Program Outline

The Bachelor of Nursing academic program is designed for students who wish to become registered nurses, prepared for practice in a wide variety of clinical areas including:

• community health
• emergency
• general practice
• gerontological
• intensive care
• oncology
• orthopaedics
• perioperative
• rural and remote

Students will gain extensive practical experience in the clinical setting, more so than is traditionally taught in university programs. This program will have significant and extensive clinical focus supported by academic rigour.

Key Features of Academic Program

• Emphasis on health care as a dynamic and ever-changing system: Students will be encouraged to accept that review and change is a natural feature of health care. The program will assist understanding of how policies and politics effect change. Students will be prepared for work as clinical leaders and managers.
• Focus on practice: All teaching and learning will be practice-focused and practice experience will be extensive. Students will engage in practice placements as rostered members of the nursing team. The focus throughout the program will be on developing excellence in core clinical nursing skills.
• Reliance on experiential learning: The practice experience and integration of students into the nursing team will provide an opportunity to embrace experiential learning throughout the curriculum.
• Philosophy of person-centred nursing: Care of patients in hospital will be understood in the family and community context through the concept of a patient's total 'journey of care'. This will be reinforced by involvement of consumers in teaching.
• Increasing emphasis on health, health promotion and primary care-led health services: Practice experience will occur across a range of institution and community settings.
• Preparation for evidence-based practice: All teaching and learning will be strongly research-orientated and clinical decision-making skills will be evidence-based.
• Emphasis on developing team-working skills: Developing the skills of team-work are essential as health care in hospital and in community settings is multidisciplinary.
• Interdisciplinary learning: The Discipline of Nursing is part of the Faculty of Health Sciences and students will benefit from working with other disciplines within the university.
• Information technology literacy: Students will be prepared to work in a technological environment to enhance patient centred care.

Program Structure

The program is structured over an extended academic year in order to facilitate clinical placements and increase the amount of clinical time available to students. The program comprises 2 courses per semester, each divided into 2 core areas: Human Sciences and Nursing Practice. Each of these courses includes 4 modules.

Clinical Placements

Students will work in the clinical area, as full members of the health care team and additional clinical support and clinical lecturers will provide supervision. Clinical placement will be undertaken in the Central Northern Adelaide Health Service (for example, at the Royal Adelaide Hospital - North Terrace and Glenside campuses and Hampstead), Port Pirie Regional Health Service, Royal District Nursing Service, and Resthaven Group of Residential Care Facilities.

One of the most important strengths of this innovative program is the substantial amount of time dedicated to learning in practice. This clinical time is significantly increased from traditional Australian undergraduate nursing programs.

Students will be introduced to the practice environment in a structured manner and will be able to integrate knowledge with practice. Annual clinical placements will extend from 35 - 40 weeks (3 days per week). Placements will vary across different practice settings from acute care tertiary to primary health care areas. Not only will students participate in the care of people as they journey through the stages of acute illness to rehabilitation and recovery, they will also be placed in areas where the aim is to promote health and prevent disease. Placements will be in both metropolitan areas and rural areas of South Australia.

This program offers one of the most clinically extensive undergraduate nursing programs in Australia.

Prospective students need to be aware of the demands of this program; with 2 days of lecture and tutorial contact per week during the academic year and 3 days of clinical placement per week over an extended academic year a strong commitment to the course is required.

Admission Information

Admissions information for domestic and international students.

Domestic

Selection criteria:	Year 12 applicants 2008 Commonwealth-supported TER: 75 You must not have completed more than 2 years full time equivalent (48 units) university study. You must have gained a 'Recorded Achievement' in four SACE Stage 2 HESS (Higher Education Selection Subjects) General subjects (or interstate/International Baccalaureate equivalents). For a full list of SACE subjects and their HESS status please refer to the SATAC Tertiary Entrance Booklet. A Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) of 75 or above must be achieved. You must also attend a structured oral assessment and applications will be ranked on this basis. Higher Education applicants You must have completed at least half a year full time equivalent higher education study, achieving at least a credit average (a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 5.0 or more). You must also undergoe an oral assessment. Applications will be ranked on the basis of both your GPA and oral assessment. Special Entry applicants You must meet the following criteria: you must be 21 years or over on January 1st of the year that you will be studying*, you must not hold a completed higher education level award, and if you have been enrolled in a course leading to a higher education level award in the last 3 years, you must not have completed more than 2 years full time equivalent university study. If you meet this criteria, you will be eligible to compete using your result in the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT). You must achieve a STAT score of 150 or more. Your STAT result is not weighted between verbal and quantitative components. Personal Competencies (PC) and Employment Experience (EE) statements are not considered. You must also attend a structured oral assessment and applications will be ranked on this basis. *The age restriction is 19 years or over if you have completed either the Flinders Foundation course or the UniSA Foundation Studies program or the UniSA Program for Adult Learners. Indigenous applicants may be eligible for entry through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Access Scheme. See Wilto Yerlo for further information.
Additional entry requirements:	All applicants must attend a structured oral assessment. See the Faculty of Health Sciences for further information
How to apply:	SATAC Code: 324341 Apply through SATAC SATAC application dates Application and Admission
Mid-year entry?	Subject to availability
Annual tuition fees:	Commonwealth-supported place: $4,162
General enquiries:	Student Centre

International

Selection criteria:	IELTS Total Reading Listening Speaking Writing 6.5 6 6 6 6 International TER 75
Additional entry requirements:	Entry is also subject to Structure Oral Assessment. Refer to the International Selection Document for more information.
How to apply:	Application information for international students Important application deadlines for international students
Mid-year entry?	No
Annual tuition fees:	International student place: $23,000
General enquiries:	Student Centre

Study Plans

The study plans given are examples of pathways through this degree. For a complete description, see the program rules.

