Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery
2027 Deakin University Handbook
| Year | 2027 course information |
|---|---|
| Award granted | Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery |
| Deakin course code | D355 |
| Course credit points | 32 |
| Course version | 3 |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health |
| Campus | Offered at Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong), Warrnambool |
| Online | No |
| Duration | 4 years full-time (This course is only available full-time) |
| Course map - enrolment planning tool | These course maps are for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2027: Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central. |
| CRICOS code | 057656M 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
- Pathways
- Articulated courses
- Course learning outcomes
- Course rules
- Course structure
- Third party arrangements
- Fees and charges
Course overview
Study at the world's #14 university for nursing in a course developed in consultation with our healthcare partners. Learn how to provide high quality, patient-centred nursing and woman-centred midwifery care and gain experience across many settings, such as maternity, neonatal, paediatrics, acute and medical care, aged care, rehabilitation, community and mental health.
Start your placements in the first trimester of your degree, completing 800 hours of nursing placement, and approximately 840 hours of midwifery placement in metropolitan, regional and rural environments. With nursing and midwifery roles in Australia projected to grow more than 13% by 2029, you'll graduate eligible to register as both a nurse and midwife, with the flexibility to shape your career.
Indicative student workload
As a student in the Faculty of Health you can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This may include lectures, seminars, practicals 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 and Midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).
The NMBA has mandatory registration standards that applicants need to meet to be registered. Course completion is one of these requirements. 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
Nursing and midwifery are careers rich with opportunity, you will be highly sought after by industry for your knowledge, critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills, professionalism, and the ability to provide woman-centred and 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 or registered nurse/midwife, you can pursue a global career in a range of work settings, such as:
- hospitals
- homes
- hospices
- aged care settings
- clinics
- schools
- universities
- government agencies and private industries.
Nursing and midwifery are diverse professions with a number of specialty 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 and PhDs.
*Graduate Outcomes Survey 2022-2024, based on overall employment for undergraduate nursing graduates, Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT).
Participation requirements
The course involves compulsory professional experience placement totalling 41 weeks. The midwifery component consists of 21 weeks in midwifery settings across Victoria. The nursing component consists of 20 weeks in hospitals and community health centres in metropolitan, rural and regional areas. These placements may require travel to rural areas. Professional experience placement can occur at any time, including during the standard holiday breaks listed here.
To be eligible to undertake placements, you are required to supply mandatory documents (prerequisites) including police checks, working with children check and immunisation status.
In order to participate in on-campus learning activities, and to safely engage in placements in clinical environments, there are a number of skills and functions that students need to be able to demonstrate, with or without reasonable adjustments. These skills and functions are known as Inherent Requirements. Find out more about the School of Nursing and Midwifery’s Undergraduate Courses Inherent Requirements.
To discuss these requirements and the adjustments we can provide to support your success, please contact the Disability Resource Centre.
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
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.
Pathways
If you did not meet the selection requirements for this course, you may be eligible for an alternative entry pathway. Our Indigenous Entry Stream is also available for this course providing a specialised pathway for Indigenous students to become healthcare practitioners. Explore your options to get ready for the Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery using our pathways finder.
This course provides a pathway to higher degree by research courses and other postgraduate coursework programs.
Articulated courses
| Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) (H421) |
Course learning outcomes
| Course Learning Outcomes | |
|---|---|
| Think critically, analyse and apply evidence and evaluate outcomes to inform safe and quality nursing practice | GLO4: Critical thinking |
| Foster effective therapeutic and professional relationships to ensure safe and quality care across the lifespan. | GLO2: Communication |
| Exhibit professionalism through self management and engagement with feedback to maintain capability for practice of self and others. | GLO6: Self-management |
| Apply nursing knowledge and capability in accordance with professional, legal and ethical requirements to deliver comprehensive, safe and quality care based on best available evidence. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| Provide person-centred, culturally safe, and respectful nursing care that upholds the rights, dignity, and wellbeing of all people, enriched by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultures and knowledges, and responsive to the diversity of all communities. | GLO2: Communication |
| Critically and ethically apply digital technologies to locate, interpret and disseminate information and deliver safe and quality care. | GLO3: Digital literacy |
| Course Learning Outcomes |
|
| Practice midwifery that is underpinned by the philosophy of woman-centred care. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities: GLO2: Communication |
| Critically engage in a process of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation to provide evidence informed, safe and quality care to optimise outcomes in partnership with the woman. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO3: Digital literacy GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving |
| Be a reflective learner who actively develops and maintains the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for contemporary midwifery practice. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO3: Digital literacy GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving GLO6: Self-management |
| Develop sustainable, culturally safe partnerships, enriched by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ cultures and knowledges, founded on mutual trust, respect and collaboration to support safe, quality midwifery care. | GLO2: Communication GLO8: Global citizenship |
| Foster effective professional relationships to ensure safe and quality care. | GLO2: Communication GLO6: Self-management GLO7: Teamwork GLO8: Global citizenship |
Note – From 2026, Deakin commenced introducing Graduate Attributes (GAs), which define the distinctive characteristics of a Deakin graduate. You may notice some courses still refer to Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) during this transition period.
Course rules
To complete the Bachelor of Nursing/ Bachelor of Midwifery you must pass 32 credit points. This includes:
- DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in your first study period
- 12 credit points of core nursing units
- 11 credit points of core midwifery units
- 9 credit points that are aligned with both the Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery.
Most units are equal to one credit point. As a full- time student you will study four credit points per trimester and usually undertake two trimesters per year.
Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.
Course structure
Burwood and Waterfront Campus
Level 1 - Trimester 1
| DAI001 | Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0 credit points) |
| HBS109 | Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology |
| HNN108 | Evidence-Informed Practice |
| HNN112 | Quality and Safety: Nursing Practice 1 |
| HNN120 | Quality and Safety in Health Care 1 |
Level 1 - Trimester 2
| HNN104 | Care of the Child and Young Person |
| HNN114 | Person-Centred Health Assessment |
| HNN124 | Quality and Safety: Nursing Practice 2 |
| HNM109 | Partnerships in Midwifery 1: Pregnancy Care |
Level 2 - Trimester 1
| HNN215 | Quality Use of Medicines |
| HNN227 | Acute Illness and Supportive Care (2 credit points) |
| HNM210 | Partnerships in Midwifery 2: Labour and Birth Care |
Level 2 - Trimester 2
| HNN217 | Primary Health Care |
| HNN222 | Mental Health and Supportive Care (2 credit points) |
| HNM211 | Partnerships in Midwifery 3: Postnatal Care |
Level 3 - Trimester 1
| HNN329 | Chronic Illness and Supportive Care (2 credit points) |
| HNM322 | Complex Midwifery Care (2 credit points) |
Level 3 - Trimester 2
| HNN301 | Mental Health and Wellbeing |
| HNM323 | Neonatal Challenges in Midwifery Practice |
| HNM330 | Quality and Safety: Midwifery Practice 1 (2 credit points) |
Level 4 - Trimester 1
| HNN154 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' History, Culture and Health |
| HNN318 | Care of the Older Person |
| HNM331 | Quality and Safety: Midwifery Practice 2 |
| HNM333 | Emergency Midwifery Care |
Level 4 - Trimester 2
| HNN320 | Unit description is currently unavailable |
| HNN325 | Quality and Safety: Comprehensive Nursing Practice (2 credit points) |
| HNM334 | Contemporary Midwifery Practice |
Warrnambool Campus
Level 1 - Trimester 1
| DAI001 | Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0 credit points) |
| HBS109 | Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology |
| HNN108 | Evidence-Informed Practice |
| HNN112 | Quality and Safety: Nursing Practice 1 |
| HNN120 | Quality and Safety in Health Care 1 |
Level 1 - Trimester 2
| HNN104 | Care of the Child and Young Person |
| HNN114 | Person-Centred Health Assessment |
| HNN124 | Quality and Safety: Nursing Practice 2 |
| HNM109 | Partnerships in Midwifery 1: Pregnancy Care |
Level 2 - Trimester 1
| HNN217 | Primary Health Care |
| HNN222 | Mental Health and Supportive Care (2 credit points) |
| HNM210 | Partnerships in Midwifery 2: Labour and Birth Care |
Level 2 - Trimester 2
| HNN215 | Quality Use of Medicines |
| HNN227 | Acute Illness and Supportive Care (2 credit points) |
| HNM211 | Partnerships in Midwifery 3: Postnatal Care |
Level 3 - Trimester 1
| HNN329 | Chronic Illness and Supportive Care (2 credit points) |
| HNM322 | Complex Midwifery Care (2 credit points) |
Level 3 - Trimester 2
| HNN301 | Mental Health and Wellbeing |
| HNM323 | Neonatal Challenges in Midwifery Practice |
| HNM330 | Quality and Safety: Midwifery Practice 1 (2 credit points) |
Level 4 - Trimester 1
| HNN154 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' History, Culture and Health |
| HNN318 | Care of the Older Person |
| HNM331 | Quality and Safety: Midwifery Practice 2 |
| HNM333 | Emergency Midwifery Care |
*** Note: HNN154 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People's History, Culture and Health is NOT available to enrol in Trimester 1. Please speak to a Student Adviser to assist with your enrolment into this unit for either Trimester 2 or Trimester 3 in years 1 or 2.
Level 4 - Trimester 2
| HNN320 | Unit description is currently unavailable |
| HNN325 | Quality and Safety: Comprehensive Nursing Practice (2 credit points) |
| HNM334 | Contemporary Midwifery Practice |
Professional experience placement
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 skills in a variety of settings such as acute/sub-acute care, medical and surgical care, paediatrics, aged care, rehabilitation, community nursing and mental health nursing.
Midwifery practice experiences include all areas of midwifery practice, including pregnancy care, labour and birth, postnatal care and neonatal special care under the supervision of midwives. These may be undertaken in metropolitan, rural and regional hospitals and in the community in caseload midwifery programs that may also include home birth.
There is an expectation that you will be available to undertake clinical practicum outside of trimester dates. All expenses associated with professional experience placements are your own responsibility.
Course duration
You may be able to study available units in the optional third trimester to fast-track your degree, however your course duration may be extended if there are delays in meeting course requirements, such as completing a placement.
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.
Fees and charges
Tuition fees will vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, your study load and/or unit discipline.
Your tuition fees will increase annually at the start of each calendar year. All fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD) and do not include additional costs such as textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment, mandatory checks, travel, consumables and other costs.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.
Commonwealth Prac Payment - Domestic students only
If you're eligible, the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) can help with the costs of completing a mandatory placement as part of your course. To find out if you're eligible and learn how to apply, visit Deakin’s Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) website.
Further information
Contact Student Central for assistance in course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements. Student Central can also provide information for a wide range of services at Deakin. To help you understand the University vocabulary, please refer to our Enrolment codes and terminology page.