Bachelor of Nursing
2024 Deakin University Handbook
| Year | 2024 course information |
|---|---|
| Award granted | Bachelor of Nursing |
| Deakin course code | H326 |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health |
| Campus | Offered at Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong), Warrnambool |
| Online | No |
| Duration | 3 years full-time The course is only available to students on a full-time basis. |
| Course Map - enrolment planning tool | These course maps are for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2024: These course maps are for students commencing from Trimester 1 2024 with Recognition of prior learning (RPL): Enrolled nurses (8 credit points RPL) Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central. |
| CRICOS course code | 018327G Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong), Warrnambool |
| Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition | The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 7 |
Course sub-headings
- Course overview
- Indicative student workload
- Professional recognition
- Career opportunities
- Participation requirements
- Mandatory student checks
- Articulated courses
- Fees and charges
- Course Learning Outcomes
- Course rules
- Course structure
- Work experience
- Third party arrangements
- Other learning experiences
Course overview
Gain the ethical understanding, knowledge and skills you need to become a successful registered nurse with Deakin's Bachelor of Nursing – launching you into a career where you make a real difference. Ranked #16 in the world*, this course prepares you to provide high-quality, safe, patient-centred care in a range of settings. Our state-of-the-art Clinical Simulation Centres, which replicate real-world health service facilities, prepare you for your professional experience placements.
Professional experience placements begin in Trimester 1 of first year and throughout every trimester of the course, totalling 800 hours. Supported by qualified and experienced clinicians, you will care for people from diverse cultural backgrounds in various metropolitan, regional and rural healthcare settings, enabling application of knowledge and further skill development. Study with Victoria's #1 university for nursing course satisfaction, facilities, support services and graduate outcomes.^
Ready to get hands-on experience in a clinical setting as soon as you begin studying?
Under the supervision of registered nurses, you will gain real-world experience by working with multidisciplinary healthcare teams across areas including:
- acute/sub-acute care
- medical and surgical care
- aged care
- rehabilitation
- paediatrics
- community nursing
- mental health nursing.
Secure your future career, with registered nurse job opportunities expected to grow by 12.2% by 2028.#
Healthcare is one of the most important priorities for populations worldwide, with nurses playing a pivotal role in delivering quality and safe services. Thanks to our extensive clinical partnership network with many of Victoria’s major healthcare providers, this course is designed to ensure you gain the leadership knowledge and hands-on skills that are most relevant to employers in the healthcare sector.
Ranked in the top 1% of universities globally~, our School of Nursing and Midwifery is one of Australia’s most research-active schools and boasts some of the best facilities and resources available. Our Clinical Simulation Centres provide a safe, supportive and realistic environment for you to develop and hone essential nursing skills. At the centres (based on every campus) you'll use case-based scenarios that will become more complex as your nursing degree progresses.
Deakin’s Bachelor of Nursing is developed in consultation with our healthcare partners, ensuring you’re always connected to those at the forefront of industry. The course is accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) and approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), enabling clear career outcomes upon graduation.
Would you like to enhance your leadership potential? You may be interested in our Bachelor of Nursing (Clinical Leadership) - the only undergraduate degree of its kind in Victoria. A specialist degree that matches the structure of all the core units from our Bachelor of Nursing but with three additional core units focused on developing and enhancing your leadership potential. You will also receive unique mentored learning experiences in clinical settings, observing and working alongside nurse leaders from our partner organisations, and experienced academics from our School of Nursing and Midwifery.
* 2022 ShanghaiRankings Global Ranking of Academic Subjects
^ Student Experience Survey 2020-2021 based on undergraduate nursing students and Graduate Outcomes Survey 2020-2022, based on overall employment for undergraduate nursing graduates, Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT).
# Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections.
~ 2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject and 2023 ShanghaiRankings Global Ranking of Academic Subjects
Indicative student workload
As a student in the Faculty of Health you can expect to participate in a range of learning activities each week. This may include lectures, seminars, simulations, and online interaction. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.
