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Bachelor Of Nursing :: Undergraduate :: Courses
Bachelor of Nursing
The Bachelor of Nursing course is designed to prepare a student to function as a registered nurse, caring for people across the life span in a variety of clinical settings. The course provides not only the knowledge necessary for the professional nurse but also the attitudes and clinical and interpersonal skills essential to provide holistic nursing care in a variety of clinical settings. The organisation of subjects in the course integrates the concepts of health and illness and related health and nursing care strategies across the life span from infancy, through childhood and adolescence, to adulthood and older age. As students progress through the course they are expected to develop enhanced problem solving, critical thinking and knowledge discovery techniques that will improve their practice as graduates.
The first semester of the course may be undertaken on either the Lake Macquarie Campus or the Sydney Campus. Subsequent semesters are based at the Sydney Campus that is co-located with the Sydney Adventist Hospital (the “San”).
Students may commence the course in the first semester, or part-time students can enter the program in either semester of the academic year.
Duration
Three years full-time or equivalent part-time.
Credit points
144 credit points
Mode of delivery
Predominantly on campus but with flexible delivery of some subjects (this may include intensive classroom teaching, student self-directed learning, contract learning, distance education supported by print or electronic media or a combination of approaches).
Abbreviation of course title
BN
Accreditation
The degree is accredited by the NSW Department of Education and Training and by the Nurses and Midwives Board New South Wales.
Nurse registration
On successful completion of the course, graduates are eligible to apply for nurse registration in NSW, Australia.
After first registering in NSW, students may then also apply for registration in other Australian states, and New Zealand, due to mutual recognition legislation. Students from other countries should ascertain the requirements for those countries in which they intend to register.
Entry requirements
The general entry requirements for Avondale College degree courses are stated in the Academic Policies section of the Handbook.
In addition to the Avondale College General Admission Requirements, the nursing course has specific entry requirements as indicated:
- Current first aid certificate from an accredited course. It is strongly recommended that this be obtained prior to the commencement of the course or must be completed by the end of first semester
- HSC (or equivalent) Biology is recommended
- All students for whom English is not a first language and who did not undertake their senior schooling in English and obtain a satisfactory pass in English in a British O-level examination are required to demonstrate proficiency in English by obtaining an overall IELTS score of 6.5 or better, with a written score of at least 6.5 and no other individual band score less than 6.0 (post 1987)
- A word processing competency test is undertaken in the first two weeks of semester. A satisfactory result must be obtained in word processing by the completion of first semester
- An academic bridging program (skills refresher and orientation to tertiary education) is offered for mature age students or others with special requirements for admission to degree courses
- A criminal records check will be undertaken at the commencement of the course as per NSW legislation. An unsatisfactory criminal clearance may result in the student being unable to complete clinical requirements and hence may be unable to continue in the BN program. The criminal records check will be carried out at a cost of $30, which the student is required to pay.
- There is an expectation of adhering to the NSW Health department vaccination guidelines in order to access clinical practice areas. This may require vaccination for various diseases as required by the Health Department and there may be a cost associated with this that students would need to meet. The cost will depend on the previous exposure to diseases and the vaccinations required as a result of this. Further detail on this is available from the NSW Health Department, the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia or the Faculty of Nursing and Health.
Equipment and uniform requirements
Students will need to purchase a range of equipment in order to complete the Bachelor of Nursing degree. The Faculty of Nursing and Health coordinates this upon commencement of the course. This includes a designated student uniform for undertaking clinical practice (including trousers, two shirts, cardigan and watch), a stethoscope, Faculty-approved personal protective equipment such as goggles/glasses and other equipment that may be determined as necessary to protect the individual in the workplace.
Course structure
The course includes study in numerous general and specialty nursing areas such as medical, surgical, maternal and child health, mental health, community, aged care and nursing care of the developmentally disabled person. Related subject material from the physical, biological and behavioural sciences is integrated into the course to present an holistic perspective of nursing.
Year 1
Semester 1
NR101 :: Foundations of Health and Nursing
PS119 :: Introductory Psychology and Sociology
SC147 :: Health Science I
SC148 :: Health Science II
Semester 2
CR104 :: Spiritual Care in Health
NR102 :: Clinical Practice II
NR103 :: Primary Health Care
SC149 :: Health Science III
Year 2
Semester 1
NR202 :: Medical/Surgical Nursing A
NR203 :: Clinical Practice III
NR207 :: Utilising Research
NR208 :: Promoting Holistic Health
Semester 2
NR204 :: Clinical Practice IV
NR205 :: Medical/Surgical Nursing B
NR206 :: Mental Health
PS219 :: Maternal, Child and Family Health
Year 3
Semester 1
NR302 :: Medical/Surgical Nursing C
NR303 :: Community Health Nursing
NR305 :: Clinical Practice V
PS319 :: Health Care of the Ageing Adult
Semester 2
CR304 :: Ethics and Professional Accountability
NR307 :: High Dependency Nursing
NR308 :: Clinical Nursing Elective
NR306 :: Clinical Practice VI
Progression through the course
It is generally expected that students will complete the subjects in the order listed for the course in the Structure. Therefore the first-level (100-level) subjects would normally be completed before proceeding to second level (200-level) subjects. Specific corequisites and prerequisites are listed in the subject synopses section of this handbook. Exceptions to these progression rules may be made with approval of the Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Health.
Semester organisation
The semesters are organised so that
- Semester 1 matches with the Lake Macquarie Campus program. Other semesters are scheduled across the year to take advantage of clinical learning opportunities and may commence earlier and finish later than the usual college program.
- Clinical practice days are scheduled across semesters on specific days per week, or in a block structure of a number of weeks.
Clinical component
The clinical component of the course is undertaken as a clinical practice subject each semester. The content of this clinical subject is related to the areas being studied in the concurrent theoretical subjects. Some clinical placements are provided by the courtesy and cooperation of the Sydney Adventist Hospital, but there are many placements in other public/private hospitals, mental health facilities, paediatric units, aged care and community facilities.
In order to maximise clinical learning there is occasionally a need to travel off campus to settings where specialist nursing practice is occurring. Because of the variety of settings there is a requirement for students to travel to clinical learning venues themselves. It should be noted that clinical learning experiences are a compulsory component of the course.
Delivery approaches
Contemporary and proven approaches are utilised in the teaching of the course. These include flexible delivery of some course components, computer based learning, along with lectures, small group tutorial discussions, clinical skills demonstrations in simulated and real clinical environments and clinical learning in varied nursing areas.
Assessment methods
Assessment methods are varied within subjects and consist of major or minor essays, examinations, projects, tutorial presentations by students, short reports, clinical practice appraisals and clinical skill assessments. Examinations are held in approximately 60% of subjects. Others rely on different types of written assessments or clinical practice assessments.
Work experience
Students have the opportunity to request work at the Sydney Adventist Hospital to earn a proportion of their fees and living expenses in the holidays and semester breaks. While paid work experience in hospital wards does not form part of the course and is only available to student nurses in their own time, its value in providing educational reinforcement, increased confidence and practical skills, as well as financial benefit, has led the Faculty of Nursing and Health to expect students to take advantage of this work experience.
Textbooks
Purchase of textbooks is at the student’s discretion. The library will usually hold copies of the texts.
Transport costs
Some additional costs associated with transport to required clinical venues may arise. The actual cost will depend on the distance travelled and the transport used. A public bus service links the Sydney Campus to the city rail line.
Registration 100 Points ID
Registration 100 Points ID
Enquiries
For more information contact the Avondale Enquiries and Enrolments Centre
