Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Public Health and Health Promotion

2024 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2024 course information
Award granted	Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Public Health and Health Promotion
Deakin course code	D381
Faculty	Faculty of Health
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong)
Online	No
Duration	4 years full-time The course is only available to students on a full-time basis.
Course Map - enrolment planning tool	This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2024 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	018323M Burwood (Melbourne)
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

Graduate prepared for a successful career in the largest growing employment sector in Australia^ and develop the knowledge, skills and ethical understanding to become a registered nurse, balanced with the skills required to empower people to lead healthier lifestyles. Deakin's Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Public Health and Health Promotion enables you to make a real difference in the health outcomes of individuals, communities and global populations.

The course balances contemporary theory with extensive placement experience, and combined approaches involving community engagement, policy development, and research. Graduate career-ready with 920 hours of work placements in both nursing and public health and health promotion settings.

Passionate about helping people lead healthier lives, across clinical and community settings?

This combined degree in nursing and public health and health promotion gives you the advantage of learning skills in two differing facets of health care. Developed in consultation with our healthcare partners you will always connected to those at the forefront of industry.

Ranked #16 in the world,* 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 you'll use case-based scenarios that will become more complex as your nursing degree progresses.

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.

Public health is the organised response by society to protect and promote health and prevent disability. By looking at patterns of health and disease across populations, public health experts can use data and evidence-based measures to address the world’s biggest health challenges. Health promotion is about working with communities to improve health and champion factors that support good health – be they environmental, legal, physical, economic or social.

You will study the foundations of modern health promotion practice, covering key study areas such as:

biostatistics
environmental health
epidemiology
health sociology
planning and evaluation.

While you will graduate with a suite of specialised and highly sought-after healthcare skills, you will also enter the workforce with lifelong transferable skills, in areas such as:

research
analytical thinking
project management
communication
community development.

Deakin’s purpose-built Clinical Simulation Centres for nursing students simulate real healthcare settings. They provide you with the facilities and equipment required to develop practical nursing skills, which are further enhanced through your professional experience placements.

In your final year, you will also have the opportunity to complete the Health Practicum unit, giving you 120 hours of invaluable practical experience in the health industry.

^*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 teaching activities each week. This could 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. There is an expectation that you are available to undertake clinical practicum outside of trimester dates. All expenses associated with professional experience placements are your own responsibility.

Professional recognition

Upon 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.

You may also be eligible to become a member of the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) and the Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA).

Career opportunities

As a Deakin nursing graduate, you will be highly sought after by industry for your nursing knowledge, critical thinking, problems 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 with public health and health promotion knowledge, 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.

The skills you will develop in the growing public health and health promotion area will qualify you to work in diverse areas, including:

health education
health and human services
public health communication
health policy development and implementation.

Your knowledge of the social and environmental factors that affect the health of individuals and populations will prepare you for a career in a range of clinical and community settings, such as:

public health
schools
rehabilitation
health education
voluntary organisations
patient support agencies
working abroad.

^*Graduate Outcomes Survey 2022

Participation requirements

As a student in the Faculty of Health you can expect to participate in a range of learning activities each week. This may include classes, 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.

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.

Alternative exits

Bachelor of Nursing (H326)
Bachelor of Public Health and Health Promotion (H313)

Articulated courses

Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) (H421)
Bachelor of Public Health and Health Promotion (Honours) (H412)

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

See course entry for Bachelor of Nursing (H326) or Bachelor of Public Health and Health Promotion (H313)

Course rules

To complete the Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Public Health and Health Promotion students must pass 32 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. Students choose to study 4 credit points per trimester and usually undertake two trimesters each year. All units in this course are core units and are compulsory.

The course consists of 32 credit points of study which includes the following:

21 credit points are core units in the Bachelor of Nursing
11 credit points are specific to public health and health promotion.

You must fulfil the requirements of each component of the combined degree.

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 responsibility.

If you are enrolled at the Waterfront (Geelong) campus, you will be required to take your units associated with the Bachelor of Public Health and Health Promotion course on campus at Waurn Ponds (Geelong) or online.

See course entry for Bachelor of Nursing (H326) or Bachelor of Public Health and Health Promotion (H313)

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 (0 credit point compulsory unit).

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.

Course structure

Units

Level 1 - Trimester 1

DAI001

Academic Integrity Module (0 credit points)

HBS109

Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology

HNN112

Quality and Safety: Nursing Practice 1

HNN120

Quality and Safety in Health Care 1

HSH102

Disease Prevention and Control

Level 1 - Trimester 2

HNN104

Care of the Child and Adolescent

HNN114

Person-Centred Health Assessment

HNN124

Quality and Safety: Nursing Practice 2

HNN154

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' History, Culture and Health

Level 2 - Trimester 1

HNN108

Evidence-Based Practice

HNN217

Primary Health Care

HSH112

Local and Global Environments for Health

HSH208

Health Communication

Level 2 - Trimester 2

HNN215

Quality Use of Medicines

HNN227

Acute Illness and Supportive Care (2 credit points)

HSH212

Professional Practice

Level 3 - Trimester 1

HNN222

Mental Health and Supportive Care (2 credit points)

HSH205

Epidemiology and Biostatistics 1

HSH323

Program Planning, Management and Evaluation

Level 3 - Trimester 2

HNN301

Mental Health and Wellbeing

HSH216

Epidemiology and Biostatistics 2

HSH219

Population Health: A Research Perspective

HSH313

Contemporary Health Issues

Level 4 - Trimester 1

HNN329

Chronic Illness and Supportive Care (2 credit points)

HNN318

Care of the Older Person

HSH318

Implementation and Evaluation

Level 4 - Trimester 2

HSH303

Health Practicum

HNN325

Quality and Safety: Comprehensive Nursing Practice (2 credit points)

HNN320

Quality and Safety in Health Care 2

Work experience

Professional experience practice

Beginning soon after commencement of the course, early exposure to the clinical environment gives you extensive opportunities to develop clinical skills in a variety of settings including acute/sub-acute care, medical and surgical care, paediatrics, aged care, rehabilitation, community nursing and mental health nursing.

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.

Public Health and Health Promotion

The Public Health and Health Promotion Practicum requires you to undertake a minimum of 120 hours of work experience in a health-related agency. In addition to developing a practical understanding of public health-health promotion, this experience will help you further develop the professional and personal skills required to work in a public health-health promotion role.

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).