Nursing and Midwifery

• Nursing at Deakin
• Our courses
• Special features of our courses
• Career opportunities
• Further information

Nursing at Deakin

The School of Nursing and Midwifery at Deakin University is one of the largest in Australia and offers programs for each stage of a nurse's career, from undergraduate to postgraduate courses (including research degrees), as well as professional development short courses.

The Bachelor of Nursing and combined courses (an approved combination of courses undertaken simultaneously, which leads to the conferral of two awards) are designed to meet the registration requirements for Registered Nurse (Division 1) of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

The School has many formal and informal links with hospitals and other agencies in both research and consultancy activities. Partnership arrangements with major health care providers have strengthened the School's research focus in the areas of chronic illness, acute and critical care and health services evaluation.

Our partners include:

• The Alfred
• Barwon Health
• Cabrini Hospital
• Eastern Health
• Epworth Hospital
• Northern Health
• Southern Health
• Uniting Care Community Options.

Our courses

At an undergraduate level we offer the Bachelor of Nursing which can also be taken as a combined course with Bachelor of Midwifery, Bachelor of Public Health and Health Promotion, and Bachelor of Applied Science (Psychology). Honours is also available for students who meet entry requirements.

Postgraduate nursing courses are offered in areas of Diabetes Education, Cardiac Care, Critical Care, Emergency Care, Intensive Care, Perioperative, Nursing Practice, Midwifery and Nurse Practitioner.

View a list of nursing courses for:

• local students
• international students

Special features of our courses

Practical experience commences in Trimester 1, year one
All of Deakin's nursing courses include clinical practice experience and skills training that comprises 50 per cent of the course hours and is conducted in metropolitan, rural and regional health care settings. Beginning just a few months after you begin your course, early exposure to the clinical environment gives you extensive opportunities to develop and consolidate clinical skills in a variety of areas including acute/sub-acute care, medical and surgical care, aged care, community, midwifery, paediatrics and psychiatric/mental health nursing.

Students undertaking the Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery will undertake an additional 11 weeks of clinical practice experience in order to fulfill the requirements for registration as a midwife.

Choose your own class attendance
In most instances students are able to select their class preference times via our Student Timetable Allocation and Registration (STAR) system. STAR enables students to browse times for all available classes and enter their individual preferences for the times that they would like to attend. This helps you plan for and meet your other commitments.

Teaching and learning
The School of Nursing and Midwifery is committed to providing excellence in all its courses and employs key clinicians and researchers to ensure teaching is based on current practice, contemporary research and evidence-based practice in nursing.

Work ready
Our courses are designed in consultation with our industry partners, ensuring our graduates are highly regarded for their nursing knowledge, communication skills, professionalism, enthusiasm, and problem-solving capabilities.

Choose your own Clinical Placement
Deakin's partnership networks have facilitated the development of a range of innovative clinical learning models. These models give you the opportunity to choose which of our partner hospitals you go to for your clinical experience. Perhaps you'll choose The Alfred, Monash Medical Centre, Epworth Health, Box Hill Hospital, Cabrini Health, Barwon Health or one of our other partner hospitals.

What's more, you may have the opportunity of continuing at that hospital throughout your course, allowing you to gain a rich understanding of that hospital's environment, policies and procedures, making you a preferred applicant for employment at that hospital at the completion of your course. Alternatively you can choose to undertake your clinical experience in a different hospital each time you have a clinical practicum. In most instances, the choice is yours!!

Pathways to nursing
If you are registered as an Enrolled Nurse (Division 2) with the Midwifery Board of Australia, you may receive up to 8 credit points of Credit for Prior Learning towards the Bachelor of Nursing and can complete the course over two and a half years with a reduced load.

There is also credit available for mature age students who have undergraduate degrees in disciplines other than nursing, which reduces study load over the duration of the course and facilitates a better work/life balance.

Multidisciplinary learning
Nursing students also work with students from a range of other health disciplines including medicine, psychology, social work, occupational therapy and dietetics. This experience introduces you to working in multidisciplinary teams and helps to develop an understanding of the expertise and role of different health professions.

Partnerships that make a difference
The School of Nursing and Midwifery's Clinical Partnership Program is the first coordinated program of its kind in Australia. This extensive program connects Deakin University's School of Nursing and Midwifery to the largest hospitals and health care organisations in the public and private sector in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas of Victoria.

Each partner health care organisation also has a joint appointment with the School of Nursing and Midwifery in the form of either a Professor of Clinical Nursing or a Senior Research Fellow. This ensures our staff remain connected to the nursing industry and our courses remain relevant to the specific health care needs of the community.

Professional recognition
Our Bachelor of Nursing and combined courses fulfill the registration requirements for Registered Nurse (Division 1) of Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. Students successfully completing the Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery are also eligible for the additional endorsement of registered midwife.

Overseas study
Give your degree a competitive edge with a Deakin Education Abroad program.

Exchange and Study Abroad programs are available to all Deakin students, including international, undergraduate, postgraduate and off-campus students. Opportunities to undertake study overseas are available to Deakin Nursing students who meet the requirements and enable you to discover new countries while obtaining credit towards your Deakin degree.

Currently the School of Nursing and Midwifery has agreements with a number of universities in selected countries, including Canada, Denmark and China.

Career opportunities

Employment opportunities for nursing graduates have never been greater due to the current shortage of qualified nurses both locally and overseas.

Deakin Nursing graduates are equipped to pursue careers as registered nurses in a range of specialist areas.

Nursing areas:

• acute care/sub-acute care nursing
• nursing administration
• aged care nursing
• emergency nurse
• community health nurse
• family nursing
• maternal and child health nurse
• school nurse
• mental health nursing
• paediatric nurse
• nursing policy
• nursing professional bodies
• nursing research
• rehabilitation.

In addition to the above, students completing nursing combined degrees may also pursue opportunities including:

• health development and policy
• health promotion and education
• midwifery
• nursing/public health policy
• psychology.

Further information

For further information visit the School of Nursing and Midwifery web site.

back to top