Post Graduate Nurse Program

Applications for this stream have closed.

The Graduate Certificate in Acute Care Nursing is designed to assist nurses in developing higher-order clinical reasoning and problem solving skills, specialised clinical proficiency and exceptional communication skills required to care for the complex acutely unwell patient in their clinical practice area.

Acute Care nurses utilise current evidence to analyse and critique care delivery, and apply new knowledge based on evidence to clinical practice, to positively impact patient outcomes and our communities.

The Acute Care post graduate qualification provides nurses with the opportunity to extend their current level of clinical competence, clinical reflection, professional and therapeutic communication, whilst maintaining professional integrity and ethical standards of care, to comprehensively assess and manage care of patients and their families within a multidisciplinary team.

The Graduate Certificate in Acute Care Nursing will be clinically supported by the Nursing Education Department in the following clinical areas / wards:

• Acute Medical Unit (AMU)
• General Medicine (5SE)
• Respiratory Care Unit/Medical Unit (5SW)
• Infectious Diseases ward (9E)
• Emergency General Surgery (3S)
• Colorectal Hepatobiliary Surgery (3SW)
• General Medicine and Gastroenterology (5N)
• Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) & Plastics (7SE)
• Orthopaedics (7SW)
• Vascular, Opthalmology, Urology, BOE (9W)

Course Structure

Please note all enrolments will be into a Master of Acute Care Nursing through La Trobe University with exit points at Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma levels. The Master of Acute Care Nursing is 180 credit points; Graduate Certificate is 60 credit points.

Please see sample plan below

More information

Download the Master of Nursing Acute Care information pack 2021.

Download Frequently Asked Questions about the Graduate Certificate in Acute Care

For further information see the La Trobe Master of Nursing website.

The Cardiothoracic ward will be joining the Cardiac Care Graduate Certificate in Nursing Practice through Deakin University.

The RMH Cardiothoracic ward is a 30 bedded High Dependency Unit and 18 stepdown beds. The knowledge and skills you acquire from the course will enable you to deliver specialised nursing care for post-operative patients who have had heart and lung surgery, in both the ward and HDU environment. The unit has a positive and vibrant team culture and a reputation for delivering nurse-led, high acuity care. This makes it an excellent learning environment.

The course includes a 3 week supernumerary rotation to ICU, an opportunity to observe cardiac surgery in theatre and to visit recently discharged patients with the cardiothoracic hospital-in-the-home nurse, providing you with comprehensive experience of the post-operative patient's care journey.

The Graduate Certificate of Nursing Practice (GCNP) - Cardiac Care - is designed to prepare nurses to meet contemporary challenges in cardiac nursing and interventional cardiology within the specialist field of critical care nursing and to progressively build upon knowledge and skills required to comprehensively care for critically ill patients. . The GCNP is conducted with our affiliate university, Deakin University.

The Cardiac Care course is campus based (subject to COVID-19 educational delivery restrictions) and offered online through Cloud. Applicants must be currently employed or application successful when applying for this course.

The GCNP (Cardiac Care) is a four (4) credit point, part-time, clinical coursework program. It consists of four (4) subjects completed over a twelve (12) months.

Course Structure - Level 1

Trimester 1

Trimester 2

For further information about read about GCNP - Cardiac Care on the Deakin University website.

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The Graduate Certificate in Cancer Nursing (University of Melbourne) is open to internal applicants at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. You will develop a sound understanding of the theory and scientific advances that underpin the comprehensive care and management of people affected by cancer. You will apply this knowledge to clinical practice, demonstrating the ability to competently care for patients with complex care requirements using evidence-based and scientific approaches.

The Graduate Certificate in Cancer Nursing is conducted with our affiliate university, the University of Melbourne (UoM). It is a fifty (50) credit point, part time, clinical coursework program completed over twelve (12) months.

Course Structure

Read more about Graduate Certificate in Cancer Nursing offered on the University of Melbourne website.

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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
• 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 1 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

Bridging to ICU

• The Bridging to ICU course is open to Registered Nurses who hold a 'critical care' post graduate 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 twelve (12) months.

Refresher to ICU

• The Refresher to ICU course is open to Registered Nurses who hold an Intensive Care post graduate qualification
• This course is geared towards applicants who have previously completed a post graduate 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 twelve (12) months.
• Applicants must have worked within a critical care unit/ward within the past 5 years

Apply now

The Graduate Certificate of Nursing Practice (GCNP) - Perioperative course is designed to prepare nurses to meet the complex challenges within the speciality practice area of perioperative nursing and to progressively build upon knowledge and skills to explore the specific roles within perioperative nursing practice. The course responds to the demands of industry and partnership/collaborating hospitals by preparing nurses with sophisticated perioperative specialty skills and knowledge.

The Perioperative course is campus based (subject to COVID-19 educational delivery restrictions) and offered online through Cloud. Applicants must be currently employed or application successful when applying for this course.

The GCNP (Perioperative) is a four (4) credit point, part-time, clinical coursework program. It consists of four (4) subjects completed over a twelve (12) months.

Course Structure - Level 1

Trimester 1

Trimester 2

Read more about the GCNP (Perioperative) on the Deakin University website.

Apply now