Deakin University
Graduate Certificate of Perianaesthesia Nursing
- Delivery: Online
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 12 months
Build specialist capabilities in anaesthetic care, patient monitoring and clinical decision-making while applying your learning across anaesthesia and post-anaesthesia care settings.
Course overview
Strengthen your ability to deliver safe, high-quality care before and after anaesthesia with Deakin University’s Graduate Certificate of Perianaesthesia Nursing. Designed for registered nurses working in perianaesthesia environments, the course develops the specialist knowledge, clinical skills and professional judgement required to support patients undergoing procedures and surgery.
You will explore anaesthetic techniques, pharmacology, pain management and the assessment and monitoring of neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory and haemodynamic function. The course also considers complex medical conditions, emergency presentations and the care of patients undergoing complex or specialised surgery.
Online academic learning is integrated with supervised clinical practice in your employing hospital. You will apply your knowledge across anaesthesia and post-anaesthesia care settings while developing your communication, teamwork and evidence-based decision-making capabilities. Electives allow you to broaden your expertise or align your studies with a future specialisation in the Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing.
Delivered online over one year of part-time study, the course enables you to continue working while developing specialist expertise. Graduates may pursue opportunities across advanced practice, leadership and management or continue into the Graduate Diploma of Perianaesthesia Nursing.
CSP Subsidised Fees Available
This program has a limited quota of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP). The indicative CSP price is calculated based on first year fees for EFT. The actual fee may vary if there are choices in electives or majors.
Key facts
From $614 (CSP)
What you will study
To earn the Graduate Certificate of Perianaesthesia Nursing, you must successfully complete units totalling 4 credit points, as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 1 credit point.
- Core Principles of Perianaesthesia Nursing Care
- Principles of Complex Perianaesthesia Nursing Care
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
To be eligible for this course, applicants must meet all of the following requirements:
- Hold current registration as a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, with no conditions or restrictions.
- Have independently secured ongoing employment for at least 24 hours per week in a relevant perianaesthesia care setting at a collaborating hospital in Australia.
- Have access to appropriate clinical supervision within their employing hospital.
Selection also considers academic merit, work experience, participation and regulatory requirements, availability of places and the applicant’s likelihood of success. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.
Supporting documents
Applicants must submit a completed Applicant Declaration form confirming their employment and access to appropriate clinical supervision and support.
English-language requirements
Applicants must provide evidence of at least one of the following:
- A bachelor degree from a recognised English-speaking country.
- An IELTS overall score of 6.5, with no band score below 6.0, or an accepted equivalent.
- Other accepted evidence of English-language proficiency.
Contact the university for further information.
Recognition of Prior Learning
You may be eligible for recognition of prior learning if you have previously studied or have relevant work experience. This will help reduce the number of units you need to study to finish your course. Contact the university for more information.
Outcomes
Learning outcomes
- Demonstrate safe psychomotor skills and clinical practice commensurate with emergency nursing theoretical knowledge, evidence-based practice and person-centred care.
- Demonstrate communication skills to develop and implement plans of care to ensure the delivery of quality, safe nursing care to patients in the emergency care setting.
- Evaluate information using digital technologies to effectively disseminate relevant emergency care information to patients and/or the multidisciplinary team.
- Identify and evaluate complex data from multiple sources to inform clinical decision-making in the emergency care setting.
- Apply specialised nursing knowledge and skills to routine and complex problems in the emergency care setting to optimise patient outcomes.
- Demonstrate professionalism, accountability, reflection and personal autonomy as an emergency nurse.
- Establish and maintain inclusive, collaborative professional relationships with all multidisciplinary team members.
- Display accountability for and sound professional judgement in behaviours that uphold ethical practice principles within diverse social, cultural and environmental contexts.
Career outcomes
Potential career development across:
- Advanced perianaesthesia nursing practice.
- Nursing leadership.
- Nursing management.
Fees and CSP
Indicative annual fee in 2026: $2,454 (Commonwealth Supported Place)
Indicative annual fee in 2026: $14,700 (Full-fee paying place)
Indicative annual fees are based on your first year of study.
A student’s annual fee may vary by:
- The number of units studied.
- Choice of units.
- 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.
Commonwealth Supported Places
The Australian Government allocates a certain number of CSPs to the universities each year, which are then distributed to students based on merit.
If you're a Commonwealth Supported Student (CSS), you'll only need to pay a portion of your tuition fees. This is known as the student contribution amount – the balance once the government subsidy is applied. This means your costs are much lower.
Limited CSP spaces are offered to students enrolled in selected postgraduate courses.
Your student contribution amount is:
- Calculated per the course you're enrolled in.
- Dependent on the study areas they relate to.
- Reviewed and adjusted each year.
Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.
HECS-HELP loans are available to CSP students to pay the student contribution amount.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee-paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.
