Bachelor of Nursing Southern Institute of Technology - Invercargill Campus, New Zealand

The Bachelor of Nursing is a three-year degree programme which provides students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills appropriate for employment in a wide and growing number of nursing careers.

The programme has as its core, theoretical and practical work in nursing – including principles relating to primary health, acute and chronic nursing care, mental health and mental illness throughout the lifespan.  The programme also recognises the importance of the cultural dimensions of nursing.

The Bachelor of Nursing has a strong applied component to allow students to enter the workforce proficient in a range of additional strengths including health promotion, illness prevention, evidence-based practice, the ability to provide nursing care in a medical and surgical context, as well as the provision of emergency nursing care.

This programme will enhance opportunities for students to develop a broad understanding of nursing, thus preparing them for professional practice or further advanced study in this area.

The Bachelor of Nursing has been designed to prepare graduates for a wide variety of nursing careers in community and hospital situations.  It is expected Bachelor of Nursing graduates will make a positive contribution to the health of people of New Zealand and the wider world.  This contribution will be as nurses demonstrating caring, competent, safe nursing practice in partnership with individuals, groups and communities.

Increasing complexity of health care needs requires well-educated, competent and compassionate nurses who are able to:

• Comprehend, critique and apply knowledge from nursing and other related disciplines in an appropriate and safe practice context.
• Facilitate the competent and safe provision of nursing care to groups and individuals with a variety of settings.
• Competently practise within the legal and ethical parameters of the nursing profession.
• Recognise, value, critique and apply research to nursing practice and knowledge.
• Meet the requirements of the Nursing Council of New Zealand for registration as a Registered Nurse.

The degree follows four themes – Professional Practice, Praxis, Health and Society and Health Sciences.  

Throughout the programme students are involved in learning in clinical settings in a variety of community and hospital areas.  By the end of the programme it is expected students will have integrated the theory and practice framework to develop into confident beginning practitioners.