Graduate Certificate in Acute Care Nursing

Graduate Certificate

Studying the Graduate Certificate in Acute Care Nursing with ACN will provide you with the principles required to meet the diverse needs of individuals admitted to the acute care setting, in order to improve your knowledge and skills for the provision and coordination of evidenced based...

Key details

Degree Type

Graduate Certificate

Duration

1 year part-time

Study Mode

Online

Intake Months

Jan, Jul

About this course

Studying the Graduate Certificate in Acute Care Nursing with ACN will provide you with the principles required to meet the diverse needs of individuals admitted to the acute care setting, in order to improve your knowledge and skills for the provision and coordination of evidenced based person-centred care. The aim is to encourage professional and ethical understanding of clinical practice development to maintain quality and provide safe healthcare.

The subjects in this course were written by specialist acute care nurses and a team of clinical experts, working within the specialty, provide student support. Our unique range of elective units of study allow students to further explore their area of interest related to medical and surgical nursing.

Understanding the nursing management of adults admitted to acute care settings with acute medical or surgical conditions is the focus of this course. Students analyse and apply their knowledge and problem-solving skills to clinical case scenarios based on commonly encountered acute care presentations. The units of study provide students with an opportunity to extend their ability to undertake increasingly complex nursing activities in a range of acute medical and surgical care settings.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Admission to a graduate certificate course is based on academic merit and selection. In addition, applicants must satisfy any prerequisites or additional requirements specified for particular courses, including ACN's general eligibility criteria.

All applicants seeking admission are required to:

hold a Bachelor of Nursing or registered nurse* equivalent qualification
hold current registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA); or the equivalent registering authority in your country of origin
meet the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia English language skills registration standard (nursing and midwifery) - please refer to the AHPRA website to download the standard
have a minimum of one year of postgraduate experience; and
be currently employed in the clinical area of specialisation*

*Considerations may be given to nurses working in hospital in the home (HITH) setting on an individual basis.

Study locations

Online

What you will learn

Learning outcomes

At successful completion of the course students should be able to:

demonstrate provision of competent interpersonal and clinical care to individuals through the acquisition, application and communication of specialist knowledge and skills which reflect professional and ethico-legal integrity
identify, appraise and apply research evidence to inform nursing practice and develop professional responsibility and accountability commensurate with the specialist role
critically evaluate available knowledge in relation to complex situations to guide the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of evidence based nursing care
collaborate with the interdisciplinary team in provision of effective therapeutic relationships and continuity of care within the context of acute care nursing practice
consider strategies when caring for a culturally and linguistically diverse population and reflect on the health care team's ability to meet the nursing and communication needs of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
create an effective clinical learning environment through demonstrating mentorship and the propagation of specialised knowledge and technical skill
demonstrate leadership through participation in policy development, service provision and quality improvement within the specialist context.

Career pathways

A Graduate Certificate in Acute Care Nursing is an investment in your future and will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to provide safe and quality care and progress your career, leading to opportunities in clinical education, management and specialist nursing roles.

Course structure

The Graduate Certificate in Acute Care Nursing is a one year course, consisting of four 10-week terms.

Students will need to complete 4 units - 3 core and 1 elective. One unit is studied per term.

Approximate hours of study are 12 - 15 hours per week.

For more details please visit the course website.

Graduate outcomes

Graduate satisfaction and employment outcomes for Nursing courses at Australian College of Nursing (ACN).

83.2%

Overall satisfaction

79.7%

Skill scale

67.6%

Teaching scale

89%

Employed full-time

$87.2k

Average salary

Data source