Are you interested in studying Nursing? Have you considered a Bachelor of Nursing at Monash University?
The 3-year undergraduate degree will teach you all things nursing, ensure you fulfil the required placement hours, and you will graduate as a registered nurse.
Keep reading to find out more about this degree!
What is a Bachelor of Nursing at Monash University?
Core Units for this Degree
How to Get into a Bachelor of Nursing at Monash
What’s the Teaching Format?
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?
What is a Bachelor of Nursing at Monash University?
A Bachelor of Nursing at Monash University is a degree that equips you with the necessary skills and knowledge to become a nurse. You learn about the human body, different types of care, how to deal with patients and work in a medical or health environment.
Monash University takes a very practical approach to Nursing with a lot of scenario based learning and integrated work placements throughout the entire degree.
Studying Nursing at Monash University is a single degree. However, it is common for students to study a double degree and also complete a Bachelor of Midwifery.
Did you know that Monash is one of the top 5 universities in Australia for Nursing?
Postgraduate Studies
You can also complete an Honours program in Nursing, which is an additional year of study. It requires you to either specialise in nursing, or Midwifery (if you do the double degree).
In order to get into the Honours program, you need a distinction average mark, which is a minimum of 70% in the second and third year of the degree. Beyond Honours you can choose to complete a Master of Nursing Practice.
Career Paths
It goes without saying that students who choose to study a Bachelor of Nursing are most likely looking to become a Nurse. That being said, there are a range of different areas of health and medicine that you can enter as a Nursing graduate:
- Hospital nurse
- Emergency nurse
- Palliative care
- Rehabilitation nurse
- Oncological nurse
- Mental health care
- Occupational health
- Disability nurse
- Aged care nurse
Core Units for this Degree
Nursing at Monash University is taught across four areas:
- Personal and professional development
- Society, population, health and illness
- Translation of knowledge for clinical practice
- Clinical nursing skills
These four areas comprehensively cover the different aspects of Nursing, from the practical skills such as administering needles or using technology alongside dealing with patients and mental health.
What are the Core Units?
There are a number of core units that you will need to take throughout the degree, most of which are 6 or 12 credit points each.
NUR1111: Global health and cultural competence in nursing and midwifery practice
This unit looks into different health issues and illnesses in the context of local, national and global health care. You will learn about different impacts on health, and understand how health issues can impact individuals through a wellbeing and mental health lens.
NUR2223: Safety in healthcare contexts
This subject is imperative for students in their journey to becoming a registered nurse, as the unit looks into patient safety, clinical risk, the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and professional practices.
NUR2225: Mental health nursing practice contexts
This subject focusses entirely on mental health and how to deal with patients that may be suffering from mental health issues. You learn a range of techniques and methods used to assess and provide the appropriate care for patients.
NUR3312: Translation of nursing knowledge in preparation for professional practice
This unit looks into professional workplace and clinical practices. You can expect scenario based learning in this subject and learn how to care for patients with different needs and medical histories.
Are there any majors for this degree?
A Bachelor of Nursing at Monash University is quite a rigid degree where the majority of your units are set for you. However there is room for you to complete one of two electives:
- NUR2005: Introduction to maternity and paediatric nursing
- NUR2447: Clinical concepts
Aside from these electives, there are no majors or specialisations in the degree. If you choose to complete postgraduate studies, such as Honours and Masters, you can then specialise in Nursing, or Midwifery if you are doing a double degree.
What about placements?
As for placements, it is actually compulsory to get work experience as a nurse, and there are multiple opportunities each year throughout the entire degree.
In first year you normally do 1-2 week placements at an aged care or rehabilitation facility. In second year you complete a total of 9 weeks of placements, usually split into 3. These are generally focussed in the clinical or mental health side of nursing.
Finally, in third year you need to complete 5 weeks of placement in the intensive care unit, critical care or surgical units.
The course ensures you not only meet the required hours of placement to become a registered nurse, but it also allows you to experience the different areas you could work in as a nurse.
How to Get into a Bachelor of Nursing at Monash
The ATAR requirement for a Bachelor of Nursing at Monash University is 70.00. However, there are also a number of alternate pathways that you can take to gain admission into the degree.
Alternate Pathways
You can complete a Diploma of Tertiary studies prior to enrolling in the undergraduate degree, which is a pathway program suitable to prospective Nursing students. It can also help you gain up to a full year worth of credit towards the Nursing degree to help you complete the Bachelor’s degree faster.
There are also Indigenous entry schemes, and pathways for mature age students. Depending on your personal situation, you can find an entry pathway at Monash that is suitable for you.
Additional Requirements
To enter Nursing at Monash, you also need to fulfil a few additional requirements.
