Graduate Certificate
The Graduate Certificate in Paediatric Nursing Studies is designed to meet the educational needs of nurses working within the diverse contexts of contemporary paediatric health care.
The course aims to cultivate excellence in the provision of nursing care to sick infants, children and young adults, within a family-focussed framework. Through the exploration and integration of theoretical knowledge and clinical nursing, graduates are prepared for practice as specialist paediatric nurses within multidisciplinary health care teams.
The course is designed to foster a purposeful and child-centred approach that makes a real difference to children's services and student career satisfaction. This course is aimed at those with an interest in pursuing paediatric studies from a variety of perspectives.
There are three specialist streams to meet the individual needs of students, allowing nurses within these areas to share a common body of knowledge, while also advancing their specialty knowledge and expertise. These streams are: General Paediatrics, Paediatric Emergency and Paediatric Intensive Care.
Admission to GC courses 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:
Anyone applying for an ACN course that includes a clinical placement must provide evidence of compliance documents at the time of application.
Applications for enrolment will not be progressed until all relevant documentation has been received by Customer Services.
Each Australian state and territory has its own clinical placement documentation requirements. Further details are available on our Clinical Placement Information page, click on the tab for your particular state or territory for information on specific requirements.
Individual placement providers may need additional documentation. If you are required to provide this then you will be contacted by the Clinical Placement Officer following enrolment.
ACN negotiates with health care facilities to secure clinical placements. ACN will make every effort to secure clinical placements within the timeframe indicated in the course outline, however applicants are advised that provision and location of clinical placements is dependent on the availability of placements within the health facility.
As placements are difficult to secure, once confirmed these cannot be negotiated unless there is unforeseen extenuating circumstances. Applicants are not to arrange their own clinical placements with a clinical facility under any circumstances. ACN reserves the right to change clinical placements if necessary.
Completion of this course will enable the student to:
A Graduate Certificate in Paediatric Nursing Studies is an investment in your future and will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to ensure better outcomes for your patients and progress your career, leading to opportunities in clinical education, management and specialist nursing roles.
The Graduate Certificate in Paediatric Nursing Studies is a one year course, consisting of four 10-week terms.
Students will need to choose 1 stream - General Paediatrics, Paediatric Emergency or Paediatric Intensive Care. Students will need to complete 4 units, either 3 core and 1 elective (General stream) or 2 core, 1 specialty and 1 elective units (Emergency and Intensive Care streams). One unit is studied per term.
Approximate hours of study are 12 - 15 hours per week.
For more details please visit the course website.