Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing (Perioperative Theory)

Depending on subject selection, the award is available as a generic qualification or with bracketed theoretical specialization to acknowledge the nursing specialty that is the focus of the student's studies.

The course may be taken full time over 2 semesters or part time over 3 - 4 semesters.

Upon completion of the course it is therefore expected that students will have the academic attributes described for the Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing Practice, but in acknowledgment of the focus on academic development, clinical competence objectives are replaced with the following objectives that foster leadership in specialty nursing:

• Proficiency in areas of professional scholarship;
• an understanding of the professional issues impacting upon specialty nursing and the wider nursing profession;
• a beginning understanding of the international context and sensitivities of the specialty area;
• a capacity to engage where appropriate with issues in contemporary society that impact on and are impacted by specialty nursing practice;
• an appreciation of the ways in which evidence based practice guides specialty practice and how specialty knowledge equips the student to offer leadership in the specialty area;
• an appreciation of the design, conduct and reporting of research as it relates to the development of evidence based practice;
• a capacity to transfer knowledge and understanding of specialty nursing in oral and written presentations to a wide range of professional and non-professional audiences;
• the ability to communicate an understanding of the theoretical basis for practice both verbally and in a written form.

50 credit points mandated specialty subjects including 25 credit points of specialty theory subjects;

AND 12.5 credit points comprising EITHER 514831 Evidence for Practice; OR an approved alternative 4th year research familiarization subject

Elective Points: 37.5 credit points

Chosen from any 4th year subjects offered within or external to the School of Nursing.

Total Points: 100 credit points

Full time - 50 credit points each semester.

1. an undergraduate degree in nursing or a three-year diploma of nursing or equivalent; and

(a) for the generic streams (without clinical specialization), at least one year of documented experience as a division 1 registered nurse (or equivalent) within the past five years;

(b) for the Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing Practice, satisfactorily meeting the requirements for unrestricted registration as a nurse by the Nurses Board of Victoria in Division 1, 3 or 4 of the Register.

2. The Selection Committee will also use the following additional criteria for specified clinical specialization streams:

(a) for Acute and Critical Care (anaesthetics, critical care, emergency, perioperative and rural critical care), a minimum of one year of documented experience as a division 1 registered nurse (or equivalent) in an acute care setting in the past five years;

(b) for Paediatric Critical Care, normally a minimum of two years of documented experience as a Division 1 registered nurse (or equivalent) in an acute care setting in the past five years. Consideration may be given to applicants who have less than two years but who have at least one year of documented experience as a Division 1 registered nurse (or equivalent) in an acute care setting in the past five years;

(c) for Cancer and Palliative Care, a minimum of one year of documented experience as a Division 1 registered nurse (or equivalent) in the past five years;

(d) for Mental Health, a minimum of one year of documented experience as a Division 1 or Division 3 registered nurse (or equivalent) in the past five years;

(e) for Paediatrics, a minimum of one year of documented experience as a Division 1 registered nurse (or equivalent) in an acute care setting in the past five years.

3. The Selection Committee may conduct interviews or test, and may call for referee reports or employer references to elucidate any of the matters referred to above.