Graduate Diploma in Intensive Care Nursing

The Graduate Diploma in Intensive Care Nursing is designed for registered nurses currently working in the Intensive Care environment.

This course is intended to assist registered nurses working in this area to become clinical leaders.As a registered nurse working in the Intensive Care environment, you are expected to provide sophisticated care and advice to critically ill patients and their families.

This requires the application of advanced physiological knowledge during the assessment and management of patients who may be experiencing single or multiple organ dysfunctions.

The course will provide you with the specific knowledge, skills and attributes to provide care to this challenging group of patients.Completion of the Graduate Diploma program can be used as credit towards a Masters degree in the discipline or a pathway into the Master of Nursing.

Admission criteria

A successful applicant for admission to the Graduate Diploma in Intensive Care Nursing will hold

• a pre-registration nursing degree from the University of Sydney or equivalent qualification; or
• an embedded graduate certificate in this discipline from the University of Sydney or equivalent qualification.

In exceptional circumstances the Dean may admit applicants without these qualifications who, in the opinion of the School, have qualifications and evidence of experience and achievement sufficient to successfully undertake the award.

In addition, the applicant is required to be a registered nurse in Australia or overseas and satisfy the English language proficiency requirements.

Domestic applicants are required to have a minimum of one year's experience as a registered nurse, be working in intensive care nursing and provide a statement of support from their supervisor or manager in order to undertake the required clinical assessments. Students who already hold a graduate certificate in intensive care nursing are not required to provide a statement of support.

International applicants are required to have a minimum of one year's experience in intensive care nursing and have a choice of providing a statement of support from their supervisor if they wish to undertake the required clinical assessments in their home country, or else the clinical assessments can be undertaken at the Sydney Nursing School under simulated conditions.

The academic requirements that are displayed are applicable to currently available courses only, and are updated annually in October and may be changed without notice. The handbooks online and the University of Sydney Calendar are the official legal source of information relating to study at the University of Sydney, and you are referred to those documents.

Inherent requirements

To assist students to make informed choices about their study, we have identified and set out the Inherent Requirements for coursework award courses in nursing.

The University of Sydney welcomes and encourages applications from students with disabilities, and from diverse social and cultural backgrounds. Where there are physical, intellectual, cultural, religious or other factors that impact on a student's ability to meet the Inherent Requirements, the University will make reasonable adjustments to assist the student to meet the requirements. Please read the Inherent Requirements carefully as you consider your course choices.

What you'll study

Units of Study