• Celebration planned to mark arrival of Bachelor of Nursing at Charles Sturt in Port Macquarie in 2020
• State-of-the-art facility to host University staff, NSW Government representatives, healthcare stakeholders and special guests for launch event
• Port Macquarie campus ready to welcome first cohort of approximately 60 Bachelor of nursing students

The arrival of the inaugural cohort of nursing students at Charles Sturt University (Charles Sturt) in Port Macquarie in 2020 will be celebrated at an official launch event.

University staff, NSW Government representatives, healthcare stakeholders and special guests will celebrate the commencement of the Bachelor of Nursing at the University in Port Macquarie with a celebration at the campus’s new teaching space at 9am on Thursday 28 November.

Charles Sturt in Port Macquarie will welcome its first cohort of approximately 60 nursing students in March 2020, with plans to expand student numbers in the future, including a cohort of international students.

Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science Professor Megan Smith said the expansion of the course to Port Macquarie was just the latest undertaking from the University to ensure it was producing industry-leading nursing graduates.

“The course offered by Charles Sturt University has provided a world-class standard of teaching for nursing students,” Professor Smith said.

“The students who enrol in this course in 2020 and in subsequent years will become a part of the University’s strong and proud nursing tradition, providing essential and impactful services to our communities on the Mid North Coast and beyond.

“The Port Macquarie-based Bachelor of Nursing students will join the ranks of Charles Sturt University graduates across Australia and throughout the world who are known for having an impact in their workplaces and communities.”

The launch will be held at the purpose-built nursing teaching facility, part of the campus’s $61 million Stage Two upgrade co-funded by Charles Sturt ($46 million) and the NSW Government ($15 million) as part of its Growing Local Economies program, established under the Restart NSW Fund.

Member for Port Macquarie and Parliamentary Secretary for Regional and Rural Health the Honourable Mrs Leslie Williams said the state government was thrilled to play a part in improving higher education facilities in regional New South Wales.

“It’s fantastic to see the growth of this campus, and to know these enhancements will improve so many lives, directly and indirectly,” Mrs Williams said.

“This course will open the door to a meaningful career for lots of students who otherwise may have been denied that opportunity, and they in turn will go on to serve the needs of the community by providing care and medical expertise when and where it’s most needed.

“The NSW Government is proud to have co-funded this facility, and looks forward to its ongoing success.”

The course’s purpose-built suite – scheduled to be completed this month – is comprised of: an eight-bed simulation area (pictured) with both hospital and home environments replicated; a part task training area equipped with the latest simulation aids where students learn and practice the motor skills required for patient care, as well as debriefing and tutorial areas.

Charles Sturt’s Bachelor of Nursing is also taught at the University in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo and Wagga Wagga, as well as online.