Graduate Certificate, Clinical Nursing Specialisation:
Emergency, Critical Care or Peri-operative Nursing, Northern Health
AIMS
The primary aim of the course is to prepare the Division 1 Registered Nurse (RN) to function as a competent nurse in the specialty areas of Critical Care, Emergency, or Peri-operative.
The Course aims to:
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Analyse and refine a theory base, which will enable participants to practice at beginning level in their selected nursing specialty.
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Develop specific skills in assessment relevant to their selected nursing specialty.
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Utilise the major principles underpinning their nursing specialty to plan, implement and evaluate nursing practice.
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Enhance awareness of societal, professional, legal and ethical frameworks for specialty practice.
DATE OF COMMENCEMENT
February 2012
LENGTH OF COURSE
- Academic: 2 semesters
- Clinical: 52 weeks (or as otherwise negotiated) employed in the relevant specialty department
- Study days are conducted throughout the year
- Students are employed on a year contract generally at 0.8 EFT per fortnight at their substantive grade.
AWARD
Graduate Certificate in Critical Care, Emergency, or Peri-operative
VENUES
- Academic component:
The theoretical component of the course will utilise nursing, medical and allied health staff who are both clinical and educational experts within the relevant specialties. Universities utilised are RMIT and Deakin.
- Clinical Component:
The Critical Care Department, Emergency Department, or Operating Suite of Northern Health, predominantly based at The Northern Hospital, Epping.
CLINICAL ROTATIONS (depending upon specialty)
- Intensive Care
- High Dependency
- Coronary Care
- Emergency Department
- Anaesthetic Department
- Operating Suite
- Cardiac Surgery
- Cardiac Investigations
FORMAL ASSESSMENT (depending upon specialty) in clinical area
- Basic and Advanced Life Support skills
- Mechanical and non-invasive Ventilation Skills
- Patient assessment skills (paediatric and adult)
- ABG sampling skills
- Clinical presentations
- Performance appraisals
- Triage assessment skills
- Anaesthetics
- Scrub / scout
- Recovery
- Haemodynaic monitoring
- Renal replacement therapy
- Cardiac pacing
- Intra-aortic balloon pump
ADMISSION CRITERIA
The applicant:
- Must have a current Practicing certificate that states that they are entered on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency as a Division 1 registered Nurse;
- Must have had a minimum of twelve (12) months acute medical / surgical experience upon application (optional);
- Will preferably have had recent clinical experience relevant to the specialty applied for; and
- Must provide documented evidence of continuing education relevant to the acute care area.
Inquiries to:
mary.blandas@nh.org.au
Education Centre Secretary
stacey.williamson@nh.org.au or annabel.milonas@nh.org.au
Emergency Course Co-ordinators
elosie.williams@nh.org.au
fiona.beadle@nh.org.au
jan.atkins@nh.org.au
Critical Care Clinical Nurse Educators
nicole.emery@nh.org.au
Peri-operative Clinical Nurse Educator
ADMISSION PROCESS
An application must be made to Northern Health via e-Mecury, on the Northern Health website, for placement.
Acceptance for employment at Northern Health is dependant on acceptance to the relevant university. Contact the course co-ordinator for the specialty of your choice.
To apply to the relevant university and Northern Health you are required to:
- Fulfil interview criteria for course commencement, obtainable from University student admission office;
- Complete University application form;
- Type written letter of application;
- Curriculum Vitae;
- Certified copy of Academic Transcript and / or Hospital examination results;
- Certified copy of Current Practicing certificate (as per AHPRA);
- Record of continuing education in-service attendance; and
- Names, addresses and business telephone numbers of three (3) professional referees.
SUPPORT MODEL
All Students employed at The Northern Hospital in specialty departments are supported by a team of relevant clinical nurse educators and unit staff.
ANNUAL LEAVE
Annual leave is accrued at 6 weeks per annum for full time staff and 5 weeks per annum for part time staff. Students are allocated up to four (4) weeks leave in two (2) week blocks during the course - negotiated with the Nurse Unit Manager. The remaining leave is paid out or transferred upon completion of the course.
