Bachelor of Nursing
Duration | 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time |
Location | Brisbane |
Next start term | Term 1, 2024 |
Study mode | On Campus |
Course code | CL91 |
CRICOS | 102338C |

Overview
Study the Bachelor of Nursing and gain the knowledge and skills needed to become a Registered Nurse (Division 1). This course prepares you to be reflective about your practice as a nurse and develop clinical reasoning skills in order to confidently and safely engage in contemporary nursing practice in a variety of environments and contexts and adapt to the needs of people from diverse backgrounds.
Through this course, you will acquire skills to provide person-centred care and collaborate with other members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team. You will seek evidence to ensure safe quality practice and act in a professional, ethical and compassionate manner. In addition, you will learn to nurture the development of nursing as a practice discipline and demonstrate leadership in healthcare. You will explore how life-long learning skills can facilitate continuing professional development.
Clinical learning is a key element of the Bachelor of Nursing and you will be required to undertake 800 hours of professional experience placement in a variety of settings with different health organisations. You must meet specific mandatory health, safety and security requirements to be eligible to attend each professional experience placement. Professional experience placements may be limited in your community. This means that you may be placed in other locations and you may be required to relocate to complete your placements.
This course is accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC).

Transcript
Nursing has become a really great career opportunity to consider. There’s so much you can do with a nursing qualification. There’s a high demand for qualified nurses.
A clinical unit is a unit where you’re going to be in the labs, which we call our clinical learning space is set up similar to behind me today, that’s where we have a simulated hospital environment.
So, in the simulated environment we have lots of different ways that we teach what we’re doing. You may have heard of MaskED where the educators use a simulated person or a simulated puppet to extract information to be able to assess, plan, implement and evaluate the care of a patient.
We have lots of strong partnerships with our industry partners so not just with acute hospitals but with GP surgeries, with community, with mental health even correctional centre nursing.
We have clinical placements. A student must do 800 hours minimum of clinical placement. Our students will go to settings like the hospital, mental health community, they could go to an A&E, an ICU, a paediatric area that interests you.
What that offers then is your opportunity to show yourself while you’re on clinical placement to the people that are going to employ you later.
One of the best things about my course is the opportunity to do placements.
It’s like going in different clinic settings to practice the nursing skills that are taught at the Uni.
What I like most about my placements is that the nursing staff were accommodating, and the patients were so willing to be involved in the learning of Registered Nursing students like me.
I want to continue on this journey when I graduate. I want to be a part of the nursing workforce in this country.
The Bachelor of Nursing is accredited throughout Australia with an external body and it has to meet certain attributes for our students to be considered ready to go on to AHPRA, which is where we are registered once you finish your degree.
I believe becoming a registered nurse in Australia gives you great career opportunities. There are many choices to choose from depending on what interests you the most.
The beauty of an Australian nursing degree is the international recognition that Australia has. We have a reciprocal arrangement with New Zealand, so Australian nurses and New Zealand nurses do move across the borders. Also because of our degree a lot of countries seek nursing graduates.
Nursing to me is a fantastic foundational degree and as I say you can make many careers out of one Nursing degree, you’ll never get bored.
Study experience
- Authentic Learning Experiences
- Real-world Learning Facilities
- Clinical Placements
- Local Networks
- Global Experiences
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One of the best things about my course is the opportunity to do placements. The nursing staff are accommodating and the patients are willing to be involved. I want to continue on this journey and be part of the nursing workforce in this country.
Ivy Vana
Bachelor of Nursing I Philippines
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When I received the Destination Australia Scholarship, I was overwhelmed with emotions. That was a proud moment for me and my family, and I am grateful towards the opportunity CQU has granted me. I will use this chance to the fullest with all my hard work and look forward to developing my skills.
Rajani Shrestha
Bachelor of Nursing I Nepal
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I knew CQU was the place where I wanted to achieve my goals. I was immensely happy and thankful when I received a scholarship. This means a lot to me because this is a form of motivation to study hard.
Anita Thapa
Bachelor of Nursing I Nepal
Career Opportunities
In the final year of the course, students usually apply for a new graduate nursing position in a hospital and health service or other healthcare organisation where they will have the opportunity to further consolidate their knowledge and skills in nursing. The broad nature of nursing and healthcare allows opportunities for employment and/or specialisation in environments such as acute hospital services, community health, mental health, residential and aged care, indigenous health, and rural and remote health.
Structure & Availability
COURSE STRUCTURE
The Bachelor of Nursing requires you to complete 23 core units, a total of 144 units of credit.
UNIT INFORMATION
For information on the units, you could study as part of this course, visit the Handbook and select the "Course Structure" tab. The units in the handbook are listed in the order that you should complete them. By completing these units in a different order, you may delay your progress and extend the length of your study.
CREDIT TRANSFER INFORMATION
If you have already completed a study relevant to the course you have enrolled in, you may be eligible for credit transfer.
