Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing (Emergency)

Critical care nursing in an emergency environment requires specialised skills, knowledge and expertise to effectively assess, priortise and manage patients presenting with undifferentiated illness or injury.

Delivered through a highly flexible, online and work-integrated learning model, with an emphasis on learning through supervised clinical practice, the Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing (Emergency) will arm you with the skills and evidence-based knowledge needed to provide specialist care in high-pressure constantly changing emergency department environment.

You will gain essential knowledge and enhance your problem-solving and clinical skills to assess, plan, implement and evaluate the provision of care for patients with complex care requirements using evidence-based and scientific approaches. You will become a confident communicator with the ability to ensure safe practice and support within an inter-professional team.

As a student of this course, you will:

Examine core pathophysiological concepts and scientific principles
Become qualified to enter into specialty emergency nursing practice by learning more about general and systemic pathology of organ systems. Understand the research and evidence underpinning clinical treatment and identify patients at risk of life-threatening complications.

Develop your assessment and management skills and understand immediate intervention methods
Learn to treat high-prevalence conditions, plan, manage and monitor emergency care interventions. Become familiar with interventions required to maintain patient stability including advanced life support techniques.

Be guided to confidently apply theory to practice
You will receive supported supervised training, be able to apply theory to practice, and incorporate knowledge and evidence in the planning and delivery of care.

On successful completion of the course, you will have specialised knowledge and skills and the ability to confidently apply these in the provision of critical care in emergency settings. You will be able to:

• Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the scientific and research-based evidence that underpins critical care and technical skills that align with the relevant practice standards for specialist emergency nurses
• Assess, review and analyse patient health data to identify and explain the rationale for solutions to complex problems in emergency nursing
• Employ effective specialised technical skills in the delivery of specialist emergency nursing care
• Apply skills to critically appraise emergency nursing practice and to integrate relevant research evidence into effective individualised plans for people with undifferentiated illness or injury
• Apply knowledge of human pathophysiology across the continuum of care to safely and effectively provide specialist emergency nursing care that addresses actual and potential disease and treatment related health needs
• Conduct planning and delivery of specialist emergency nursing care that meets the specific supportive care needs and experiences of people affected by acute illness or trauma
• Initiate, plan, implement and evaluate individualised, patient-centred, comprehensive and coordinated care in collaboration with other members of the interprofessional healthcare team to achieve desired patient outcomes

This course is for currently practicing registered nurses. To be eligible, you must have a Bachelor of Nursing degree (or equivalent training), at least one year of clinical experience in an acute care setting within the five years prior to applying for the course, as well as current employment in emergency nursing.

To apply, you must be a registered nurse and have the support of your employing hospital for the Graduate Certificate in Critical Care (Emergency), and the employing hospital must be equipped to support you to complete your studies.

International nurses with a working visa who meet the course entry requirements are also eligible to apply.

To be eligible for the Graduate Certificate in Nursing Practice you must be nominated by your hospital to support you to undertake the clinical component of the course. Speak with your Education Manager or Clinical Nurse Educator to confirm that your hospital is willing to support your course enrolment.

For more information and clarification about this process, contact our Student Support team.