A nursing and paramedicine combined degree gives you one of the most flexible careers in Australian healthcare. In this guide, we break down how a double degree paramedicine and nursing works, key paramedic courses, clinical placements, entry pathways and career outcomes. You’ll also see which double degrees universities in Australia offer strong options, plus where an Australian nursing and paramedicine college or the Australian Paramedical College fit into your plan. PickMyUni’s team walks you through how to become a paramedic in Australia while keeping nursing open as a long-term, stable career.
Why a Nursing and Paramedicine Double Degree is Such a Smart Move
Australia’s health system is under pressure, and emergency and acute care skills are in high demand across both hospitals and pre-hospital services. Registered nurses and paramedics are needed in cities, regions and remote communities, with strong long-term employment prospects.
Because of this, many students who originally planned to do a single paramedic degree or standard nursing degree now ask PickMyUni about combining both. A nursing and paramedicine double degree means:
Two professional registrations or qualification pathways from one course
More options across hospital, ambulance, community and remote roles
Extra flexibility if job markets shift over time in either field
What is a Nursing and Paramedicine Combined / Double Degree?
A double degree paramedicine and nursing brings together a full nursing degree and a full paramedicine degree in a single, integrated program.
Instead of doing, for example, a three-year Bachelor of Nursing and then a separate three-year Bachelor of Paramedicine, many combined programs are structured so you finish both in around four years of full-time study at some Universities.
How a double degree paramedicine and nursing is structured
While exact details vary between providers, a typical structure looks like:
Length: Around 4 years full-time (or equivalent part-time)
Outcome: Two qualifications – usually a Bachelor of Nursing plus a Bachelor of Paramedicine (or Bachelor of Emergency Health/Paramedic Practice, depending on the uni)
Unit mix:
Nursing science and clinical practice
Paramedicine science and operational practice
Shared health science units (anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology)
Interprofessional units that help you work in multidisciplinary teams
Universities often blend nursing and paramedic content from first year, with some semesters leaning more heavily to one discipline.
Study load and timetable reality
Health double degrees are not light. You can expect:
High contact hours – lectures, tutorials, labs and simulation sessions
Nursing labs where you practise medications, patient assessment, wound care and communication
Paramedic simulation where you work with equipment, stretchers, mock ambulances and real-time emergency scenarios
On top of this, you complete clinical placements in blocks, which often run as full-time weeks with shift patterns that can include early mornings, evenings, nights and weekends.
Key clinical and emergency skills you build
Across four years you build:
Foundational clinical skills
Comprehensive patient assessment, Vital signs, observations and documentation, Medication safety and basic pathology interpretation
Nursing strengths
Chronic disease management, Mental health care and communication, Ward routines, discharge planning, teamwork in hospital settings
Paramedic strengths
Pre-hospital care in homes, public spaces and roadside environments
Trauma response, resuscitation and scene management
Major incident and disaster response principles
Risk assessment and decision-making in unpredictable environments
These skills prepare you for work both in uniform on the road and at the bedside in hospital or specialist services.
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Nursing and Paramedicine Course Details
From PickMyUni’s review of nursing and paramedicine degrees across Australia, most combined programs cover similar core themes: strong science, safe clinical practice, communication, and plenty of placement time.
Core nursing subjects
You will usually see nursing units such as:
Anatomy and physiology
Fundamentals of nursing practice
Professional communication and ethics
Mental health nursing
Chronic and complex care
These subjects usually run alongside nursing lab sessions, where you practise skills on mannequins and with classmates before clinical placements.
Core paramedic courses and units
On the paramedic side you can expect:
Pre-hospital care
Trauma care
Cardiology
Pharmacology
Law, ethics and communication for paramedics –
Paramedicine training often includes ambulance simulation and scenario-based learning where you respond to staged incidents and learn to problem-solve under pressure.
Nursing and Paramedicine Clinical placements
Real-world experience is a huge part of any nursing and paramedicine combined degree. You usually complete:
Hospital placements
Ambulance and community placements (where allowed under state regulations and university agreements)
Entry Requirements for Nursing and Paramedicine Combined Degree
If your main question is “how to become a paramedic in Australia”, a nursing and paramedicine double degree is one of several options. You can qualify through:
An accredited Bachelor of Paramedicine
An accredited double degree program (e.g. Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Paramedicine)
Certain VET-to-uni pathways via paramedical diplomas
A combined degree lets you move toward paramedic work while also qualifying as a nurse.
Important: Entry requirements, fees and visa rules change regularly. Always confirm details on official university and government websites.
Standard entry requirement for school leavers
For most school leavers, entry looks like this:
Selection rank / ATAR:
Universities set a minimum selection rank (ATAR or equivalent) for double degree paramedicine and nursing programs. The exact figure changes by campus and year, so always check the university’s course page or admissions centre.Prerequisite subjects:
Many providers expect:English
At least one science (often biology or chemistry)
Sometimes maths
Exact requirements differ by uni, so treat the course page as your source of truth.English language and health checks:
Because graduates work directly with patients, you’ll usually need to:Meet English language standards suitable for registration
Complete immunisation, police check and working with children check before placements
Pathways for mature-age and international students
If you finished school a while ago or studied overseas, you still have options.
