Bachelor of Nursing
at James Cook University, Queensland.
An ANMAC-accredited nursing degree leading to registration as an enrolled or registered nurse with AHPRA. Includes more than 800 hours of supervised clinical placement across hospital and community settings.
ATAR cutoff history
Published cutoff data for the James Cook University Bachelor of Nursing. We never invent figures; entries marked "not published" mean the university or admissions centre has not released a verified cutoff for that intake.
| Intake year | ATAR cutoff | Admissions centre |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ATAR cutoff not published | QTAC |
| 2023 | ATAR cutoff not published | QTAC |
| 2022 | ATAR cutoff not published | QTAC |
No verified cutoffs are available. Confirm the latest figure on the official QTAC cutoff release.
Prerequisite Year 12 subjects
Brush up on each prerequisite with our state-syllabus explainers and dot points.
What you will study
First year is the nursing foundation: anatomy and physiology, pharmacology basics, professional nursing practice, health assessment, communication and ethics. You spend time in JCU's clinical simulation labs in Townsville and Cairns learning observations, medication safety and patient handling. From the start the program emphasises rural, remote and Indigenous health, which is a defining strength of nursing at JCU. Second year deepens medical-surgical, mental-health, child and family, and chronic-disease nursing. Placements expand to acute hospital wards, and many students undertake rural and remote placement blocks across north Queensland. Pharmacology becomes more complex and you learn to interpret pathology and medication charts. Third year features advanced clinical subjects, a transition-to-practice capstone and a final consolidation placement. Total placement across the degree is at least 800 hours as required by ANMAC. On graduation you apply for AHPRA registration as a Registered Nurse and for hospital graduate transition programmes, with strong demand across regional and remote Queensland.
Example first-year subjects
- Foundations of Nursing Practice
- Anatomy and Physiology for Nurses
- Health Assessment
- Introduction to Pharmacology
- Professional Practice and Ethics
- Indigenous Health and Cultural Safety
How you will be assessed
- Supervised clinical placement competency assessments
- Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) in simulation
- Written exams in anatomy, physiology and pharmacology
- Case-study assignments and care-plan documentation
- Reflective practice journals from placement
- Medication-calculation tests
- Group presentations on rural and remote health issues
Career outcomes
- Graduates work as registered nurses in hospital, community and aged-care settings after registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
- Common destinations include public hospital graduate transition programmes, mental-health services and rural and remote nursing positions.
- Many alumni progress into specialty practice (intensive care, paediatrics, midwifery), nurse-practitioner study or clinical education roles.
Professional accreditation
- ANMAC accredited
- AHPRA registration eligible
Typical first jobs
- Graduate registered nurse in a Queensland Health transition programme
- Rural and remote nurse across north and far-north Queensland
- Aged-care registered nurse
- Mental-health nurse graduate roles
- Community-health and primary-health-care nursing positions
- Indigenous community-controlled health service nurse
- Paediatric, emergency or critical-care entry positions
Graduate starting salary
$65,000 - $72,000 per year
Source: https://www.qilt.edu.au/surveys/graduate-outcomes-survey-(gos). Last reviewed 2026-05-24.
After graduation
Most graduates apply for a Graduate Nurse Transition Programme at Queensland Health hospitals (Townsville, Cairns and Hinterland, Mackay) or private and rural health services. Postgrad options include the Master of Nursing, Master of Nurse Practitioner, Master of Public Health (rural and remote streams), midwifery study and Master of Clinical Education. Many JCU nurses build careers in rural, remote and Indigenous community health or progress into clinical leadership.
Is this the right degree for you?
You probably thrive here if
- Students who like working with people in moments of vulnerability
- Calm communicators who think on their feet
- People interested in rural, remote and Indigenous health
- People comfortable with shift work and physically demanding placement
- Team players who handle hierarchical clinical environments well
It is probably not for you if
- Students who dislike personal-care tasks or are needle-averse
- Those uncomfortable with shift work, weekends or night placement
- People wanting a primarily research-based or office-bound role
- Students unable to meet AHPRA's English-language or fitness requirements
Related courses at JCU
Sources
Course details are summarised by ExamExplained, not copied from the university. Confirm course content and ATAR cutoffs on the James Cook University handbook and on QTAC before applying. Page generated at https://examexplained.com.au/uni/jcu/bachelor-of-nursing.