Firstly, mandatory police checks must be done so that you are able to complete work placements, alongside a Working with Children Check. You are also required to have your immunisations and vaccinations for your own safety when completing work placements.
You must also be able to demonstrate fluency in English. If English is your primary language and you have completed it in high school, you do not need to complete the additional test. Otherwise, you must meet the Monash English requirement to demonstrate your competency.
Scholarships
There are a variety of scholarships on offer for Nursing students at Monash University.
The Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Scholars Grant is a $3000 payment eligible for students with financial hardship or who may be experiencing disadvantages that impact their education.
The Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Indigenous Accommodation Scholarship provides funding for Indigenous students to stay at the Monash Residential Services.
The Donovan-Johnston Memorial Scholarship is a monetary prize given to support a student staying at the Mannix College or the Monash University Halls of Residence.
These are just three of the many scholarships available at Monash. You can use the Monash University scholarship search to find something that relates to your personal circumstance.
What’s the Teaching Format?
Monash University runs on a semester format. For a Bachelor of Nursing you have lectures, workshops and lab classes every week.
Class Structure
Lectures
Lectures are usually 2 hours for each subject with up to 200 students. Depending on the subject, you cover theoretical content on bodily systems, nursing conduct and safe practices.
Workshops
You have workshops for almost every subject and they run for 2 to 3 hours. These classes are scenario driven and look at how content from the lectures can be applied in real life situations.
There are around 20 students in workshops and you work on scenarios in smaller groups or teams.
Labs
You normally have one lab subject a semester which is a clinical lab. You are required to be in uniform and apply theory from lectures to scenarios that help you practice new skills.
There are 10 to 20 students in labs and you often work in small groups or pairs.
How much time do you spend in class?
Depending on the subjects you have, you can expect 14 to 18 contact hours a week. This includes lectures which you can attend remotely or watch in your own time.
Assessments
As there are constant placements throughout every semester, students are in and out of attendance, so there are minimal group projects for this reason.
“I would say there are three types of assessments: normal essays, reflective journals and iSAP, which are case studies and scenarios that you write a report on.” — Sara Fung Shu Kwan
Essays can be take-home assignments or part of an end of semester exam. Reflective journals are often part of a work placement experience that requires you to look back on the experiences and knowledge gained.
Finally, iSAP is a format of assessment that requires you to respond to a hypothetical scenario and then write a reflective report to demonstrate your understanding of what occurred, your response actions and how you could improve.
Skills You Refine and Learn
“In my surgical placement I learnt how to respond to emergency calls in a hospital, and the criteria we use to assess the situation.” — Sara Fung Shu Kwan
In Nursing at Monash you gain all the required skills to become a registered nurse. This ranges from an understanding of the human body, different bodily systems, how to respond to injuries, care for patients, work in emergency environments, dealing with mental health and so much more.
“I also did a paediatric placement, so I had to learn about all the different types of medication, but also how do I administer this medication if, say, a child doesn’t want to take it.” — Sara Fung Shu Kwan
Real life situations like these teach you how to overcome barriers and obstacles that nurses face everyday with a number of different medical situations.
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?
Faculty
The Nursing faculty at Monash are known to be very understanding especially as students deal with part time or casual jobs alongside full-time placements and catching up on classes.
“They’re supportive and caring! They help you with upcoming assessments and provide you with more time if you need it.” — Sara Fung Shu Kwan
Culture
As the placements for Nursing are organised by Monash University, many students in the cohort will do placements together, forming small groups and bonding over the experience.
The culture of the Nursing cohort is considered very supportive and collaborative!
Societies
There are a variety of different societies at Monash University. The Monash Clayton Nursing Society is a community that brings that cohort together.
There are also organised lunches and events for students to meet Nursing students in different year levels. The society also hosts pre-placement workshops and mentorship programs for first year students.
Nursing and Midwifery Peer Mentoring
Monash University has a Nursing and Midwifery Peer Mentoring program designed specifically for first year students.
The peer mentoring is designed to help introduce everyone to the community, guide you through the semester, course content and assessments. This runs for six months and is a great opportunity for students to ask questions or seek advice from their mentors!
Interested in the pros and cons of this degree? Check out our article here!
Still unsure? Check out our article on all the different tertiary education options available to you here!
Nandini Dhir is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Marketing) and a Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Media and Communications), as a Dalyell Scholar, at Sydney University. She enjoys covering local issues in her area and writing about current events in the media. Nandini has had one of her pieces published in an article with the Sydney Morning Herald. In her free time, Nandini loves doing calligraphy, ballet, and sewing, or is otherwise found coddling her cats.
