Graduate Certificate in Clinical Nursing

The Graduate Certificate in Clinical Nursing is designed to expand your knowledge and skills in clinical nursing and practice.

ACU Online offers a generic Clinical Nursing course as well as the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Nursing with nine specialisations: correctional health, gerontological nursing, medical, renal, surgical, neuroscience, cardiac care, intensive care and perioperative. By undertaking a specialisation, you will develop your holistic care skills in specialty practice, including person- and family-centred health promotion. Specific knowledge in the areas of bioscience, pharmacology, and lifespan development, relevant to your chosen specialty, will also be explored and applied to your clinical nursing practice.

The Graduate Certificate in Clinical Nursing (without a specialisation) focuses on developing your skills and knowledge as a registered nurse enabling you to effectively work across a diverse range of clinical settings. You will learn how to critically analyse and evaluate complex clinical presentations and apply your newly-acquired knowledge to effectively assess and problem solve in any health care environment. Modules within this specialisation cover integral anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and the significance of polypharmacy in the context of pain assessment, and management.

In the correctional health specialisation, the mental health of prisoners is comprehensively and extensively covered. Modules include the importance of physical health, healthcare management, and consequences of accelerated ageing of the prison population.

Older persons require a multi-faceted approach to care and the gerontological nursing specialisation will support you to undertake risk assessment, clinical decision-making and to implement risk mitigation strategies to ensure the delivery of quality and safe person-centred care to older persons.

The medical specialisation explores acute and chronic medical conditions across multiple biological systems with modules covering integral anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and the significance of polypharmacy in an ageing population. Foci include common respiratory conditions, the significance of infection control and the implications of hospital acquired infections.

Therenal specialisation explores acute renal conditions as well as living with renal disease and the role of the nurse in primary health care for people suffering chronic renal disease. You will explore the role of vascular access devices in the care of the person with Renal disease and infection control considerations, haemo and peritoneal dialysis.

The surgical specialisation explores acute and chronic health conditions that require surgical intervention. Modules include principles and management of nursing care across the pre-operative, post-operative and discharge, surgical care continuum. Content related to surgical comorbidities, common surgical procedures, surgical safety, risk assessment and the early recognition and timely escalation of deterioration to mitigate patient harm is extensively covered. The impact that pre-operative and post-operative complications have for surgical patient outcomes, and discharge planning, will also be detailed.

Theneuroscience specialisation explores acute and chronic neurological conditions and the role of the nurse in providing evidence-based family and person-centered nursing care in a neuroscience setting. You will explore critical care concepts, including integral anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics. You will be supported to develop knowledge and skills to critically appraise and evaluate evidence that ensure patients with acute and chronic and complex neuroscience conditions are delivered high quality and safe care.

In the cardiac care specialisation, you will explore critical care concepts through the lens of a person- and family-centred focus. Modules explore acute coronary syndromes, heart failure and cardiogenic shock. Rhythm interpretation and common dysrhythmias through normal 12 lead ECG and interpretation of abnormal findings are also embedded within the specialty modules. Other topics such as cardiomyopathy & cardiac valves, Implantable devices, cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac rehabilitation and palliative care in cardiac nursing care are embedded in this specialty module.

In the intensive care specialisation you will undertake advanced exploration of critical care concepts, including anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and the significance of polypharmacy in critically ill patient. You will develop your understanding of pathophysiology related to ICU-specific pathologies and will strengthen your ability to analyse and evaluate the impact of disease processes, make ethical decisions that are person and family-centred, while providing evidence-based care.

The perioperative specialisation explores the operating theatre environment through the lens of a person- and family-centred focus. Modules cover integral anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and the significance of polypharmacy in the context of pain assessment, and management and surgical risk models.

Visit ACU Postgraduate Programs for Nurses, for more information.