The Bachelor of Nursing is a three year, Level 7 programme, running full time from February until November. Students who successfully complete the programme sit State Final Examinations conducted by the Nursing Council of New Zealand, and are qualified to apply for registration. The Bachelor of Nursing degree is a combination of theory (classroom based sessions at the Whitireia, Porirua campus) and supported clinical experience (practical/hands-on work, which is undertaken in a variety of community and hospital settings).

The Bachelor of Nursing is a qualification that gives the registered nurse opportunities to work in a wide variety of settings, both nationally and internationally. Nurses are present across the entire spectrum of health-service delivery and, with over 40,000 registered; they are the largest part of the professional health workforce. The most common image of the nurse is in a hospital ward or general practice, but in reality, nurses are found in a much wider range of health and disability services settings. There is a nurse at work in child-health services, residential-care facilities, mental-health services, community services, marae, independent-nurse clinics, public-health services, occupational health and safety, the defence forces, sexual-health services, ACC case management, prisons, policy development and implementation, health-service management, education and research – as well as in many other settings. Becoming a Registered Nurse Students who successfully complete a Bachelor of Nursing Programme are required to sit the Nursing Council of New Zealand State Final examinations. When these examinations are passed, the student becomes a registered nurse. This qualification enables the graduate to work as a beginning staff nurse in all areas where registered nurses are employed. Further Study Options On becoming a registered nurse, most graduates apply for new graduate programmes, which are run by many of the District Health Boards throughout New Zealand. Many graduates will also go onto complete postgraduate studies in nursing specialities i.e. Mental Health Nursing, Hospice Palliative Care and Primary Health Care. Some graduates will travel overseas, where a Bachelor of Nursing Degree from New Zealand is internationally recognised.