
Most students who decided to study Nursing in Australia always started off confused of the role differences between nurses and doctors. Hence students are often stuck in between not knowing which one to pursue.
What are the Basic Role Differences between Nurses and Doctors?
Here’s the basic information; typically, doctors are the ones who diagnose and nurses are the ones who treat the patient accordingly, though there are exceptions for some cases.
In other words, while doctors’ common duty is to prescribe a treatment plan, nurses are the ones who implement it — they collaborate with the care team to ensure the effectiveness of the treatment plan.
Although their roles are slightly different, both of them are important and complementary in treating patients; which also means — they need really good teamwork and communication skills between them.
Let's take a closer look at Nursing in Australia --
What are the Key Skills to study Nursing?
Communication
Nurses are the ones who will communicate with patients on a daily basis — hence they must know how to communicate effectively by being concise and logical.
Compassion
In addition, nurses are the front liners when it comes to dealing intensely with patients, their families, and barriers in the healthcare system. Maintaining compassion is essential to providing good care.
Critical Thinking
Other than that, nurses are often faced with important choices and must be able to use critical thinking to make decisions. Especially nurses who are involved in policy-making; critical thinking is necessary to effectively improve health care for all members of society.
Work under pressure
Lastly and importantly, nurses will be dealing with stressful events most of the time, therefore the ability to stay calm under pressure is one of the key skills needed to be a nurse in order to stay focused and productive.
What are the General Entry Requirements to study Nursing in Australia?
Education Level | Academic Requirements | English Language Requirement |
Cert III & IV | SPM/IGCSE: 4 passes | IELTS: 5.5 TOEFL (IBT): 46 PTE: 42 |
Diploma of Nursing | Cert III & IV: Min CGPA 2.0 STPM: Min CGPA 1.33 UEC: Min CGPA 1.30 A-Level: Min 4 Points for 2 A-Level and 1 AS Level subject IB:Min 24 | IELTS: 7.0 TOEFL (IBT): 94 PTE: 65 *Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s (NMBA) English Language Skills registration standard |
Bachelor of Nursing | STPM: Min CGPA 2.33 UEC: Min CGPA 2.20 A-Level: Min 7 points for 3 A-Level subjects IB: Min 25 | |
Master of Nursing | Bachelor degree in Nursing or Australian level Bachelor Degree in any discipline other than Nursing |
*For enquiry on other entry requirements, feel free to contact us.
What are the Education Pathways to study Nursing in Australia?

Following are the three common education pathways to study Nursing in Australia:
- For SPM leavers, you need to spend 1 to 2 years to get Certificate III and another 1.5 to 2 years to obtain a Diploma in order for you to be eligible to apply for their Bachelor Degree program.
- On another hand, if you have completed Australia Year 12 or equivalent (STPM, UEC, A-Level, IB, etc), you can fast track your journey straight to get your Bachelor Degree for 3 years.
- However, students who have completed Australia Year 12 or equivalent (STPM, UEC, A-Level, IB, etc) but don’t meet the entry requirements to enroll for a Bachelor Degree, you can opt for a Diploma of Nursing for 2 years then apply for a Bachelor or Nursing.
*After obtaining a Bachelor of Nursing, you can apply for a Master in Nursing if you desire. In most cases, students will apply for a Master of Nursing if they are planning to get into a specialized area.
Additionally, Bachelor Degree holders from other disciplines are also eligible to apply for Master of Nursing with terms and conditions applied.
Contact us now to learn more!
What are the Top 10 Universities to study Nursing in Australia?
1. University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
“The School of Nursing & Midwifery at UTS is ranked number 1 in Australia and seventh in the world. (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020). “
QS Ranking by subject: 1st in Australia
Program Name | Bachelor of Nursing |
Program Duration | 3 years |
Intakes | February, July |
Indicative Annual Fee (2021) | AUD$28,550 |
Scholarship Offered |
2. Monash University
“Successful completion of the course will lead to eligibility for registration as a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) subject to the graduate also meeting the current NMBA Registration standard: English language skills.”
QS Ranking by subject: 3rd in Australia
Program Name | Bachelor of Nursing |
Program Duration | 3 years |
Intakes | February July |
Indicative Annual Fee (2021) | AUD$35,000 |
Scholarship Offered |
3. Deakin University
“These practical placements support and consolidate your learning and are undertaken in various metropolitan, regional and rural health care settings under the supervision of qualified practitioners across disciplines including acute and sub-acute care, surgical care, aged care and paediatrics.”
QS Ranking by Subject: 5th in Australia
Program Name | Bachelor of Nursing |
Program Duration | 3 years |
Intakes | March, July |
Indicative Annual Fee (2021) | AUD$35,200 |
Scholarship Offered |
4. Griffith University
QS Ranking by Subject: 6th in Australia
Program Name | Bachelor of Nursing |
Program Duration | 3 years |
Intakes | March, June |
Indicative Annual Fee (2021) | AUD$32,500 |
Scholarship Offered |
5. Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
“Our School of Nursing is one of the largest and most established centres in Australia, with more than 40 years of industry consultation and experience.”
QS Ranking by Subject: 7th in Australia
Program Name | Bachelor of Nursing |
Program Duration | 3 years |
Intakes | February, July |
Indicative Annual Fee (2021) | AUD$36,300 |
Scholarship Offered |
6. University of Queensland (UQ)
“UQ’s innovative Bachelor of Nursing program was developed in consultation with patients, students, professional associations and industry partners. It adopts a narrative and inquiry-based approach to learning, integrating clinical placements in major teaching hospitals and community and other healthcare settings.”
QS Ranking by Subject: 8th in Australia
Program Name | Bachelor of Nursing |
Program Duration | 3 years |
Intakes | February, July |
Indicative Annual Fee (2021) | AUD$34,736 |
Scholarship Offered |
7. University of Adelaide
“The Adelaide Nursing School is ranked first in South Australia for graduate employment and third in Australia for overall educational experience.”
QS Ranking by Subject: 10th in Australia
Program Name | Bachelor of Nursing |
Program Duration | 3 years |
Intakes | February, July |
Indicative Annual Fee (2021) | AUD$35,500 |
Scholarship Offered | Global Academic Excellence Scholarship (International) 2021-2025 |
8. Curtin University
“You will be encouraged to be an active, contributing member of an interprofessional healthcare team, which will give you the opportunity to study with different nursing and medical specialists in a range of fields.”
QS Ranking by Subject: 12th in Australia
Program Name | Bachelor of Science (Nursing) |
Program Duration | 3 years |
Intakes | February, July |
Indicative Annual Fee (2021) | AUD$34,400 |
Scholarship Offered | 2021 – Curtin International Scholarships – Merit Scholarship |
9. La Trobe University
QS Ranking by Subject: 14th in Australia
Program Name | Bachelor of Nursing (Graduate Entry) |
Program Duration | 2 years |
Intakes | February |
Indicative Annual Fee (2021) | AUD$39,600 |
Scholarship Offered |
10. Western Sydney University
“Western is ranked number one for Nursing in Australia (CWUR 2017), and in the world’s Top 100 (QS Top Universities 2020).”
QS Ranking by Subject: 17th in Australia
Program Name | Bachelor of Nursing |
Program Duration | 3 years |
Intakes | March |
Indicative Annual Fee (2021) | AUD$31,394 |
Scholarship Offered |
Contact us to find out more!
Student enquiries:
Call/Whatsapp: +60182414802
Email: info.my@exceleducation.com.au
For more stories like this, join the Excel Education community on Facebook
Need help with your uni application? Connect with us here

Heather
I seek peace and knowledge in discovering myself.