Pre Registration Nursing Courses That Lead to a Bachelor
A degree in nursing gives you the knowledge and skills you need to follow your passion to help others. You have the drive and commitment to become a skilled healthcare professional, and with a degree, you can spearhead that drive to improve health outcomes for the community. Study for your Bachelor of Nursing Science (Pre-Registration) at JCU and get the qualifications you need to launch your career.
While it's possible to become an enrolled nurse without earning a bachelor's degree, a bachelor's degree prepares you for a wider variety of career possibilities – you will be able to be recognised as a registered nurse. One of the best things about being a nurse is the opportunity to work with patients across the socioeconomic spectrum. Your pre-registration nursing courses will qualify you for a tertiary degree so you can capitalise on this unique quality of nursing and be ready today for tomorrow.
Choose your direction
Your degree will make you eligible to work in busy metropolitan hospitals or in rural medical centres, where you will work with some of society's most marginalised groups. Depending on your preferences and goals for your career, you could be on the forefront of designing public policy in government offices, or you may be working with children in schools or community health organisations.
Qualify
When you study a Bachelor of Nursing Science (pre-registration) at JCU, your course of study is accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council. As soon as you are enrolled, you will be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. After graduation, you'll be eligible to apply for professional registration, and these qualifications will open the doors you need to the jobs you want.
Specialise
Another benefit to a bachelor's degree in nursing is that it allows you to move into further specialisation. Even if you're not interested in a specialisation now, as you work in various healthcare environments you may uncover a passion for working with mental health patients, the elderly, or in emergency care. Join the front lines of the fight against cancer with a specialisation in oncology, or go to work for the cure in medical research. Whatever you choose, your degree course will prepare you for the next step.
Your studies should include a strong foundation of knowledge and a way to apply that knowledge to real-world experience. Experience has no substitute. At JCU, you'll have the opportunity to work in clinical placements that will grow your skills and challenge you to become the best healthcare professional you can be.
Foundational Courses
Scientific and Professional Knowledge
Begin your career path with small class sizes under lecturers committed to student success. Learn the standards of practice that apply to nursing and the principles of person-centred care. Learn about how important it is to apply evidence-based nursing practices to your patients and start participating in research that matters.
As you dig more deeply into the professional and ethical aspects of nursing, you'll also gain a mastery of the physiological systems that make us tick. Learn how humans work on the cellular level and then apply that to a deeper understanding of the primary regulatory systems of the body.
The Human Touch
Being a nurse is about much more than just science and ethics: it's about working intimately with real people and being a primary player in improving health outcomes. Your pre-registration nursing courses will include learning how to effectively communicate with your patients. You'll come to understand what stands in the way of effective communication–and what facilitates it. You'll also practice applying various communication styles in therapeutic and professional situations.
Healthcare is intimately entwined with concepts of social justice and equity. Learn how Australia's geography, epidemiological patterns, and demographics influence healthcare outcomes for various groups. Look deeply into how resource allocation and state systems affect people in rural, remote, and metropolitan environments.
Practical Experience
A world-class education should offer many opportunities to apply the foundational knowledge you learn early on. As you master concepts of physiology and the practice and ethics of nursing, you will also have the opportunity to grow your skills as a healthcare professional. Every year, your teaching periods will be complemented by practical experience in a variety of healthcare settings.
Through JCU's unique relationship with various indigenous communities, you'll have the opportunity to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to understand their unique healthcare challenges and develop your skills in providing respectful care to people of every background.
One of the best things about being a nurse is the constant engagement. Your courses should provide that same kind of regular learner engagement that allows you to apply your theoretical knowledge and prepare for an easy transition into any healthcare workplace.
Going Deeper
A degree and a job is important, and you need a degree that will set you apart in your career. Move beyond the basics and the foundational concepts necessary for any registered nurse and go on to study advanced concepts and topics. Be uniquely prepared as a healthcare professional.
Special Needs
An understanding of mental health is key in caring for a patient's physical health. When you study mental health for nursing and midwifery, you'll develop the skill to identify mental disorders in people from all backgrounds. Armed with this knowledge and an understanding of how to build a therapeutic relationship with patients and their carers, you'll be on the front line of providing preventative care and early intervention for mental health concerns.
Leadership
Your Bachelor of Nursing Science (Pre-Registration) should also prepare you to be a leader in your field. Through your higher-level nursing practice courses, you'll learn how to address and resolve conflicts, be an advocate for those with no voice, and master the principles of leadership that make you valuable to any employer. Learn key strategies to develop plans, evaluate outcomes, and think critically about your nursing practice.
Research
A great nurse is able to identify valuable data and use it to make evidence-based decisions. Through your courses, you'll practice making interpretive assessments of data and understand how to evaluate patient outcomes and improve your practice.