Professional recognition
On successful completion of your course, you will be eligible to apply for registration as a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).
The NMBA has mandatory registration standards that applicants need to meet to be registered. Core registration standards are available on the NMBA website.
This course is accredited with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) and is an NMBA approved course.
Career opportunities
As a Deakin nursing graduate, you will be highly sought after by industry for your nursing knowledge, critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills, professionalism, and the ability to provide person-centred, evidence-based care – which is why we are proud to record a high graduate employment rate of over 94%*.
As a registered nurse, you can pursue career opportunities around the world in a range of work settings, including:
- hospitals
- homes
- hospices
- aged care settings
- clinics
- schools
- universities
- community health centres
- government agencies and private industries.
Given nursing is a diverse profession with a number of speciality practice areas available, it is expected that graduates will maintain professional development throughout their careers. This may include postgraduate degrees and/or research degrees, including masters degrees and PhDs.
* Graduate Outcomes Survey 2022
Participation requirements
Professional experience placement can occur at any time, including during the standard holiday breaks.
Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability.
Inherent requirements
A number of inherent requirements are essential to safely perform the skills and functions of the nursing role and consequently to undertake and successfully complete the course. Learn more about the School of Nursing and Midwifery's Undergraduate Courses Inherent Requirements.
Mandatory student checks
Department of Health – Safety Screening Requirements - Police Record Check, Working With Children Check and Immunisation Status
Police Record Check
In accordance with the Department of Health policy, all students are required to undertake a Police Record Check prior to professional experience placements in each calendar year of their course. Students who fail to obtain a Police Record Check prior to the commencement of professional experience placement will not be able to undertake professional experience placement and this will impede progress in the course.
Working With Children Check
In accordance with the Worker Screening Act 2020, all students are required to undertake a Working with Children Check at the commencement of their course. Students who fail to obtain a Working with Children Check prior to the commencement of professional experience placement will not be able to undertake professional experience placement and this will impede progress in the course.
Immunisation Status
Students are required to declare their immunisation status to satisfy the requirements of health organisations where they will be undertaking their clinical learning experience. A health organisation may refuse to accept a student for placement if the student’s immunisation status is not satisfactory to the health organisation.
Articulated courses
| Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) (H421) |
Fees and charges
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
Use the Fee estimator to see course and unit fees applicable to your course and type of place. For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.
In 2022, the Victorian Government announced a range of government-administered scholarships for eligible domestic students commencing nursing and midwifery studies in 2023 and 2024. These scholarships are not automatic. For information about the eligibility criteria, application process and payment arrangements please visit Undergraduate (entry-to-practice) nursing and midwifery scholarships.
Course Learning Outcomes
| Course Learning Outcomes | Graduate Learning Outcomes |
| Apply nursing knowledge and capability in accordance with legal and ethical requirements to deliver comprehensive, holistic, culturally appropriate, evidence based, safe and quality care. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| Foster effective therapeutic and professional relationships to ensure safe and quality care across the lifespan. | GLO2: Communication |
| Use digital technologies in healthcare to locate, interpret and disseminate information and deliver quality and safe patient care. | GLO3: Digital literacy |
| Thinks critically, analyses evidence and evaluates outcomes to inform quality nursing practice. | GLO4: Critical thinking |
| Self-manage behaviours to develop and maintain critical nursing knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure capability for practice in self and others. | GLO6: Self-management |
Course rules
To complete the Bachelor of Nursing students must pass 24 credit points. Units (think of units as 'subjects') may be worth 1 or 2 credit points - select each unit to check its credit point value in the course structure below. Most students choose to study 4 credit points per trimester and usually undertake two trimesters each year.
The course comprises a total of 24 credit points which must include:
- 17 core units worth 21 credit points (these are compulsory)
- 3 elective units (you can choose which ones to study) worth 3 credit points
- 1 elective must be a course elective unit from the School of Nursing and Midwifery approved list.
