What you will learn

Advanced knowledge of high-risk conditions and diseases

You’ll further your practical understanding of the complexity of either cardiac and respiratory disease processes or chronic kidney disease progression, depending on the subjects you select. Renal nursing covers renal replacement therapies, and interventions and supporting technical skills; cardiac and respiratory considers treatments including pharmacology. In both you will further your knowledge of symptom management, care planning, and nursing management strategies.

Develop clinical assessment skills

You’ll grow your skills in advanced patient assessment findings, including physical, emotional, psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual factors that influence patient outcomes.

Evidence-based care of adult patients

You’ll gain a theoretical and practical understanding of how to meet the diverse needs of adult patients who are acutely ill.

Course structure

The Graduate Certificate of Nursing Practice (Acute and Complex Care) is a 50-point program designed to be undertaken part time over 12 months, including supervised clinical practice at your employing hospital. You must complete:

• Three core subjects
• Two core selective subjects.

You must choose selectives from the same area of focus, e.g. either Cardiorespiratory or Renal nursing, as the practical subject relates directly to the specialty subject.

Please note: if you commence study in the winter intake you will have a 6 month break after completing the first subject Applied Pathophysiology and recommence in March the year after. Consequently starting this course in the winter intake will take 1.5 years to complete.

Workload

The estimated hours required for each subject is approximately 21 hours per week, but this varies for each student and depends on your task management and planning, familiarity with the material, reading style and speed.

Download course guide