Specialist Certificate in Critical Care Nursing

Critical care nurses provide essential care to acutely ill patients and their families. It’s a specialist role that requires collaboration with the interprofessional team, so patients can receive the highest quality care when facing potentially life-threatening conditions.

The Specialist Certificate in Critical Care Nursing expands the knowledge and understanding of theoretical concepts related to critical care nursing that are required to care for patients in the critical care environment.

Drawing on current evidence-based practice in the care and management of the critically ill, this course will equip you to assess and manage seriously unwell patients. You’ll have the opportunity to develop your critical care knowledge, reasoning and problem-solving skills to analyse and plan delivery of specialist nursing care in the current healthcare context.

Offered 100% online, this flexibly delivered course will enable graduates to enhance their scope of practice as a registered nurse in accordance with either the Emergency Nursing or Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Practice Standards.

International students are welcome to study this course. However, please note that this course is not available to international students who require a student visa to study in Australia as it does not meet the onshore study requirements and it is not registered with CRICOS.

Students of this course have nested study options, which means you can progress to a Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing (Intensive Care) by completing an additional 25 credit points of subjects relevant to your area of speciality practice (Emergency or Intensive Care).

Course aims

Nurses who specialise in critical care provide the necessary care to patients who are acutely and critically ill, and often experiencing complex illnesses and conditions. We’ve devised this course to provide a sound understanding of the requirements of such specialist care, with a focus on emergency and intensive care.

Students of this course have nested study options, which means you can progress to a Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing (Intensive Care) by completing an additional 25 credit points of subjects relevant to your area of speciality practice (Emergency or Intensive Care).

It also provides an opportunity for you to enrol into the Graduate Certificate of Critical Care Nursing (Intensive Care) and further your learning.

English language requirements

All applicants to the University of Melbourne must satisfy the English language requirements. This may be achieved in a number of ways, including recognised previous study taught and assessed entirely in English or an approved English language test. If you are from a non-English speaking background, the required standard of English for this degree is one of the following English proficiency test scores:

• English language test score requirements

• If you need to undertake an English language test, you must meet one of the scores* below:

  IELTS

  6.5

  ---

  with no band less than 6.0

  TOEFL

  79+

  ---

  with writing 21; speaking 18; reading 13; listening 13

  PEARSON

  64+

  ---

  with no communicative skill below 60

  CAMBRIDGE

  176+

  ---

  with no skill less than 169

  *Accepted tests: IELTS (Academic English Only); TOEFL Internet-based test; Pearson Test of English Academic; Cambridge English: Advanced/Certificate of Advanced English (CAE). If a test displays N/A, it means it is not accepted for this course.

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