Graduate Certificate in Acute Care Nursing

What you will study

To complete the Graduate Certificate in Acute Care Nursing, a student must fulfil four units of study.

Core units

• Advancing Professional Practice
• Advanced Applied Pathophysiology in Clinical Practice
• Acute Care Nursing

Specialty elective

Choose one elective from the following:

• Assessing and Managing Adult Pain
• Infection Prevention and Control in Clinical Practice
• Principles of Palliative Care Nursing
• Respiratory Nursing
• Wound Management

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.
• Be currently employed in the clinical area of specialisation.

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

Outcomes

Learning outcomes

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

• Demonstrate the provision of competent interpersonal and clinical care to individuals through the acquisition, application and communication of specialist knowledge and skills that reflect professional and ethical-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 the 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 skills.
• Demonstrate leadership through participation in policy development, service provision and quality improvement within the specialist context.

Fees and FEE-HELP

Estimated total 2025 member price (10% discount): $9,949.5 (domestic full-fee paying place)

Estimated total 2025 non-member price: $11,055 (domestic full-fee paying place)

Being a part of the ACN community allows nurses to be the best they can be and strengthen the voice of nursing through a range of invaluable benefits, including 10% off graduate certificates.

Estimated fees are based on four units of study.

A student’s annual fee may vary in accordance with:

• The number of units studied.
• Choice of courses.
• Credit from previous study or work experience.
• Eligibility for government-funded loans.

Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.

FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee-paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.