Master of Nursing Practice (Pre-Registration)

If you already hold a Bachelor's degree, the Master of Nursing Practice (Pre-Registration) enables you to become a registered nurse in as little as two years.

The Master of Nursing Practice (Pre-Registration) is a professionally accredited degree that will qualify you to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia as a Registered Nurse (Division 1). This degree is an accredited program of study recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

At CDU, you can study a Master of Nursing Practice (Pre-Registration) online or on campus, part-time or full-time. During the course, you will learn critical thinking, to apply sound clinical reasoning, to undertake comprehensive health assessments and how to practice person-centred care. The focus is on care that is evidence-based and respectful of the diverse contexts, cultures and communities where people live, connect and experience health, well-being, illness and disability.

Practical training

In order to complete the Master of Nursing Practice (Pre-Registration) and qualify as a Registered Nurse, you are required to undertake two types of practical experience: simulation blocks and supervised placements.

You will complete three simulation blocks (96 hours) during your study that must be completed full-time and on campus at either Sydney or Casuarina campuses. To meet the requirements of a Registered Nurse (Division 1), you will complete at least 800 hours of supervised clinical placements across the two years of the course in a variety of health care settings in your state/territory of residency. Regardless of your study mode or pattern, you are required to complete clinical placement on a full-time basis, with rotating shifts across a seven-day week. These may include night, weekend and public holiday shifts.

Reasonable travel within the nursing course is an expectation. Travel time and distance can include up to 2 hours one-way for metropolitan or rural areas. Where possible, your PEP is sourced within 150 kilometres radius of where you are currently living.

English Language Requirements

In order to register as a nurse or midwife in Australia, you are required to meet the English language requirements laid out by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. This applies to all initial registrations, regardless of whether they qualified in Australia or overseas. Find out more: the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) at www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/. Applicants are required to meet the registration body English Language requirements.

Safe Practice

In order to study nursing and practice safely, you will need to have an inherent set of qualities. Nursing needs a degree of physical strength and mobility, endurance, communication and cognitive abilities. If you feel you may experience challenges in meeting these requirements, you are encouraged discuss these with the University before enrolling in the course.

Reporting obligations

Under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, CDU is required to register nursing students with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and to notify AHPRA if a student has or develops a health impairment that may place the public at substantial risk of harm. More information from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) at www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/.