Graduate Certificate in Nursing Practice (Neonatal Intensive Care)

The Graduate Certificate in Nursing Practice (Neonatal Intensive Care) delivers theoretical content through a combination of on-line study and face-to-face course delivery at the partner hospital for the clinical specialty.

The students' employing hospital provides clinical practice in a hospital setting.Students complete 50 credit points of study part-time, over a year, commencing with an on-line subject, completing a face-to-face subject at the partner hospital each semester and a supervised clinical practice subject at their employing hospital across the whole study period.

Course structure

The course is a 50 credit point program which follows the structure below with mandated subject options.

Entry requirements

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:

• either

– a Master of Nursing Science, or – a Bachelor of Nursing (or equivalent qualification); and

• at least one year of documented clinical experience as a Registered Nurse working in an acute or sub-acute healthcare service within the preceding five years from the time of application; and
• current unrestricted registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (courses with clinical components only); and
• current employment and evidence of clinical support in your specialty area (courses with clinical components only).

Meeting these requirements does not guarantee entry.

2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

• prior academic performance; and
• the clinical experience.

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

4. Applicants are required to satisfy the university's English language requirements for postgraduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required.

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to providingsupport to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website. http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Intended learning outcomes

The Graduate Certificate aims to provide the opportunity for nurses to extend their undergraduate nursing knowledge and skills into an area of specialty nursing practice. Upon completion of the course it is therefore expected that students should have:

• a sound understanding of the scientific knowledge and research based evidence that underpins skill development specific to a specialty area of nursing practice;
• the ability theoretical knowledge to understand the practice of providing care to individuals experiencing specific disturbances to health and well-being that require specialty nursing interventions;
• skills in critical inquiry relevant to a chosen specialty area of nursing practice;
• the ability to communicate an understanding of the theoretical basis for practice both verbally and in a written form;
• problem solving skills appropriate for delivery and evaluation of patient care as a specialty practice nurse;
• life long learning skills that facilitate knowledge and skill development as a specialty practice nurse and the ability to undertake ongoing professional development in preparation for more advanced levels of specialty practice;
• demonstrated clinical competencies in a workplace environment assessed by clinical experts to be at a beginning competency level as benchmarked against Australian specialty practice competencies.