On-Campus Availability
Intake | Locations |
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Term 1, 2024 | Brisbane |
Term 2, 2024 | Brisbane |
For international students commencing at the University in 2023 – please note our Rockhampton North campus is restricted to students eligible for advanced standing or recognition of prior learning (RPL).
All other international students commencing in 2023 will be admitted to our Brisbane campus.
Majors and minors are not applicable to this course.
Professional Practice - Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC)
Core
The Bachelor of Nursing is accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC). The Bachelor of Nursing leads to eligibility for registration as a nurse (Division 1) in Australia.
Professional Experience Placement 1 - NURS11170
Professional Experience Placement
Professional Experience Placement 2 - NURS12161
Professional Experience Placement
Mental Health Nursing with Professional Experience Placement - NURS12162
Professional Experience Placement
Professional Experience Placement 3 - NURS12164
Professional Experience Placement
Professional Experience Placement 4 - NURS13142
Professional Experience Placement
Professional Experience Placement 5 - NURS13145
Professional Experience Placement
Depending on clinical placement availability, you may need to travel within or outside of your state for your clinical placement.
Requirements
Recommended study
Domestic students
Students without Senior English, Senior Science and Senior Mathematics are strongly recommended to undertake a bridging course such as Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory Studies (STEPS).
When applying, you must demonstrate that you have met the listed Entry Requirements and English Language Proficiency requirements.
After you have applied and enrolled in this course, you will need to be able to meet the Security and Health Requirements as these generally relate to work-integrated learning activities that form part of your course. You will be provided with more information about security and health requirements after enrolling in the relevant units that these relate to.
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
The COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory to be eligible to attend a WIL placement for this course. Students will be required to provide evidence of having completed a COVID-19 vaccination schedule by the closing date prior to a WIL placement. The vaccine received must be a vaccine approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia.Entry Requirements
English Language Proficiency Requirements:
The English Language Skills requirements listed below are those specified by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia as required for initial registration.
As an applicant for the Bachelor of Nursing, you are required to demonstrate your English language competency in one of the following ways:
- English is your primary language and you have satisfactorily completed at least six years of primary and secondary education, taught and assessed solely in English – including at least two years completed between grades 7 and 12 - in a recognised country. (Recognised countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, United Kingdom or United States of America); OR
- You are currently registered as an Enrolled Nurse with the Australian Health Practitioner Agency (AHPRA)
If you do not satisfy any of the above you will need to undertake an English language proficiency test and achieve the following scores as below:
- An International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic) overall band score of at least 7.0 overall with a minimum 7.0 in each subset; OR
- An Occupational English Test with Grades A or B only in each of the four components; OR
- Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) – requires an overall score of 65 with no sub-score less than 65; OR
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT – requires 94 or better overall and no score less than 27 for writing, 23 for speaking and 24 for listening and reading.
English test results remain valid for no more than two years between the final examination date and the date of commencement of the study and must appear on a single result certificate.
If you are an International student please visit International students English requirements for further information.
Each student will be assessed individually.
Nursing students’ English language skills are directly aligned with the requirements of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
COVID-19 vaccination is a requirement for this course to be eligible for WIL placements. Evidence of a booster dose is necessary for aged care placement settings and those WIL providers who specify.
Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) placements apply to this course and as such are subject to compulsory pre-placement conditions referred to as mandatory checks and are outlined in the health, security and other compulsory requirements sections. Mandatory checks are determined by industry, organisations, legislation, regulations, policies, and procedures. To be eligible for a WIL placement, students must first achieve compliance with mandatory checks by each closing date prior to a WIL placement and maintain current evidence for the duration of the course.
Mandatory health requirements include immunisation and vaccination evidence (and serology where required) to the following diseases: COVID-19, Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps and Rubella, Varicella, Pertussis, Influenza, and Tuberculosis screening. Respirator mask fit testing is also an annual requirement for this course.
Mandatory security requirements include an Australian Federal Police clearance, working with children check, and NDIS worker screening clearance.
Other mandatory requirements include a First Aid and CPR certificate, student agreement to privacy and confidentiality, adherence to Ahpra policies for a registered student professional, fitness to participate in WIL student declaration, jurisdictional and site-specific compulsory requirements, and other training modules.
It is mandatory for a minimum of 800 hours WIL placement in an off-campus health care setting to be undertaken for the Bachelor of Nursing course. Students may be required to complete more than 800 hours due to an organisation's make up of absence policy.
It is important for students to be aware that you may be required to travel to complete your WIL placement.
WIL placements are organised in blocks of time as per the WIL unit requirement, are in various health organisations throughout Australia where a service agreement is in place, subject to availability and capacity of the organisation, and are not negotiable.
Fees & Scholarships
How to apply
Our easy to use online application system for international students will guide you through the process of applying for a course at CQUniversity Australia.