Graduate Certificate in Aged Care Nursing

Course overview

Studying aged care nursing with ACN will provide you with the principles of aged care nursing practice to improve your knowledge and skills to offer and coordinate evidence-based person-centred nursing care for the older person. The aim is to encourage professional and ethical understanding of clinical practice development to improve health outcomes, as highlighted in our white paper. Specialist nurses write our course for nurses. Our students are supported by a team of clinical experts working within the speciality. Our unique blend of electives allows students to explore further a specific area of interest, such as Dementia care and the Principles of Infection Control.

The Graduate Certificate in Aged Care Nursing studies the complex needs of the older person being cared for within diverse aged care environments. This course aims to strengthen and develop nurses’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes about caring for older person. The course provides an advanced grounding in research methods, in addition to developing the theoretical and practical aspects of management, clinical practice and education. In this course, the single units of study draw upon the student’s nursing experience and combine this experience with theory, current research, and best practice guidelines to enhance the student’s specialist knowledge and skills, critical thinking and analysis abilities, and clinical decision‐making.

Learning Outcomes

This course is designed to develop specific learning outcomes. Students will:

• integrate specialist knowledge, assessment skills and information to support an improved standard of care for the older person
• develop enhanced clinical decision-making skills using multiple modes of enquiry and collaborative approaches
• establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with older people, their support network, professional colleagues, and other stakeholders
• critically analyse literature and develop evidence-based nursing practice within diverse aged care environments
• demonstrate professional and educational leadership skills to provide support and contribute to multidisciplinary aged care team
• advocate for older people within all aged care environments.

Career outcomes

A Graduate Certificate in Aged Care Nursing is an investment in your future. It will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to ensure better outcomes for the older person and progress your career, leading to opportunities in clinical education, management and specialist nursing roles. It is designed to empower nurses to become clinical and professional leaders required for the predicted reforms within all aged care environments.

Course Structure

The Graduate Certificate in Aged Care Nursing is a one year course, consisting of four 10-week terms. Students will need to complete 4 units – 3 core and 1 elective. One unit is studied per term. Approximate hours of study are 12 – 15 hours per week.