NIGHT DUTY
Night duty requirements differ depending upon the specialty department; four (4) to eight (8) weeks may be allocated at the end of each semester or upon completion of semester 2. No night duty in theatre.
FEES
As set by the Universities.
STUDY LEAVE
All students are eligible to apply for postgraduate study leave at Northern Health. Students must provide confirmation of enrolment at the relevant university. A portion of the study component is in the student's own time.
Government Postgraduate Scholarships may be available external to the Network. The award of these scholarships is determined on individual merit by an independent body. Students are also encouraged to apply for other relevant scholarships eg RCNA, go to: http://www.rcna.org.au/scholarships/scholarships.
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Established in July 2000, Northern Health provides quality health care services to the expanding communities in Melbourne's northern suburbs. In one of Melbourne's busiest growth corridors, Northern Health offers the community health care services where they are needed - close to where people live.
Northern Health is made up of five campuses Broadmeadows Health Service, Bundoora Extended Care Centre, Craigieburn Health Service, Panch Health Service and The Northern Hospital. Our campuses work together to provide a unique mix of services including medical, surgical, emergency, intensive and coronary care, paediatrics, women's and amternal health, mental health, aged care, palliative care and rehabilitation programme.
Northern Health's programs and services are split into two different streams - acute and sub-acute. This structure is designed to assist services to be integrated across our campuses and ensure that patients have access to the best healthcare within the most efficient thime frame.
CRITICAL CARE DEPARTMENT (CCD TNH Campus)
Students employed at this venue will conduct their clinical studies in the Critical Care Department (CCD) which incorporates:
- 10 ICU/HDU beds
- 4 CCU beds
- 4 Telemetry beds
All ICU/HDU beds are equipped with bedside personal computers with internet and intranet access. As part of the local community, The Northern Hospital's CCD caters for patients with varying levels of acuity.
The Critical Care Nursing course provides clinical and theoretical experience, which is transferable to:
- High Dependency Units
- Coronary Care Units
- Emergency Departments
- Cardiac Catheter Laboratories
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
The Northern Hospital's Emergency Department is one of the busiest in the state. The Department has 39 cubicles, including 2 full resuscitation rooms, 11 monitored cubicles, an isolation room, treatment rooms and separate paediatric cubicles, rapid intervention treatment zone and minor injury room. TNH Emergency Department provides 24 hour nursing triage. The Department operates a streaming model of care. Designated adult and paediatric waiting areas allow for appropriate separation of patients. TNH has an operational helipad allowing us to provide emergency treatment and stabilisation of patients prior to transfer to trauma or specialist services. An 8 bed short stay unit assists in the management of patients whose expected length of stay is 24 hours. An after hours GP service has been built adjacent to the Emergency Department. Nurses employed in the Emergency Department rotate through the following areas:
- Triage
- Resuscitation rooms
- Acute and sub-acute observational areas
- Paediatric
- Rapid Intervention Treatment Zone
The emergency nursing course provides clinical and theoretical experiences, which are transferable to:
- Emergency Departments
- High Dependency Units
- Coronary Care Units
- Critical Care Departments
- Anaesthetics
- Recovery Room
- General Wards and Departments
- Community Health settings
- Rural settings
- Flying Doctor service
PERI-OPERATIVE, OPERATING SUITE
The Northern Hospital has six (6) operating suites that provide a 24 hour, 7 day a week service. The Northern Hospital provides cover for ten specialty services including major trauma. Normal operation is:
- six suites 8.00 - 18.00
- two suites 18.00 - 22.00
- one suite overnight
- 1-2 suites on weekends
Students complete a comprehensive 4 week orientation program in the department and are further supported by experienced preceptors, clinical support nurses and Clinical Nurse Educator. Students rotate through all specialties and participate in all areas of the peri-operative phase, such as anaesthetics, recovery room or scrub/scout. The Operating Suites also provide an out of hours service for endoscopic procedures such as Gastroscopy, Colonoscopy and ERCP. | 
