Graduate Certificate of Perioperative Nursing

Every year, 2.8 million hospitalisations in Australia result in surgical interventions.* Integral to these interventions are the perioperative nurses providing care and support in pre-operative, intraoperative and post-operative environments. Deakin's Graduate Certificate of Perioperative Nursing will equip you with the advanced assessment, practical and communication skills needed to step up to the challenges of perioperative nursing.

Ranked #16 in the world,^ our School of Nursing and Midwifery is one of Australia's largest and most established. You will be learning from the best with the School's cutting-edge research recognised as well above world standard#. Our strong industry connections mean you will be guided by experts in critical care and perioperative nursing as you explore the current and emerging trends, concepts, knowledge and evidence that provides the policy and practice framework in which perioperative nursing takes place.

Are you ready to take on the challenge of advanced level nursing in perioperative settings?

As a graduate of Deakin's Graduate Certificate of Perioperative Nursing you will demonstrate ethical, safe, high-quality and expert clinical decision-making abilities within a multidisciplinary team. Your specialised theoretical knowledge, evidence-based practice and person-centred care will allow you to practise effectively at an advanced practice level, ensuring you are well placed to meet the industry demand for nurses with specialty skills.

Deakin's strong industry connections ensure a high level of collaboration and support during your clinical practice. This means that while you study you can immerse yourself in your specialty nursing practice area with one of our numerous metropolitan, rural and regional health partners across Australia.

This course enables you to:

• critically assess and manage elective and emergency patients undergoing complex and specialty surgical procedures, including anaesthetic management
• develop an advanced understanding of pharmacological therapies, including anaesthetic agents, adjunct therapies and pain management therapies
• perform patient assessment and monitoring of neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory and haemodynamic states
• manage complex and special populations to identify risk and inform decisions that deliver safe, high-quality nursing care to promote optimal patient outcomes
• play a pivotal role in the multidisciplinary team management of surgical and/or procedural patients across: infection prevention, surgical safety and environmental planning and preparation; surgical wound closure and management; and medico-legal requirements
• demonstrate skills in advanced monitoring and postoperative anaesthesia care following complex and specialty surgery
• apply the core principles of perioperative practice across a range of surgical specialities.

Our innovative online program delivers a rich, interactive and empowering learning experience designed for postgraduate nurses. Live-streaming seminars and class discussions encourage critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills. Australia's top-rated tech support and access to our expert teaching staff means you can learn at your own pace, when and where it suits you, without compromising quality or support.

Graduates are prepared to handle the contemporary challenges perioperative nurses may face with a course that responds to industry trends and demands. You will learn how to make a difference through roles in areas such as practice, education, leadership and research.

* Australia's hospitals at a glance 2022 - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Australian Government (2022).
^ 2023 ShanghaiRankings Ranking of Academic Subjects.
# Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) 2018.

• anaesthetic nurse
• circulating nurse
• instrument nurse
• post anaesthesia care unit (PACU) nurse
• pre-admission and day surgery nurses.

To complete the requirements of the Graduate Certificate of Perioperative Nursing, students must attain 4 credit points, comprising of 4 core (compulsory) units, taken over one year of part-time study.

Both the theoretical and clinical components of the assessment for each unit must be passed in order to successfully gain an overall pass in this course. Compulsory clinical hurdles form part of the assessment of this course. Recognition of the importance of clinical assessments is calculated in the overall student workload.

Note: Failure of a compulsory clinical component in a unit will normally lead to exclusion.

All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate and Postgraduate course work students are required to complete DAI001 Academic Integrity Module (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first trimester of study.