Level I
Semester One Human Sciences Human Biology 1A Microbiology, Immunology & Infection Control 1A Medication Management 1A Health & Illness 1A Nursing Practice Nursing as a Profession 1A Therapeutics of Clinical Nursing 1A Health Assessment 1A Communication & Psychosocial Care 1A Semester Two Human Sciences Human Biology 2A Microbiology, Immunology & Infection Control 1B Medication Management 1B Health & Illness 1B  Nursing Practice Nursing as a Profession 1B Therapeutics of Clinical Nursing 1B Health Assessment 1B Communication & Psychosocial Care 1B
Level II
Semester I Human Sciences Human Pathophysiology 2A Human Pathophysiology 2B Pharmacology & Complementary Therapies 2A Human Development Across the Life Span Nursing Practice Nursing as a Profession 2A Therapeutics of Clinical Nursing 2A Health Assessment 2A Communication & Psychosocial Care 2A Semester II Human Sciences Human Pathophysiology 2C Human Pathophysiology 2D Pharmacology & Complementary Therapies 2B Child & Youth Health Nursing Practice Nursing as a Profession 2B Therapeutics of Clinical Nursing 2B Health Assessment 2B Communication & Psychosocial Care 2B
Level III
Semester I Human Science Nursing Patients with Cancer Nursing Patients with Special Needs Nursing Elderly Patients Integrating Nursing Theory & Practice 3A Nursing Practice Nursing as a Profession 3A Therapeutics of Clinical Nursing 3A Health Assessment 3A Communication & Psychosocial Care 3A Semester II Human Science Nursing Critically Ill Patients Nursing Patients in the Perioperative Setting Nursing Patients with Mental Health Problems Integrating Nursing Theory & Practice 3B Nursing Practice Nursing as a Profession 3B Therapeutics of Clinical Nursing 3B Health Assessment 3B Communication & Psychosocial Care 3B

Career Opportunities

This degree program provides a professional qualification, which is recognised for registration as a nurse in South Australia and through mutual recognition agreements accepted in other Australian states and most countries around the world.

Potential careers

Nurse

Graduate Attributes

The Bachelor of Nursing at The University of Adelaide seeks to produce a graduate who is well-prepared, both academically and clinically, to meet the ongoing changes and challenges of a 21^st century healthcare system. Graduates will have the  professional knowledge, skills and attitudes required to function in the role of a registered nurse, according to the Australian Nursing Council National Competency Standards for Registered Nurses and will be able to function in accordance with the professional codes of ethics and conduct as described by the Australian Nursing Council. Graduates will be eligible to register with the Nurses Board of South Australia. 

1. The potential to work as team leaders and managers and undertake the role of case management and care co-ordination.
2. A rigorous academic knowledge of the human sciences that inform nursing practice.
3. The clinical and technological skills required to provide high quality effective nursing care.
4. The attitudes and skills to practice person-centred nursing in a culturally sensitive and ethically sound manner;
5. Being able to use critical thinking skills and knowledge to problem solve in their nursing practice.
6. Highly developed communication skills and sound interpersonal skills to work effectively as members of the multidisciplinary team and to provide quality nursing care.
7. Being able to critically analyse in order to evaluate the evidence and make decisions and implement nursing care based on the best available evidence.
8. Being committed to and having the skills to continue life long learning to advance their nursing practice and provide high quality nursing care.
9. Being able to work effectively both independently and as members of the nursing and multidisciplinary team in a variety of health care setting.
10. Being well equipped to practice as a registered nurse in an technological environment. This means being flexible, receptive and knowledgeable regarding technology, being literate in health informatics and general information technology and being able to best use this to provide quality nursing care.
11. Being able to effectively integrate skills and knowledge in order to facilitate quality nursing care.
12. Having a sound understanding of the dynamics of the health care system and the sociological, cultural and political influences that influence professional practice.
13. Being prepared to practice and promote safe practice in accordance with legislation and professional codes. 
14. The knowledge, skills and attitudes to practice in a health system that has an increasing emphasis on health, health promotion and primary health care services.
15. The knowledge and willingness required to contribute to the professional development of other nurses.

Overview of Learning and Teaching of Graduate Attributes

Human Science Courses

Note the learning and teaching of the graduate attributes is integrated and is  therefore not limited to the specified modules.

Useful Links

• Discipline of Nursing
• Program Information Leaflet
• Undergraduate Scholarships
• Student Centre enquiry form

Program Rules

Bachelor of Nursing Program Rules