Pros and Cons of a Bachelor of Nursing at WSU

Considering studying a Bachelor of Nursing at WSU? With more and more people applying for nursing degrees, it’s important to not only have the facts but to hear the stories!

We had the chance to talk to Nour, a Nursing student at Western Sydney University about the pros and cons of the degree.

Check it out!

Why should you study a Bachelor of Nursing at WSU?

Top 3 Pros of a Nursing Degree

Top 3 Cons of a Nursing Degree

Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make

Things to Know Before Starting a Bachelor of Nursing at WSU

What Makes this Degree Different

Motivations for Studying a Bachelor of Nursing at WSU

Potential Career Paths

Why should you study a Bachelor of Nursing at WSU?

When asked why people should study a Bachelor of Nursing at WSU, Nour focused not only on the academic esteem of the university but also the social component.

She said, “I chose to study the Bachelor of Nursing at Western Sydney University due to this university being ranked number one for Nursing in Australia, as well as being recognised as being innovative with their teaching. It was also close to home with easy public transport access.”

“WSU is also multi-cultural and quite a social university with various groups and activities/festivals happening,” Nour added.

To ensure a successful career as a nurse and carer, WSU’s Bachelor of Nursing provides graduates with both theoretical and clinical skills. Students’ study will be a combination of inquiry-based learning and evidence-based practice, as WSU uses the primary healthcare framework for teaching.

Students will be equipped with the knowledge to apply physical and behavioural sciences to nursing over the course of their degree, whilst exploring the best ways to care for a diverse range of individuals and groups!

Top 3 Pros of a Nursing degree

Nour’s favourite aspect of the degree was the practical component and clinical placement. She told us, “The practical component allows for essential skills to be learnt and developed, while the clinical placement allows for an insight on what nursing is really like (what you do everyday, how to deal with patients, routine of each ward).”

In a nutshell, Nour’s pros focused on three aspects: Esteem, opportunity and support.

“The Bachelor of Nursing at WSU is a world recognised degree. There are continuous opportunities for jobs and growth and the degree provides lifelong assurance,” Nour shared.

Here are Nour’s 3 pros!

#1: Continuous support

Nour gave us an honest insight into what it’s really like studying this degree at this university. In doing so, she shared with us that there is continuous support from start to finish, including placements and getting a job. On top of that, WSU helps with interviews and preparation!

“The support provided by WSU is amazing. Every aspect of this degree such as placements, job opportunities and completing units successfully is all achieved with ample support as each element has its own support network (email, phone, director/lecturer). These support networks are easily accessed when it is needed and can be found on the WSU website,” Nour remarked.

#2: Job opportunities and growth

Nour not only told us about the continuous support from staff, but she also mentioned the continuous opportunities for jobs and growth. 

#3: High-esteem

Nour said that a great part of studying this degree at this university is the fact that it is world recognised.

“The nursing degree at WSU is world recognised allowing you to apply for positions all across the world, which allows you to experience different aspects of life in various parts of the world,” Nour told us.

Top 3 Cons of a Nursing degree

When it came to Nour’s least favourite aspect of the degree, it all came down to the heavy workload, which includes assignments, weekly tutorials and lectures, placement, practicals, readings and exams. All of this whilst part-time working!

“It is a very demanding course which requires very good time management and consistency. However, you do get better as the semester goes on. There is ample support also if you need help,” Nour exclaimed.

You could tell that Nour was extremely passionate and positive about the Bachelor of Nursing at WSU as she had quite some difficulty in listing her cons.

Here are Nour’s 3 cons (kinda)!

#1: Heavy workload

“Nursing has a heavy workload meaning doing this degree/completing the degree will require you to be able to prioritise, time manage and be consistent,” Nour stated.

Not only are there long hours spent at the university and home-study, there are also built-in placements over the course of your degree, which means that you will be placed in a range of real-world health and community settings, including aged-care facilities, hospitals, GP practices and community health teams. 