Common pathways PickMyUni sees:
Prior VET study
Certificate or diploma level study in health (e.g. Health Services Assistance, Enrolled Nursing)
Some of these can help you meet entry rank requirements or gain credit transfer
Existing healthcare qualifications
Enrolled Nurses (EN), Assistants in Nursing (AIN) or other health workers may receive credit for certain units, shortening the degree length in some cases, subject to university assessment
International students
Must meet academic entry requirements plus English language criteria
Must follow student visa rules; PickMyUni can talk courses and universities, but immigration advice has to come from official sources or registered migration agents
Reminder: Always check the Department of Home Affairs and AHPRA/Paramedicine Board websites for the latest registration and visa information. PickMyUni does not provide immigration advice.
Top Australian Nursing and Paramedicine Colleges & Double Degree Universities
Top double degrees universities for nursing and paramedicine in Australia
If you’re searching for an Australian nursing and paramedicine college or comparing double degrees universities, you’ll quickly see a mix of:
Public universities with combined Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Paramedicine or Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Emergency Health style programs
Specialist providers offering paramedical VET courses, such as the Australian Paramedical College, which focus on pre-hospital care and non-emergency roles
PickMyUni’s role is to help you compare these options based on your goals, study history and budget.
Nursing and Paramedicine Fees, Scholarships and Earning Potential
Before you commit to a nursing and paramedicine double degree, you need a clear view of cost, funding options and long-term earning potential.
Tuition fees and HELP/loan options
For domestic students, most universities:
Offer Commonwealth supported places (CSP) for eligible students in undergraduate nursing/paramedicine double degrees, where the government pays part of the tuition and you pay a student contribution
Allow you to use HECS-HELP/HELP loans to defer your student contribution, paying it back through the tax system once your income passes a threshold (check the ATO and StudyAssist for current settings)
For international students, you will usually:
Pay full international fees set by each university
Pay per year or per semester, often with deposit requirements and refund rules explained in the university’s fee policy
Because fee levels and bands change, always confirm:
Current fee band or per-unit cost
Total estimated tuition for the full course duration
Any additional charges (uniforms, vaccinations, checks, textbooks, equipment)
To calculate without expense calculation.
Scholarships and financial support
Scholarships frequently available for nursing and paramedicine students include:
Equity scholarships – for students from low-income, regional, rural or other under-represented backgrounds
Academic merit scholarships – based on school results or early university performance
First Nations scholarships – for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Rural or remote health scholarships – for students committing to practise in non-metro areas
PickMyUni often recommends:
Starting with the uni’s scholarship search tool
Checking external options such as government and professional body scholarships for nursing or paramedicine
Applying for more than one, and paying attention to closing dates and required documentation
Career Outcomes: What You Can Do with a Nursing and Paramedicine Degree
With a combined nursing and paramedicine qualification, you’re not locked into one job for decades. You can build a career that moves between sectors as your interests, lifestyle and responsibilities change.
Paramedic roles
Graduates may aim for roles such as:
State or territory ambulance paramedic
Private event and industrial paramedicine
Community paramedicine roles
Nursing roles
On the nursing side, common paths include:
Emergency department nurse
Intensive care and high-dependency roles
Rural and remote nursing
Roles that value both nursing and paramedicine skills
Certain fields especially appreciate graduates who understand both hospital and pre-hospital care:
Retrieval and aeromedical services
Urgent care clinics
Disaster and humanitarian work
Is a Double Degree in Paramedicine and Nursing Right for You?
Is a nursing and paramedicine double degree the right fit?
This path is exciting, but it is not for everyone. Before you commit to a combined nursing and paramedicine degree, it pays to be honest with yourself about the lifestyle and workload.
Personality and lifestyle fit
You’re more likely to thrive if you:
Can stay calm in high-pressure situations
Don’t mind bodily fluids, difficult conversations and unpredictable days
Accept shift work, including nights, weekends and public holidays
Are willing to build emotional resilience and use support when tough cases hit hard
Are physically able to manage lifting, moving patients and long hours on your feet
Pros and cons vs a single nursing or paramedic degree
Pros
Wider career choice – hospital roles, ambulance roles, community roles
Extra flexibility if job markets, life circumstances or interests change
Broader clinical knowledge across both acute and chronic care
Cons
Heavier workload than most single degrees
Four years of intense study instead of three in many cases
You might feel pulled between two professional identities and need time to find your long-term focus
Self-check: quick quiz or checklist
Ask yourself these five questions:
Am I happy to commit to around four years of full-time study with a high number of contact hours and placements?
Does the idea of shift work, including nights and weekends, feel acceptable for my long-term lifestyle?
Do I enjoy both fast emergency situations and longer-term patient care, or am I drawn strongly to just one?
Am I willing to travel for placements and sometimes live away from home for short blocks?
Am I comfortable working face-to-face with people in distress, pain, or crisis on a regular basis?
If you honestly say “yes” to most of these, a nursing and paramedicine combined degree could be worth serious consideration.
How PickMyUni Helps You Compare Nursing and Paramedicine Pathways
How PickMyUni helps you pick the right course, not just any course
Picking a double degree paramedicine and nursing is a big decision. PickMyUni is built to help students compare options without spending hours on dozens of tabs.
From our experience, students get the best results when they combine clear information with honest advice about lifestyle, cost and long-term goals.
Compare double degree universities in minutes
On PickMyUni you can:
Filter double degrees universities by:
Entry score
City or region
Fees
Study mode (on-campus, mixed, online theory where available)
Student support services
See side-by-side comparisons of:
Course length
Placement structure
Campus facilities
Student feedback
Support for course transfers and change of preference
Already enrolled but thinking of switching?
PickMyUni advisors can:
Review your current course and subjects
Show you which nursing and paramedicine or paramedic-only degrees might give you credit
Help you understand change-of-preference windows and course transfer processes (using official uni info)
