Specialist Certificate in Critical Care Nursing (SC-CCNURS)

Overview

Award title	Specialist Certificate in Critical Care Nursing
Year & campus	2025 — Parkville
Fees information	Subject EFTSL, level, discipline and census date
Study level & type	Graduate Coursework
AQF level	Non-AQF
Credit points	25 credit points
Duration	6 months part-time

The Specialist Certificate in Critical Care Nursing provides students with a sound understanding of current theoretical knowledge and scientific advances that underpin care the care and management of people requiring specialist level nursing care in critical care settings, including emergency and intensive care.

Students will gain essential knowledge required to understand core concepts relating to acute illnesses, diseases and trauma in critical care services, as well as gain skills in critiquing evidence‐based guidelines for the care management of patients and their families in these critical care settings.

The course is offered wholly online, part‐time over six months.

Entry requirements

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have:

Completed a Bachelor or Nursing (or equivalent qualification, i.e. Master of Nursing Science entry to practice); and
Documented evidence of clinical experience in area of nursing practice within the preceding five years from the time of application; and
Current unrestricted registration as a Division 1 Registered Nurse with AHPRA or equivalent registration with an international health practitioner regulation agency.
Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.

2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

Prior academic performance; and
Area of speciality practice and clinical experience.

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

4. Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for graduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required.

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook. Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home

Intended learning outcomes

The Specialist Certificate in Critical Care Nursing provides students with the theoretical knowledge and an understanding of the scientific advances specific to critical care nursing, including emergency and intensive care by:

Understand the importance of concise and timely assessments of patients including identifying potential clinical deterioration or deviation from expected outcomes
Anticipates and identifies appropriate treatment and management strategies for a range of differentiated patients in emergency or intensive care, including interpretation and communication of patient assessment findings
Knowledge to understand theoretical and scientific knowledge to guide patient assessment and evaluation, including pathophysiology, mechanism of injury, and pharmacotherapeutics
Consider and understand the role of the inter-disciplinary healthcare team to guide care management, including coordinating patient admission and discharge for patients with a variety of clinical needs
Consider and understand the importance of patient and family-centred care management that considers patients and families cultural and religious needs

Generic skills

Apply a high level of problem solving skills to their area of clinical practice
A high level of critical thinking and analytical skills
A high level of oral and written communication skills
Feel confident when tackling unfamiliar problems
The ability to plan their own work

Graduate attributes

The Melbourne Experience enables our graduates to become:

Academically excellent:

have a strong sense of intellectual integrity and the ethics of scholarship
have in-depth knowledge of their specialist discipline
reach a high level of achievement in writing, generic research activities, problem-solving and communication
be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning
be adept at learning in a range of ways, including through information and communication technologies

Knowledgeable across disciplines:

examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a broad range of disciplines
expand their analytical and cognitive skills through learning experiences in diverse subjects
have the capacity to participate fully in collaborative learning and to confront unfamiliar problems
have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment

Leaders in community:

initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions and workplaces
have excellent interpersonal and decision-making skills, including an awareness of personal strengths and limitations
mentor future generations of learners
engage in meaningful public discourse, with a profound awareness of community needs

Attuned to cultural diversity:

value different cultures
be well-informed citizens able to contribute to their communities wherever they choose to live and work
have an understanding of the social and cultural diversity in our community
respect indigenous knowledge, cultures and values

Active global citizens:

accept social and civic responsibilities
be advocates for improving the sustainability of the environment
have a broad understanding, with a high regard for human rights, equity and ethics

Course structure

The first subject in the course is NURS90076 Applied Pathophysiology. After completing NURS90076 Applied Pathophysiology, students undertake NURS90122 Foundations in Critical Care Nursing.

This course has two intakes per year, at the start of the year and in the middle of the year.

Subject options

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
NURS90076	Applied Pathophysiology	January (Online) June (Online)	12.5
NURS90122	Foundations of Critical Care Nursing	April (Online) September (Online)	12.5

Please Note: this course is not eligible for CRICOS or student visas. International Students may undertake this course if they are in Australia on other visas permitting study, or offshore (ie outside Australia)

Last updated: 27 March 2025