculty of Health Sciences website.

Faculty of Health Sciences

• Program Information Leaflet
• School of Nursing
• Faculty of Health Sciences
• Undergraduate Scholarships
• University Contact Centre enquiry form