Inherent requirements for Nursing (undergraduate) courses

These inherent requirements apply to the following courses: Bachelor of Nursing (course code 4642 in 2012 and 4691 in 2013), Bachelor for Nursing Graduate Entry (course code 4643 in 2012 and 4692 in 2013) and Bachelor of Nursing (Advanced) (course code 4648 in 2012 and 4693 in 2013).

Introduction to inherent requirements for undergraduate Nursing courses

The University of Western Sydney School of Nursing and Midwifery (SoNM) strongly supports the right of all people who wish to pursue a nursing course in the SoNM to achieve their potential and career objectives. The School is committed to making reasonable adjustments to teaching and learning, assessment, clinical practice and other activities to address the impact of students' disabilities so that they are able to participate in their course.

To support potential and current students' decision making a series of inherent requirement statements has been developed. These statements specify the course requirements of the undergraduate nursing courses for student admission and progression. The statements are clustered under eight domains consisting of ethical behaviour, behavioural stability, legal, communication, cognition, sensory abilities, strength and mobility and sustainable performance. Many of the activities associated with the professional practice of a registered nurse are time sensitive, where the capacity to perform certain activities within specified time limits is required to reduce or avoid risks to patient safety and wellbeing. The safety and wellbeing of you and others is always of paramount importance.

Students are required to undertake placement activities in mixed gender environments which reflect the Australian health care context.

Successfully completing the course enables you to apply for registration as a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), which is a partner board of the Australian Health Practitioners Registration Authority (AHPRA).

The inherent requirements outlined below provide a guide for students and staff when deciding whether you are able to meet these requirements and the type of reasonable adjustments that could be put in place to allow you to complete the course without compromising the academic integrity of the course.

How to read the inherent requirement statements

If you are intending to enrol in an undergraduate nursing course at the School of Nursing and Midwifery (SoNM), you should look at these Inherent requirement statements and think about whether you may experience challenges in meeting these requirements. If you think you may experience challenges related to your disability, chronic health condition or any other reason, you should discuss your concerns with a campus Disability Advisor or the SoNM staff, such as the Director of Academic Program, Academic Course Advisor or School Disability Coordinator.

These inherent requirements should be read in conjunction with other course information and NMBA publications such as Guidelines for Mandatory Notifications, A Nurse's Guide to Professional Boundaries and National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurse.

Each inherent requirement is made up of the following five levels:

  • Level 1 - introduction to the inherent requirement 
  • Level 2 - description of what the inherent requirement is
  • Level 3 - explanation of why this is an inherent requirement of the course
  • Level 4 - the nature of any adjustments that may be made to allow you to meet the requirement
  • Level 5 - examples of things you must be able to do to show you've met the requirement

Inherent requirement domains


There are eight domains of inherent requirements in each of the undergraduate nursing courses. Some domains have a number of sub-domains.

  • Ethical behaviour
  • Behavioural stability
  • Legal
  • Communication
  • Cognition
  • Sensory ability
  • Strength and mobility
  • Sustainable performance

These inherent requirements apply to the following undergraduate nursing courses: