Uni to offer nursing program next year

Wednesday, 15 June 2005

The University of Adelaide will break new ground next year when it offers a three-year Bachelor of Nursing program.

In announcing this today, Vice-Chancellor Professor James McWha said the University's Department of Clinical Nursing, in collaboration with key industry partners, would be offering a distinctive and innovative undergraduate nursing program.

"This program allows us to strengthen our relationship with the Royal Adelaide Hospital," Professor McWha said.

"The Department of Clinical Nursing was established in 1995 on the initiative of the RAH. The interaction between the Department and the RAH, facilitated by geographical proximity, produces a synergistic relationship between an academic department of nursing and a provider of nursing services," he said.

Professor McWha said by introducing a high-quality program within the established and respected Faculty of Health Sciences, it will produce nursing graduates who are well prepared - both academically and clinically - at a critical time in terms of the current and projected shortage of nurses.

Students will work in the clinical area as full members of the health care team, and additional clinical support and clinical lecturers will provide supervision.

Clinical placement will be undertaken at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (North Terrace and Glenside Campuses and Hampstead); Lyell McEwin Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Women's and Children's Hospital, Port Pirie Regional Health Service; Royal District Nursing Service and a group of residential care facilities.

"One of the significant strong points of our program is the substantial amount of time dedicated to practical learning. It is higher than most traditional Australian undergraduate nursing programs," Professor McWha said.

For the past 10 years, the University's Department of Clinical Nursing has been offering successful postgraduate specialist programs. The success of these programs has assisted in the development of the Bachelor of Nursing program.

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