Deakin’s Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Psychological Science develops your understanding of human behaviour, and helps to build the skills you need to become a competent and successful nurse. Armed with a wealth of real-world knowledge through your clinical placements, you will graduate ready for work as a registered nurse and be eligible to pursue further study towards qualification as a registered psychologist.

Do you have good communication and decision-making skills and want to make a genuine difference in people’s lives?

This combined degree helps you understand human personality, behaviour, emotion, underlying mental processes and the factors that lead people to differ in the ways they think and behave. You will graduate with solid clinical experience and the knowledge and skills to comprehensively care for patients and their families.

Nursing clinical placements begin in Trimester 1 of your first year, and continue throughout every trimester of the course, totalling 800 hours. Clinical placements support and consolidate your learning and are undertaken in various metropolitan, regional and rural health care settings, under the supervision of qualified practitioners.

Deakin’s Clinical Simulation Centres provide flexible learning spaces that simulate clinical settings with state-of-the-art equipment designed to develop your practical skills, which are further consolidated through extensive clinical work placements. A wide range of units provide you with a scientific knowledge base for mental health practice, such as psychological testing and measurement, mental health promotion and research.

With so much diversity and growth in the healthcare sector, you will be in the best position possible to follow your interests and shape your future. The nursing component of your degree provides eligibility to become a registered nurse through the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).

Similarly, the psychology stream of your degree is recognised by the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and accredited by the Australian Psychological Society (APAC). This is the first step in your journey to becoming a qualified psychologist.

To progress your career in psychology, an approved fourth year of psychology study will allow you to apply for provisional registration with the PsyBA and seek associate membership of the Australian Psychological Society. In order to gain full registration, provisional psychologists must then complete a further two years of supervised practice, or a minimum of two years of postgraduate study.

Professional recognition

On successful completion of your course, you will be eligible to apply for registration as a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).

You will also have gained a three-year undergraduate psychology sequence that is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), recognised for registration purposes by the PsyBA and enabling you to undertake additional study in pursuit of provisional registration.

As a registered nurse with psychology experience, you will be a unique graduate who can pursue career opportunities around the world, in a range of work settings, including:

• mental health rehabilitation
• youth work
• careers counselling
• community development and work/life counselling
• hospitals
• homes
• hospices
• aged care settings
• clinics
• schools
• universities
• community health centres
• government agencies and private industries.

Alternatively, if you are interested in pursuing a professional career in psychology, your next step involves enrolling into an approved ‘fourth year’ of psychology study (such as Deakin’s Graduate Diploma of Psychology or honours in psychology), after which you may apply for provisional registration with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) and seek associate membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).

In order to gain full registration, provisional psychologists can then complete either two years of supervised practise, or two years of postgraduate study - such as Deakin’s Master of Psychology (Clinical), Master of Psychology (Organisational), or Doctor of Psychology (Clinical) (with supervised practice completed outside the degree).