Bachelor of Nursing
at La Trobe University, Victoria.
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 La Trobe 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 | VTAC |
| 2023 | ATAR cutoff not published | VTAC |
| 2022 | ATAR cutoff not published | VTAC |
No verified cutoffs are available. Confirm the latest figure on the official VTAC 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 La Trobe's clinical simulation labs learning hand hygiene, observations, medication safety and patient handling. First placement is typically a short observation placement in an aged-care or community setting. Second year deepens medical-surgical nursing, mental-health nursing, child and family health and chronic-disease nursing. Placements expand to acute hospital wards. Pharmacology becomes more complex and you learn to interpret pathology and medication charts. Third year features advanced clinical subjects (critical-care basics, emergency, complex care), a transition-to-practice capstone subject and a final consolidation placement in an acute hospital. Total placement across the degree is at least 800 hours as required by ANMAC. On graduation you apply for registration with AHPRA as a Registered Nurse and apply for hospital graduate transition programmes.
Example first-year subjects
- Foundations of Nursing Practice
- Anatomy and Physiology for Nurses
- Health Assessment
- Introduction to Pharmacology
- Professional Practice and Ethics
- Communication in Nursing
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 health-system issues
Placement and industry experience
ANMAC accreditation requires at least 800 hours of supervised clinical placement across the degree. La Trobe arranges placements through partnerships with Victorian public health services and private hospitals, plus community-health, aged-care and mental-health services. Placements range from short observation blocks in first year to four to six week consolidation placements in third year. Students must meet AHPRA fitness-to-practise and immunisation requirements. The degree leads directly to AHPRA registration as a Registered Nurse.
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 Victorian public hospital transition programme
- Graduate nurse in private hospital networks (Epworth, Cabrini, Ramsay)
- Rural and regional nurse in Victorian health services
- Aged-care registered nurse
- Mental-health nurse graduate roles
- Community-health and district-nursing positions
- Paediatric, oncology or critical-care entry positions
Graduate starting salary
$72,000 - $85,000 per year
Source: https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/jobs/registered-nurse. Last reviewed 2026-05-21.
After graduation
Most graduates apply for a Graduate Nurse Transition Programme at Victorian public hospitals (Alfred Health, Monash Health, Western Health, Austin, Melbourne Health) or private hospitals. Postgrad options include the Master of Nursing Practice (specialty streams), Master of Mental Health Nursing, Master of Midwifery, Nurse Practitioner pathways and a Master of Clinical Education. Many nurses also progress to clinical leadership or move into university teaching.
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
- Patient learners who can absorb anatomy, physiology and pharmacology
- 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 La Trobe
Sources
Course details are summarised by ExamExplained, not copied from the university. Confirm course content and ATAR cutoffs on the La Trobe University handbook and on VTAC before applying. Page generated at https://examexplained.com.au/uni/latrobe/bachelor-of-nursing.