Bachelor of Nursing

Summary

SIT’s School of Nursing (previously Southland Polytechnic) has been delivering nursing education for 40 years and has a long history of successful graduates. Our enthusiastic staff have a wide range of nursing experience within NZ and overseas. Specialist equipment includes a nursing simulation suite with computerised mannequins and life size models of body parts, as well as a large library of DVD resources and text books. Clinical placements throughout Southland and Otago provide real-life experience in many diverse nursing environments. A career in nursing can take you around the world! Nurses are always in demand.

The Bachelor of Nursing is a 3-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.

Career Opportunities

Graduates will have the knowledge and skills to practise nursing and they will be eligible to sit the Nursing Council of New Zealand Examination for registration in the Registered Nurse scope of practice. Once formally registered with the Nursing Council of New Zealand, graduates will work as nurses in primary, secondary and tertiary health settings; they will be critically reflective practitioners of nursing and they will practise within a framework of cultural safety.

Satisfactory Completion

To satisfactorily complete and be awarded the Bachelor of Nursing a student must achieve the successful completion criteria for each paper of the Bachelor of Nursing and attend a minimum of 80% of scheduled learning activities of each paper. This amounts to a completion of a minimum of 360 credits.

Qualification Pathways

Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate in Health Science; Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Health Sciences (Wellness and Rehabilitation); Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Health Sciences (Wellness and Rehabilitation); Master of Applied Health Sciences (Wellness and Rehabilitation)