Bachelor of Nursing (Enrolled Nurse to Registered Nurse pathway)

Are you an Enrolled Nurse ready to take the next step to become a Registered Nurse ?

The Southern Cross University Bachelor of Nursing Enrolled Nurse Pathway degree recognizes your knowledge and skills as an Enrolled Nurse and enables you to become a Registered Nurse in just two years.

In this degree, you will undertake specialized conversion subjects to help you transition fully into a suite of subjects designed to prepare you with skills in the biological and social sciences and enable you to undertake clinical placements across a range of healthcare settings.

This is a great opportunity to build on your previous study and experience, to develop that career in nursing and health you have been working towards.

Career Opportunities

This pathway program enables an enrolled nurse to become a registered nurse.

Graduate opportunities include: registered nurse in a range of public and private health sectors; delivering acute and chronic disease care and management in clinical settings such as paediatrics, community health, primary health care and education; as a practice nurse in GP clinics, mental health, child care, aged care, perioperative care, Indigenous health, rural and remote area health, emergency departments and critical care.

Professional Recognition

The degree is accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and provides the necessary qualification for graduates to be eligible to become a Registered Nurse in Australia.

Professional Placement

Supervised clinical placements (totaling 640 hours) provide students with experiences of nursing in settings relevant to their areas of study in public and private hospitals and health agencies. This may include acute and low care health facilities; community settings; mental health facilities; extended residential aged care; GP practices; health promotion and education; intensive care; health clinics; accident and emergency; palliative care; primary health care settings and related nursing and health services within metropolitan, regional and rural areas throughout NSW and QLD. Students may be able to undertake national and international clinical placements.

The 640 hours of professional placement is spread across several units within the course. Included in these units is a specifically designed professional experience placement for the Enrolled Nurse Pathway students to facilitate progression towards thinking and practice in the role of an RN.

The course provides for the opportunity to specialize in specific clinical areas of interest based on availability and supervisory facilities.

Professional experience placements require students to fulfill certain pre-requisites prior to attending any placements. Before applying for this course, it is important that you understand what these requirements are. The course provides for the opportunity to specialize in specific clinical areas of interest based on availability and supervisory facilities.

Major Areas of Study

The course is responsive to contemporary nursing practices and provides content and clinical experiences as follows:

Professional areas: critical thinking and analysis, provision and coordination of person-centered care, independent and collaborative care, primary health care, mental health, acute and complex care, chronic disease management, palliative care, leadership and care management, aged care.

Biological sciences: anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology.

Social sciences: Australian health care system, Indigenous studies, philosophy, psychology and sociology for health sciences, legal and ethical studies and research methods.

All students are required to attend an intensive block at the Gold Coast campus and possibly at Coffs Harbour.

Assessment methods

A variety of assessment methods is used in this course including multiple choice examinations, short answer examinations, essay examinations, case studies, tutorial and workshop presentations, debates, written assignments and clinical skills testing. For each unit, there are usually two to three assessment items.

Students are required to demonstrate an ability to develop and meet the Nurses and Midwives Board of Australia Registered Nurse Standards of Practice, maintain a clinical e-portfolio and reflective exercises.

Teaching methods

On-campus students experience a variety of teaching approaches including lectures, tutorials, online activities and video-linked or podcast virtual classes. The method of teaching may vary from unit to unit. Online lectures support face to face tutorials, workshops, and laboratory sessions.

Some units in this course are also available online. Our online study option is highly interactive and strives to promote collaboration and a sense of community. Students may receive a combination of the podcast or video-linked lectures, electronic study materials, workshops, online discussion forums and virtual classes. The method of teaching may vary from unit to unit.

Please note: All students will be required to attend intensive workshops at the Gold Coast campus . Attendance is mandatory. The benefit of intensive delivery is that students attend classes for a few days in a Teaching Session.

The intensive tutorials enable students to gain the benefits of meeting academic staff, having discussions and networking, while also having exposure to resources available for students. Teaching is supplemented by online material and support via 'MySCU'.

Facts, figures, rankings and awards

Southern Cross University is a progressive, young and connected regional research university, with vibrant campuses in northern New South Wales and the southern Gold Coast. We offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and many are available in a dynamic online form. Whether studying on-campus, online, or both, we deliver exciting, contemporary and high-quality learning experiences.

Why SCU?

Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 20Bold, progressive and just 23 years of age – Southern Cross University is one of the Asia-Pacific’s Top 100 Universities and one of the world’s Top 50 Generation Y Universities .

Our contemporary campuses, with purpose-built state-of-the-art facilities, are located on the east coast of Australia, at the Gold Coast in Queensland, and in Lismore and Coffs Harbour in New South Wales. All are unique regions renowned for their natural beauty and ecological diversity, providing living laboratories for learning and creative hubs for artistic endeavour.

Branch campuses in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are operated in collaboration with EduCo on behalf of Southern Cross University. The University also operates The Hotel School Sydney and Melbourne in partnership with Mulpha Australia. We also deliver degrees with collaborators in China, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.

We have a large and diverse range of courses available online, offering interactive and immersive learning experiences wherever our students are.

Whether studying on-campus, online, or both, we deliver exciting, contemporary and high-quality learning experiences.

We aim to produce graduates who are career ready, world ready and digitally literate, and who experience an academic environment distinctive for its personal approach.

The University has a strong focus on industry and community collaboration to produce engaged teaching and research outcomes.

This connectivity is seeing Southern Cross University lead the $13.8m national Farming Together Pilot Program, partnering with the Northern Rivers Co-operatives Alliance and the Australian Government. The University has also introduced an important new Centre for Organics Research with the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

In the latest Excellence in Research for Australia report, Southern Cross achieved outstanding ratings of 'at world standard' or above in 24 research fields. In nine research fields, the University was evaluated at the highest possible classification of 'well above world standard'. This was achieved in the fields of Geochemistry, Oceanography, Environmental Science and Management, Zoology, Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Crop and Pasture Production, Forestry Sciences, Nursing, Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Campuses

Southern Cross University is a vibrant, contemporary Australian university with beautiful campuses on the Gold Coast, Lismore and Coffs Harbour.

Sydney, Melbourne and Perth branch campuses (International students)

Southern Cross University's branch campuses at Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth are conveniently located in the central business districts.

Studying at SCU Sydney, Melbourne or Perth gives international students the opportunity to complete undergraduate or postgraduate degrees in three of the world's most liveable cities. Southern Cross University collaborates with EduCo Sydney Branch Pty Ltd for the operation of the SCU Sydney, Melbourne and Perth branch campuses.