Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Nurse Practitioner)

Nurse practitioners are clinical leaders responsible for direct clinical care, promoting evidence-based clinical practice, contributing to that evidence-base and leading service improvement. The Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Nurse Practitioner) is an accredited course of study leading to endorsement as a nurse practitioner by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). It has been designed to support students to meet the Nurse Practitioner Standards for Practice and is offered over two years part time. Upon completion of the program, students will be eligible for entry on the Australian Health Practitioner Register as an endorsed Nurse Practitioner.

The course is coordinated by experienced nurse practitioners and aims to support students to meet the NMBA Nurse Practitioner Standards for Practice with a focus on developing the clinical leadership and decision-making skill needed to practice as a nurse practitioner. The MANP(NP) uses a blended teaching model which means that some of the content is delivered on campus and some online. On campus classes provide an opportunity for experienced nurses to learn from and engage with a range of professional and clinical leaders who participate in the program, as well as share their experiences and knowledge with each other.

There is a strong emphasis on clinical experience embedded throughout the course. The clinical practice component is comprised of Integrated Professional Practice (IPP) placements and the student's employed clinical practice (ECP); the sum of which will provide students with the necessary clinical learning environment and practice opportunities to graduate as a capable advanced practice nurse able to meet the NMBA Standards for Practice. The total clinical commitment of the student during the course is an average of 38hours/fortnight (ECP + IPP). Students will be supported throughout the program by the academic team responsible for the course and well as their workplace based Clinical Teaching and Supervision (CTS) team. The student's CTS is comprised of experts in their field who will support the student to develop the necessary clinical expertise needed to practice as a nurse practitioner in their clinical field.

More detailed information regarding the course can be found in the following documents:

• COURSE INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
• CLINICAL PRACTICE - STUDENT INFORMATION
• PRE-ENROLMENT - STUDENT'S FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

You can view our Open Day information session here.

After exploring the course information if you have any further questions, the nurse practitioner teaching team are willing to speak to potential students about the nurse practitioner path and answer questions about the program and their eligibility. To contact a member of this team please contact np-program@unimelb.edu.au

The Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Nurse Practitioner) is offered over two years part time (see figure below). A two-and a half-year option and a three-year option can be provided after consultation with the course coordinator.

As a graduate of the Master of Nurse Practitioner, the graduate will have the advanced discipline specific knowledge and skills to:

• Provide safe, effective, person-centred health care to consumers (direct and comprehensive care).
• Influence health care systems and services to achieve better outcomes for consumers, their families, health care providers, the community and the health care system (support of systems).
• Educate self and others (consumers, health care professionals etc) regarding the focus of and available options for care (education).
• Apply evidence to practice, identify the clinical evidence gaps and inform and contribute to future clinical and research inquiry to address these gaps (Research).
• Demonstrate professional and clinical leadership in clinical, organisational, political and community forums and make scholarly contribution to the discipline and/or specialty (publication and professional leadership)

At the completion of this course, students should be able to demonstrate:

• the capacity for information seeking, retrieval and evaluation
• critical thinking and analytical skills
• an openness to new ideas
• the ability to communicate scientific knowledge through oral, written and web based media
• professional leadership skills

The Melbourne Experience enables our graduates to become:

Academically excellent

• have a strong sense of intellectual integrity and the ethics of scholarship
• have in-depth knowledge of their specialist discipline(s)
• reach a high level of achievement in writing, generic research activities, problemsolving and communication
• be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning
• be adept at learning in a range of ways, including through information and communication technologies

Knowledgeable across disciplines

• examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a broad range of disciplines
• expand their analytical and cognitive skills through learning experiences in diverse subjects
• have the capacity to participate fully in collaborative learning and to confront unfamiliar problems
• have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment

Leaders in communities

• initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions and workplaces
• have excellent interpersonal and decision-making skills, including an awareness of personal strengths and limitations
• mentor future generations of learners
• engage in meaningful public discourse, with a profound awareness of community needs

Attuned to cultural diversity

• value different cultures
• be well-informed citizens able to contribute to their communities wherever they choose to live and work
• have an understanding of the social and cultural diversity in our community
• respect indigenous knowledge, cultures and values

Active global citizens

• accept social and civic responsibilities
• be advocates for improving the sustainability of the environment
• have a broad global understanding, with a high regard for human rights, equity and ethics

professional endorsement

The Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Nurse Practitioner) is a Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia approved program of study for registered nurses seeking NMBA endorsement as a nurse practitioner. The endorsement standards and guidelines for application can be reviewed on the NMBA website.