Graduate Diploma of Perianaesthesia Nursing

Every year, 2.8 million hospitalisations in Australia result in surgical interventions*. Integral to these interventions are the perianaesthesia nurses providing care and support before, during and after the administration of anaesthesia. The advanced specialist skills required for this pivotal role in a multidisciplinary perioperative team are in high demand, in one of the strongest growth areas of the health sector~. Deakin's Graduate Diploma of Perianaesthesia prepares you to meet that demand.

Ranked #16 in the world^, our School of Nursing and Midwifery is one of Australia's largest and most established schools. You'll be learning from the best with the School's cutting-edge research recognised as well above world standard#. Our strong industry connections mean you will be guided by experts in critical care and perioperative nursing as you explore the current and emerging trends, concepts, knowledge and evidence that provides the policy and practice framework in which perianaesthesia nursing takes place.

Are you ready to play a pivotal role in a multidisciplinary perioperative team by advancing your skills in perianaesthesia nursing?

If you want to take the next step in your nursing career, our Graduate Diploma of Perianaesthesia prepares you to practise effectively at an advanced practice level. As a graduate you will demonstrate ethical, safe, high quality, expert clinical decision-making abilities within a multidisciplinary team, and psychomotor skills commensurate with specialised theoretical knowledge, evidence-based practice and person-centred care.

Deakin's strong industry connections ensure a high level of collaboration and support during your clinical practice. This means that while you study you can immerse yourself in your speciality nursing practice area with one of our numerous metropolitan, rural and regional health partners across Australia.

This course enables you to:

• critically assess and apply the concepts and principles of anaesthetic management and postoperative care
• develop an advanced understanding of pharmacological therapies, including anaesthetic agents, adjunct therapies and pain management therapies
• perform patient assessment and monitoring of neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory and haemodynamic states
• manage complex and special populations to identify risk and inform decisions that deliver safe, high-quality nursing care to promote optimal patient outcomes
• assess and manage anaesthetic requirements for complex patients and emergency presentations
• demonstrate skills in advanced monitoring and postoperative anaesthesia care following complex and specialty surgery
• develop greater decision-making autonomy, critical thinking and leadership skills, advanced clinical judgement, and enhanced professionalism.

Elective units available from your first year enable you to pursue specific areas of interest aligned to your career goals. You can choose from complementary areas of practice to perianaesthesia, or undertake studies preparing you for roles in education, leadership or management. You'll also have the opportunity to select a unit from anywhere across the university, further expanding your skill set.

Our innovative online program delivers a rich, interactive and empowering learning experience that is designed for postgraduate nursing students. Live-streaming seminars and class discussions encourage critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills. Australia's top-rated tech support and access to our expert teaching staff means you can learn at your own pace, when and where it suits you, without compromising quality or support.

With job growth of 12.2% projected for registered nurses and 12.1% for nurse managers by 2028~, there is an industry demand for nurses with sophisticated specialty skills. Perianaesthesia nurses are in strong demand as they are an integral part of the multidisciplinary teams that support patients through their surgical experience.

* Australia's hospitals at a glance 2022 - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Australian Government (2022)
^ 2023 ShanghaiRankings Ranking of Academic Subjects.
# Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) 2018.
~ Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections

~ Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections

To complete the Graduate Diploma of Perianaesthesia Nursing students must attain 8 credit points, comprising of 4 core units, plus 4 credit points of electives, of which 3 must be from the course electives, the remaining 1

The perianaesthesia nursing specialisation units (HNN755 Core Principles of Perianaesthesia Nursing Care and HNN742 Principles of Complex Perianaesthesia Nursing Care) are completed in year one of the course and are semester-based delivery.

Both the theoretical and clinical components of the assessment for each unit must be passed in order to successfully gain an overall pass in this course. Compulsory clinical hurdles form part of the assessment of this course. Recognition of the importance of clinical assessments is calculated in the overall student workload.

Note: Failure of a compulsory clinical component in a unit will normally lead to exclusion.

All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate and Postgraduate course work students are required to complete DAI001 Academic Integrity Module (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first trimester of study.

Note: Students wishing to complete a thesis at the masters level, must complete HNN730 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning and HNN749 Patient and Risk Management during their Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in order to gain the