Graduate Certificate of Perioperative Nursing

What you will study

To earn the Graduate Certificate of Perioperative Nursing, you must successfully complete units totalling 4 credit points, as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 1 credit point.

Core units

• Core Principles of Perianaesthesia Nursing Care
• Core Principles of Intraoperative Nursing Care
• Principles of Complex Perianaesthesia Nursing Care
• Principles of Complex Intraoperative 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 perioperative setting at a collaborating hospital in Australia.
• Have access to appropriate clinical supervision and practice across the required perioperative specialty areas 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.

Clinical practice requirements

Students must undertake clinical practice across intraoperative, perianaesthesia and post-anaesthesia care settings during each semester. The core clinical units are delivered on a semester basis, and students are expected to attend synchronous online seminars on most Wednesdays throughout the semester.

Both the theoretical and clinical components of each unit and all compulsory clinical assessment hurdles must be successfully completed.

English language requirements

Applicants must provide evidence of at least one of the following:

• A bachelor's 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 perioperative 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 perioperative care setting.
• Evaluate information using digital technologies to effectively disseminate relevant perioperative care information to patients and/or the multidisciplinary team.
• Identify and evaluate complex data from multiple sources to inform clinical decision making in the perioperative care setting.
• Apply specialised nursing knowledge and skills to routine and complex problems in the perioperative care setting to optimise patient outcomes.
• Demonstrate professionalism, accountability, reflection, and personal autonomy as a perioperative nurse.
• Establish and maintain inclusive, collaborative professional relationships with all members of the multidisciplinary team.
• Display accountability for, and sound professional judgement in behaviours that uphold ethical principles of practice within diverse social, cultural, and environmental contexts.

Career outcomes

Graduates may pursue advanced practice, education, research, quality improvement or leadership responsibilities in perioperative nursing. 
Potential career outcomes include:

• Nurse Manager
• Nurse Educator
• Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Clinical Nurse Consultant
• Advanced Practice Nurse
• Nurse Researcher
• Quality and Safety Coordinator
• Healthcare Leader

Fees and CSP

Indicative annual fee in 2027: $2,454 (Commonwealth Supported Place)

Indicative annual fee in 2027: $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.