There are many opportunities across the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) to grow your nursing career. Gain introductory knowledge in speciality areas in our tailor-made 6 to 12 month RISE programs.
The registered nurse Introduction to Specialty Education (RISE) Programs aims to support nurses to develop their clinical knowledge and skills in a specialty area of nursing practice. The program provides nurses with a structured career pathway, relevant to clinical nursing and has been designed to advance clinical practice through evidence-based theoretical and clinical education.
In the RISE program you will:
- Develop critical thinking and problem solving
- Apply concepts to clinical practice
- Contribute to the specialist healthcare team
Assistant Director of Nursing Katelyn Stevens gives an overview of the RISE Program.
Streams we offer
We offer a variety of streams across our RISE programs. Stream availability is subject to change.
A six-month program co-facilitated by the Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Clinical Nurse Educator teams with a focus on cardiac assessment, ECG interpretation, cardiac monitoring and identifying and responding to clinical deterioration.
Applications for the 2023 Cardiac Care RISE program will open in 2023 (internal only).
The day medical stream explores concepts related to a busy, dynamic and fast-paced day medical service.
The Royal Melbourne Hospital Emergency Department is a busy and unique workplace, whose team provides a high level of acute care in a multidisciplinary setting. We are a Level 1 Adult Trauma and tertiary referral centre, with over 85,000 presentations annually.
The service provides assessment, investigations and treatment of all patients who present and is part of a designated Major Trauma Service and has a high acuity case mix with an emphasis on Trauma, Infectious Disease, Chest Pain Evaluation, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
This six-month program encompasses the development of skills and knowledge considered fundamental to the emergency nurse, with a focus on developing proficiency in assessment and management of emergency patients.
As a highly sought after program we have an ongoing commitment to internal professional development and as such we do not have any external positions available to the January 2023 intake.
This six-month program aims to increase understanding and awareness of the complex care requirements associated with gastroenterology and general medical conditions as well as geriatric orthopaedic trauma
This 6-month program explores higher level system-based patient assessment principles, branches off to General Medical/Respiratory presentations and management, before joining the infectious diseases stream to focus on identifying and responding to clinical deterioration.
This 6-month program aims to increase understanding and awareness of the assessment and management required to safely provide care for a patient pre-, intra- and post-operatively including pain management, invasive devices and wound/stoma management.
This 6-month program provide both theoretical concepts and clinical experience for a nurse beginning in cancer nursing. This program has a focus on haemopoiesis and disease processes, common complications and psychosocial and wellbeing.
This 6-month program delves into higher level system-based patient assessment principles, infectious diseases and treatments and then joins the medical and respiratory streams to explore identifying and responding to clinical deterioration.
Our in-house courses, RISE to ICU, Bridging and Refresher to ICU programs, are now open for applications. We are looking for passionate and dedicated individuals to join our ICU team.
Take the next step with your nursing practice, as part of the Royal Melbourne Hospital, in a world-class teaching hospital that is one of Victoria’s largest adult trauma centres. Our state-of-the art 42 bed capacity ICU is part of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre precinct caring for patients with:
- Major Traumatic injuries
- Haematological emergencies
- Obstetric emergencies
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Respiratory failure
- Kidney (renal) failure
- Sepsis and multi organ failure
- Infectious disease
About the programs
RISE ICU
- The RISE ICU program is open to registered nurses with at least one year clinical experience
- This 6 month training program incorporates interactive online learning, tutorials, and workshops, self-directed learning and assessments
- Program length is 6 months with 6 months consolidation in the setting.
- Participants will be supported clinically within the workplace
Now accepting 2023 mid-year applications.
Bridging to ICU
- The Bridging to ICU course is open to registered nurses who hold a 'critical care' postgraduate qualification
- This course is geared towards applicants who have a critical care higher qualification who would like to work within the RMH ICU department
- This 12 month training program incorporates interactive online learning, tutorials, and in-house clinical and academic assessments.
- Participants will be supported clinically within the workplace
- Program length is 12 months
Refresher to ICU
- The Refresher to ICU course is open to registered nurses who hold an intensive care postgraduate qualification
- This course is geared towards applicants who have previously completed a postgraduate qualification within ICU, but have not worked within the clinical setting in recent years
- This 12 month training program incorporates interactive online learning, tutorials and workshops, and in-house clinical and academic assessments
- Program length is 12 months
- Applicants must have worked within a critical care unit/ward within the past 5 years
In this 6-month program, participants explore common neurological and neurosurgical presentations and will develop the knowledge and skills required to manage patients with acute stroke, intracranial pathology, epilepsy as well as those post neurosurgery.
The 6-month program in NRTP has a focus on medical conditions and surgical presentations, as well as invasive devices and the deteriorating patient.
The RMH Perioperative Department consists of 16 theatres and 25 recovery bays catering for all major types of adult surgery (with the exception of obstetrics and gynaecology). The RMH Perioperative Department completes on average 60+ elective & emergency procedures daily. The Perioperative RISE program is designed to prepare nurses to meet the complex challenges within the speciality practice area over 12 months, including; perianaesthetics, recovery, scrub and scout nursing.
To be eligible to apply for this program, you must have had a GNP rotation or recent clinical experience as a registered nurse in a perioperative service.
This 6-month program delves into acute kidney injuries and chronic kidney disease, as well as peritoneal and haemodialysis. RISE participants will learn to provide specialised care for individuals with a variety of conditions such as metabolic, kidney disease, mineral and bone disease, inflammatory diseases, diabetic kidney disease and acute kidney injury as well as care for chronic haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients.
This 6-month program has a focus on patient assessment principles and common presentation and management priorities within the subacute setting as well as building knowledge and skill in identifying and responding to clinical deterioration.
The 6 month Trauma Program brings together participants from Orthopaedics (7SW) and Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) and Plastics (7SE). Participants will gain knowledge and clinical skill in trauma, orthopaedics and plastics assessment and management with a focus on identifying and responding to clinical deterioration.
Course structure
RISE content is delivered across a range of modalities.
Online learning Modules are delivered through a dedicated learning platform, with tailor made modules created specifically for RISE participants by subject matter experts. Throughout the program, participants will engage with weekly online content including interactive learning activities, videos and evidence based resources specific to their speciality stream and program.
A minimum 3 professional development days are offered in each RISE program stream, providing opportunity for virtual or face-to-face workshops, clinical skill practice and/or clinical simulation within the RMH's Melbourne Simulation Centre.
RISE participants have hurdle tasks to complete, ensuring translation of theory to practice.
RISE participants will also have dedicated continual clinical support from clinical nurse educators who work in the specialty area. This includes one-on-one time with the CNEs and nurse unit managers to discuss experiences, career planning and goal setting.
Applications and eligibility criteria
Eligibility criteria for the RISE programs include:
- Undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing or equivalent
- Diploma of Nursing *stream dependent
- Successful completion of graduate nurse program (GNP) or equivalent
- Employment within the Royal Melbourne Hospital at minimum of 0.6EFT in clinical area offering the program for the duration of the program
- Successful application and enrolment into the RISE program as agreed by the Nurse Unit Manager (NUM), Clinical Nurse Educator (CNE) and Course Coordinator
Future pathways
Following the RISE Program, participants will continue to be supported as an integral member of the Royal Melbourne Hospital workforce. Participants may also consider a career pathway that includes completion of a university-affiliated postgraduate program.
Visit Postgraduate Nurse Program for more information about tertiary affiliations and streams offered to progress your career at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Need more information?
Contact the Postgraduate Nursing Program coordinator.
Ground Level West
300 Grattan St, Parkville, Victoria