There is an expectation that you are available to undertake professional experience placements outside of trimester dates. All expenses associated with professional experience placements are your responsibility.
All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate and Postgraduate course work students are required to complete DAI001 Academic Integrity Module (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first trimester of study.
Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.
Course structure
Core units
Course structure applies for students who commenced in 2022 onwards. Students who commenced prior to 2022 should contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
Level 1 - Trimester 1
| DAI001 | Academic Integrity Module (0 credit points) |
| HNN120 | Quality and Safety in Health Care 1 |
| HNN108 | Evidence-Based Practice |
| HBS109 | Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology |
| HNN112 | Quality and Safety: Nursing Practice 1 |
Level 1 - Trimester 2
| HNN154 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' History, Culture and Health |
| HNN104 | Care of the Child and Adolescent |
| HNN114 | Person-Centred Health Assessment |
| HNN124 | Quality and Safety: Nursing Practice 2 |
Level 2 - Trimester 1
| HNN215 | Quality Use of Medicines |
| HNN227 | Acute Illness and Supportive Care |
Students must complete HNN215 and HNN227 in the same trimester
plus one elective/course elective unit
Level 2 - Trimester 2
| HNN217 | Primary Health Care |
| HNN222 | Mental Health and Supportive Care |
plus one elective/course elective unit
Students must complete HNN217 and HNN222 in the same trimester
Level 3 - Trimester 1
| HNN318 | Care of the Older Person |
| HNN329 | Chronic Illness and Supportive Care |
plus one elective/course elective unit
Level 3 - Trimester 2
| HNN320 | Quality and Safety in Health Care 2 |
| HNN301 | Mental Health and Wellbeing |
| HNN325 | Quality and Safety: Comprehensive Nursing Practice |
Course Elective Units
Students must undertake one elective unit from the list below. For the two other elective units, students may take electives from any School of the University provided that prerequisites are met. At least one of the three electives must be taken at level two or three. Students must select units in consultation a Student Adviser in Student Central.
International study tour course elective:
| HNN216 | International Nursing and Midwifery Study Tour |
Inter Professional Education (IPE) course elective:
| HBS345 | Collaborative Practice in Healthcare |
Other course elective units:
| HNN207 | Maternal and Newborn Care |
| HNN313 | Perioperative Nursing |
| HNN348 | Rural and Remote Nursing |
| IND101 | Introduction to Aboriginal Studies |
| IND102 | Aboriginal Australian Stories and Songlines |
| HSH205 | Epidemiology and Biostatistics 1 |
| HSH313 | Contemporary Health Issues |
| HSN101 | Foundations of Food, Nutrition and Health |
| HBS110 | Health Psychology (Behaviour Change) |
| HPS203 | Cognitive Psychology |
| HPS325 | Health Psychology (Addiction) |
Work experience
Clinical practice
Professional experience placements are conducted throughout your course beginning in Trimester 1 of your first year. This early exposure to the clinical environment gives you extensive opportunities to develop clinical skills under the supervision of registered nurses and enables you to experience being part of a multidisciplinary health care team. You will gain clinical experience in a variety of settings including acute/sub-acute care, medical and surgical care, aged care, rehabilitation, community nursing and mental health nursing. These may be undertaken in hospitals and community health care centres in metropolitan, rural and regional areas.
Other course information
Course duration
Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as accessing or completing work placements.
Further information
Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.
- Contact Student Central
Third party arrangements
Student Placement Agreements exist between Deakin University, School of Nursing and Midwifery and Professional Experience Placement Providers and are generally revised every 3-5 years.
Quality assurance arrangements
Deakin University, School of Nursing and Midwifery provides training through facilitator and preceptorship workshops. Unit Chairs provide regular clinical support to facilitators whilst students are on placements.
Other learning experiences
The Bachelor of Nursing has 3 elective units which may be undertaken from any faculty as long as pre-requisite requirements are met.
The School offers nursing elective units e.g. HNN216 International Nursing Study Tour x 3. (Thailand, Bhutan, Philippines).