Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner)

Pioneer healthcare initiatives and lead nursing practice.

The Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) will enable you to build on your experience as an advanced practice clinician to develop the knowledge and skills to become a nurse practitioner, working autonomously and collaboratively in a variety of healthcare settings in Australia.Nurse practitioners diagnose, manage and treat specific health conditions across a diverse range of healthcare settings.

As a nurse practitioner student, you will learn how to use the latest evidence to inform your practice, enhancing your healthcare, case management and leadership skills.During this two year degree, you will learn from leading researchers across nursing and healthcare as you explore the broad socio-political, organisational, ethical and legal contexts that the nurse practitioner faces.

Your studies will be underpinned by biological and physiological ideologies, as well as advanced assessment and diagnostic reasoning principles, pharmacology and quality medicine use.As part of delivering care, you will be taught the process of ordering and interpreting diagnostic investigations as well as planning and self-monitoring the initiation, titration or cessation of medicines.

You will also take two practical-based units of study which collectively include 300 advanced clinical practice hours alongside completion of a work-based capstone project.Offered only at a master's level, completion of this degree will make you eligible to apply for authorisation as a nurse practitioner in Australia, graduating with the skills and expertise to make a substantial contribution to future healthcare policy and direction.Our Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) is designed for registered nurses working at an advanced practice level who are looking to build specialist professional practice capabilities leading to endorsement as a nurse practitioner.

Admission criteria

A successful applicant for admission to the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) will hold:

a) Current general registration as a Registered Nurse

Applicants for admission to candidature for the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) will be registered to practise nursing in an Australian state or territory and satisfy the English language proficiency requirements detailed in the school resolutions.

b) Experience – a minimum of two years full-time equivalent (FTE) as a Registered Nurse in a specified clinical field and two years FTE of current advanced nursing practice in this same field

Admission to the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) program requires:

• a minimum of two years full-time equivalent experience as a registered nurse in a specified clinical field, and two years full-time experience of advanced nursing practice in the same clinical field.
• Applicants need to be concurrently employed in the area of clinical practice that is relevant to the nurse practitioner application (minimum 15 hours weekly) while undertaking their studies.

c) A postgraduate qualification at Australian Qualifications Framework Level 8 in a clinical field.

Admission to the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) requires:

• a preregistration nursing degree from the University of Sydney or equivalent qualification with a credit average, or
• a graduate diploma with a credit average in a nursing discipline from the University of Sydney or equivalent qualification, and
• a minimum of a graduate certificate in:

i. the area of clinical practice relevant to the Nurse Practitioner application, or

ii. another area, and be able to demonstrate advanced skills in the area of clinical practice relevant to the Nurse Practitioner application by portfolio and referee reports.

d) In addition to the evidence previously outlined, applicants will require evidence of confirmed support to complete all professional experience requirements of the course:

Applicants for admission to the candidature for the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) shall:

• have organisational support to carry out the clinical practicum (including 300 supernumerary integrated professional practice hours) prescribed in the course. Clinical practicum refers to activities undertaken within the clinical setting in order to advance the candidate’s scope of practice for the purpose of completing the requirements of the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner)
• have a nominated Primary Clinical Supervisor to support the student’s learning while undertaking clinical practice embedded in the course

Inherent requirements

To assist students to make informed choices about their study, the university has identified and set out inherent requirements for coursework award courses across a range of areas, including the study of nursing. Inherent requirements are the essential tasks and activities necessary to be able to achieve the core learning outcomes of a course. They are specific to a particular course or discipline.

To successfully complete their award course, students of the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) must meet all academic requirements as set out in the Faculty and course resolutions (in the Faculty handbook). The full list of Inherent Requirements for Nursing Courses can be found here.

In addition, students in all courses are required to comply with Australian laws and University rules and policies, including the Code of Conduct for Students. The University of Sydney upholds the academic standards of each degree and disciplines so that all students graduate with the skills and knowledge expected of a graduate of the award conferred.

With appropriate supports and reasonable accommodations, students must be able to carry out the following activities in order to meet the inherent requirements to successfully complete nursing courses. These requirements are covered by the following five domains:

• Communication tasks
• Observation/sensory tasks
• Physical tasks
• Intellectual tasks
• Interpersonal and social interactions

What you'll study

Units of Study