BlogUniversityPros and Cons of a Bachelor of Nursing at QUT

Pros and Cons of a Bachelor of Nursing at QUT

Thinking of enrolling in a Bachelor of Nursing at QUT, but want a glimpse into what it’s really like? 

Meet Bridget, who just completed her Bachelor’s degree! She’ll give us some insight into the best and worst parts of studying this course, potential career paths, any regrets, what sets QUT apart from other universities out there, and much more.

So let’s dive in! 

Why should you study a Bachelor of Nursing at QUT?
Top 3 Pros of a Nursing Degree
Top 3 Cons of a Nursing Degree
Things to Know Before Starting a QUT Bachelor of Nursing
What Makes this Degree Different
Motivations for Studying a QUT Bachelor of Nursing
Potential Career Paths

Why should you study a Bachelor of Nursing at QUT? 

A Bachelor of Nursing at QUT is an ideal course for developing foundational health and nursing skills as well as providing you with real-world nursing experience so that you can feel ready to take on a professional career once you graduate. You can expect realistic learning experiences throughout this hands-on, immersive 3-year course, which combines nursing practice and healthcare with emerging scientific developments and technologies.

When studying this degree, you’ll be exposed to a positive and welcoming culture and you’ll have the chance to join the QUT Society of Undergraduate Nurses (SUN). This society holds many community-building social events for undergraduates!

Top 3 Pros of a Nursing degree 

#1: Work placements 

Bridget says that a QUT Bachelor of Nursing has excellent work placements and immersive learning experiences.

Students studying this degree will complete 840 hours of placement both on and off campus! This includes extensive support from QUT teachers and real-world professionals, such as continual feedback on your performance from clinical facilitators, and mentoring relationships with registered nurse mentors. 

Nursing work placement during your degree is a bit like a ‘baby’ job interview!” adds Bridget. These enable you to build up your resume, and often the last placement you complete in your degree (in third year) will offer you a job interview, which is a great launch-pad into the professional world. 

#2: On-campus facilities 

QUT boasts a range of high-technology facilities that significantly aid in developing Nursing students’ professional skills. Bridget emphasises the robotic manikins in the university’s training ‘wards’, used to simulate a hospital environment. 

QUT Bachelor of Nursing - Quote

These ‘practical’ sessions are compulsory each semester as part of the Nursing ‘core units’. Students can expect to attend 1 hour of practicals per week, in addition to 1-2 hours of tutorials and 1 hour of lectures. 

#3: Variety of learning experiences


QUT offers work experience at a diverse range of locations, including both public and private hospitals, nursing homes, and in-home hospitals, says Bridget. This variety provides a taster for students as they graduate and seek jobs in the professional world.

External approved study options are also available for those studying this degree, including NSB102 Professional Practice and Cultural Safety and NSB202 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Well-being at the Kelvin Grove campus. 

Finally, students may apply to travel overseas and provide health services to communities in developed and developing countries as part of their practical study. 

Top 3 Cons of a Nursing degree 

#1: High workload

Bridget says the workload for a Bachelor of Nursing at QUT can be intense so time management is key. She says students will on average spend 12 hours per week at university in their first year, however this load lessens as the degree progresses and focusses more on practical work off campus.

In addition, students must undertake formal examinations (3 hours) for lecture and tutorial theory content each semester, as well as weekly quizzes, group work, and class presentations for some courses.  

Fortunately, practical units are typically assessed ‘on-the-job’, or via demonstration of skills. When completing on-campus practicals, you will be assessed through an ‘OSCE’ or Objective Structured Clinical Examination.

For your off-campus practical units, your knowledge will be tested through ANSAT (Australian Nursing Standards Assessment Tools), overseen by hospital liaisons ‘’ticking off’ students’ skill sets as they complete their placement.  

#2: Pressure of critical role 

“The way I look at it, you really need to know your stuff because it’s probably going to affect someone’s life,” says Bridget. However, this is also a positive for many undertaking the degree, as a Bachelor of Nursing equips you with the capacity to significantly change someone else’s life. 

#3: Other options for study in QLD

In the state of Queensland, UQ’s (University of Queensland) Nursing degree is arguably as popular as QUT’s. However, while UQ offers a more prestigious university name, generally speaking practical experience is most important in finding a nursing job (as opposed to the university one went to) and both courses offer significant real-world learning experiences. 

Any regrets? What do you wish you had known before starting a QUT Bachelor of Nursing? 

Bridget does not have any regrets about choosing this degree! However, she wishes she had known how much time in one’s personal life must be given up for work placements.

Specifically, students will be required to complete one unit on-campus of Nursing practice and one unit off-campus in a healthcare setting every semester starting from Semester 2 of their first year. In the first year, this usually involves placement at a nursing home rather than a hospital.

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

QUT is Australia’s second largest study destination for Australian students, and its Nursing degree has existed for over 40 years. It was Queensland’s first provider of tertiary nurse education, and has extensive connections throughout the medical and nursing world that helps students in finding work placements, building up their resumes, and receiving permanent jobs.

QUT prioritises the practical aspect of all of its degrees, and invests in high quality hands-on experiences such as its Clinical Simulation Centre (as previously mentioned). 

What inspired you to choose a QUT Bachelor of Nursing?

Apart from the excellent learning experience it offers, Bridget chose a Bachelor of Nursing as it allowed her to do a double-degree with Paramedics. In fact, it is very common to supplement your nursing degree with a second QUT major in this way.

Other options include Behavioural Science (Psychology), or Public Health

What are the possible career paths?

QUT Bachelor of Nursing - Careers

Some of the career paths you may end up in with a Bachelor of Nursing include: 

  • Registered Nurse 
  • Chemo Nurse 
  • Theatre Nurse
  • Cardiac Nurse 
  • Critical Care Nurse 
  • ER Nurse 
  • Nurse Educator

Majority of the time, students will take on a Bachelor of Nursing to end up in a nursing career right after graduating. Though, there are still other opportunities to specialise or take your undergraduate further by doing some postgrad study!

Wondering where else you can study a nursing degree? Check out the top nursing schools here!


Zara Zadro is a Content Writer for Art of Smart and a current undergraduate student at the University of Sydney. She studies a Bachelor of Arts/Advanced Studies majoring in Media & Communications and English. In her free time, she enjoys reading, listening to music and discovering new parts of Sydney. She has also written for the student publications Honi Soit and Vertigo. After she graduates, Zara hopes to do a Masters in creative writing and live overseas, which she cannot wait for!

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