The Bachelor of Nursing course is fully accredited by the Nurses Board of Western Australia.

Welcome from the Acting Dean

Murdoch University is an outstanding university committed to the development of learning communities in Perth and the region to the southwest of Perth, including the Peel and Rockingham areas. The School of Nursing and Midwifery commenced in Semester 1, 2004 on the Peel Campus and is growing quickly in its course offerings, professional and research profile within the university and the region.

The Bachelor of Nursing commenced in Semester 1 2004 with an Inaugural class of 39 students and is a welcome addition to Murdoch University which has an excellent track record in the health and biological sciences within the Faculty of Health Sciences. The School of Nursing and Midwifery also commenced Postgraduate courses of study in 2005 with a collaborative Master Business Administration in Health Services Management (Nursing Leadership) with Murdoch Business School and a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Mental Health Nursing. These two new courses added to the university’s plan to enhance tertiary education options for Registered Nurses in the regional centres of Peel, Rockingham and the South West corridor.

In keeping with Murdoch University’s Mission “To extend knowledge, stimulate learning and promote understanding for the benefit of the community” the School of Nursing and Midwifery aims to produce nursing graduates who possess professional, contemporary clinical practice competencies, and have an awareness of the needs of regional communities. To this end, the School of Nursing and Midwifery academic staff are working collaboratively with the nursing profession to ensure excellent courses, congruent with community needs. As a result, graduates will have the knowledge and skills to enable them to provide quality health care in a variety of clinical settings within the community. Nursing leadership and management are also strongly identified as essential for nursing graduates and the undergraduate and postgraduate courses will develop these skills.

The Bachelor of Nursing concentrates on a strong foundation of nursing knowledge and issues and is well supported by nursing bioscience and biopsychosocial knowledge. The teaching and learning approach for this program is unique to nursing in Western Australia in its focus on problem and inquiry based learning. Experiential learning continues in the nursing practice areas where students are supported by Academic staff and preceptors in an enviable practicum component of 33 weeks over the three years. The unique workplace and class-room learning problem based learning combination means students are exposed to a wide variety of clinical and caring experiences prior to graduation. At least one third of the clinical experiences will be successfully achieved in the Peel region with the remainder being in Perth metropolitan settings. Emphasis throughout the theory and clinical program will be on professional competence, aligned to those identified by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council to ensure the graduating nurses will provide high level, quality patient care to those in the community.

Graduates from the three year Bachelor of Nursing are eligible for registration as Comprehensive Nurses, on Division 1 of the Register at the Nurses and Midwives Board of Western Australia. They will be able to work as Registered Nurses in General and Mental Health clinical settings in Western Australia. Additionally, graduates will be eligible to apply for reciprocal registration with any State or Territory in Australia, enabling travel opportunities.

For further information to assist you in your goal to become a nurse or to further your professional development in nursing at a postgraduate level, please contact the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Telephone: 9582 5523

Email: nursing@murdoch.edu.au

Bronwyn Jones
Acting Dean, School of Nursing and Midwifery