#2: Duration

“It’s a 3-year full-time course. Although the 3 years are essential in order to provide the learning and foundations to grow, it may not be for everyone. However, nursing is one of the shorter degrees in the medical field,” Nour said.

Unlike other degrees, where students have a choice as to what units they undertake, students in a Bachelor of Nursing follow a concrete course structure that is relevant to the year that they commenced.

For a Bachelor of Nursing at any of the four campuses, students will have to complete 24 units of study — 4 per term. Each unit of study is 10 credit points, which fulfils the requirement of a total of 240 credit points to complete the degree. 

#3: I don’t know!

It was very clear that Nour loves her degree, as she could not think of any negative aspect that wasn’t workload and time consumption.

“I just couldn’t think of a third negative!” Nour exclaimed.

Any regrets? 

From what we’ve already heard from Nour, it is safe to say that her positive outlook doesn’t allow for any regrets.

“I have no regrets. I wouldn’t have chosen a different degree if I had to do it all again,” Nour said.

What do you wish you had known before starting a Bachelor of Nursing at WSU? 

Although Nour did not have any regrets, there was one thing that she wished she had known. 

“I wish I had known how much theory was needed in this degree, not just the practical components. There are 4 units each semester and 3 of those units are all theory based knowledge and learning,” Nour shared.

What makes this degree different from the ones offered at other universities? 

When asked why the Bachelor of Nursing at WSU is different from other universities, Nour highlighted the university’s endless support, teaching methods and great reputation for academic excellence. 

“WSU demonstrates excellence and commitment to their teaching style, which highlights the importance of combining hands-on experience with theoretical knowledge. I feel that WSU supports their students more than other universities (based on what I’ve been told by students from other universities). However, the course outline is very similar across all universities,” Nour informed us.

What inspired you to choose this degree?

In order to make a degree choice, especially at a young age, you need some sort of inspiration. We asked Nour what inspired her to choose this degree at this university and she gave a very empathetic and human response.

“I was inspired to choose a nursing degree because I wanted to make a difference in people’s daily lives. I knew that I wouldn’t be continuously doing the same thing each day as two patients are never the same,” Nour said.

She added, “I was also inspired by many nurses I have met as they showed me how rewarding this career is and how each nurse is so different in their approach. I chose WSU due to their reputation in nursing, their support before I started my degree and it was also close to home and easy to get to.”

What are the possible career paths?

A Bachelor of Nursing will not only allow you to work in the traditional ward or hospital, but it will open up doors into various sectors within the healthcare industry. After completing your degree and becoming a registered nurse, you could find yourself working in:

• • Aged care nursing
  • Practitioning (a nurse practitioner can independently prescribe some medications)
  • Palliative care
  • Specialist ear nursing
  • Mental health nursing, both outside and inside a general hospital setting
  • Cancer nursing
  • General practice 
  • Physician office 
  • Case management
  • Informatics 
  • Schools
  • Research
  • Cruise ships 
  • Midwifery 
  • Prisons
  • Occupational health
  • Pharmaceutics 
  • Public or home health
  • Surgery 
  • Emergency room 
  • Travel
  • Rehabilitation 

There are many areas of specialisation within nursing, some of which may require the completion of a Transition to Specialty Practice Program (TSP). Gaining a position in one of these programs can be highly competitive, yet very rewarding!

If a Bachelor of Nursing at WSU is beginning to tick all your boxes, you can find more exciting information here!

Thomasin McCuaig is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and an Arts graduate with majors in English and Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Sydney. Thomasin is a passionate writer, singer and drama teacher, who has had her work published in Holidays with Kids, Signature Luxury Travel and Style and Offspring Magazine. Thomasin also writes junior plays for her students and aims to publish a novel someday. During the COVID isolation period, Thomasin put her passion into practise and launched her own writing and editing business, ‘Re:Write Editing.’ In her spare time you will find her either napping, talking to her cats or looking up real estate for absolutely no reason at all. Fun fact: Thomasin appeared on Japanese morning breakfast show ‘ZIP!’ as a travel reporter, where she presented a six day exposé of Sydney!