Advancing Practice. Clinical Impact

This program is offered to continuing students only.

Nurses provide specialised care to the older person across a range of health care settings and require specific skills and knowledge to ensure that their practice is based on best available evidence. This graduate diploma is designed to provide opportunities for nurses to develop advanced specialist skills in clinical inquiry, practice and leadership specifically in the field of aged care nursing. The successful completion of the courses leads to the award of Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Gerontological Nursing) and consists of four courses covering ageing, assessment and palliative care and contemporary issues for aged care and two core courses in Developing Advanced Practice in Health Systems. For students granted advanced standing there is a course of focused reading or other courses may be studied at the discretion of the course coordinator.

SPECIALTY COURSES

Functional Assessment
Units: 4 units
Teaching period: Semester 1 or Semester 2
This course focuses on the skills of assessment and the planning of care and services. Topics include: physical assessment; assessment of activities of living; psychosocial assessment; problem identification and management; and enablement processes.

Gerontological Nursing
Units: 4 units
Teaching period: Semester 1 or Semester 2
The major focus in this course is advanced clinical skills acquisition based on integrating different theories of ageing giving consideration to the parameters and limitations of the sociology, psychology, biology and spirituality factors in ageing. You will be required to critically evaluate the suitability of one or more nursing models or frameworks for use in at least two clinical settings; critically discuss gerontological nursing practice within the context of contemporary health service delivery; understand the rationale for documentation, continuous improvement, evaluations and research, in all aspects of undertaking high level nursing care.

Palliative Nursing in Aged Care
Units: 4 units
Teaching period: Semester 1 or Semester 2
This course focuses on the palliative care requirements of the elderly. Topics include principles of palliative care, non specialist practice in the area of palliative care, ageing, dying and grieving, the ethics of dying, patient's and relative's needs, pain management, symptom control, alternative therapies, spiritual/religious and cultural issues.

Contemporary Issues in Aged Care
Units: 4 units
Teaching period: Semester 1 or Semester 2
This course examines contemporary issues and debates specifically related to service delivery in the aged care sector. The impact of Government policies and funding arrangements on the delivery of professional services to older people are studied in detail. Courses are directly related to the management and administration of a nursing service for older people in Australia.


CORE COURSES


Developing Advanced Practice in Health Systems I
Units: 4 units
Teaching period: Semester 1 or Semester 2
This course examines contemporary issues related to advanced nursing practice and considers the supports and constraints within which nurses practice. Topics include ethics of care, leadership, advocacy, evidence based practice, health service management, professional standards, health informatics and multicultural health care.

Developing Advanced Practice in Health Systems II
Units: 4 units
Teaching period: Semester 1 or Semester 2
This course examines the evaluation of clinical practice through clinical audit. Students progress through a series of readings and activities that introduce clinical audit and then progressively work through the processes involved in the development, conduct and reporting of an audit of clinical practice.

Focused Reading in Clinical Nursing (for students granted advanced standing)
Units: 4 units
Teaching period: Semester 1 or Semester 2
This course examines contemporary clinical nursing practice through a critical review of the literature with a focus on acute care nursing practice. Students are required to follow a protocol to ensure scientific rigour and minimise potential bias.

• Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Acute Care Nursing)
• Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Anaesthetic and Recovery Nursing)
• Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Burns Nursing)
• Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Cardiac Nursing)
• Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Community Health and Primary Care)
• Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Emergency Nursing)
• Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Infection Control Nursing)
• Graduate Diploma in Nursing Sciene (Intensive Care Nursing)
• Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Mental Health Nursing)
• Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Oncology Nursing)
• Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Orthopaedic Nursing)
• Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Perioperative Nursing)

Applicants must

1. be registered, or be eligible for registration, as a nurse in Australia or New Zealand, and
2. hold a degree of Bachelor of Nursing or equivalent; or, have at least two years experience as a registered nurse in the field of the specialisation to be undertaken.
   

• School of Nursing