Graduate Diploma of Intraoperative Nursing

Each year, 2.8 million hospitalisations in Australia result in surgical interventions.* With a skills shortage in the intraoperative specialty area, Deakin's Graduate Diploma of Intraoperative Nursing will equip you with the knowledge and skills to join this growth area and help meet the growing demand for intraoperative nurses.

Ranked #16 in the world,^ our School of Nursing and Midwifery is one of Australia's largest and most established schools. You will be learning from the best with the School's cutting-edge research recognised as well above world standard.#

Do you want to join the multidisciplinary team supporting and caring for patients during surgery?

If you want to take the next step in your nursing career, Deakin's Graduate Diploma of Intraoperative Nursing develops specialty knowledge of the core principles and concepts of intraoperative nursing and collaborative management, with a specific focus on the global, national, and local quality and safety standards.

You will feel empowered to step up as a leader in evidence-based intraoperative care, helping to drive change to improve the quality of nursing care and patient outcomes, playing a key role in advocating for your patients.

Our strong industry connections mean you will be guided by experts in perioperative nursing as you explore the current and emerging trends, concepts, knowledge and evidence that provides the policy and practice framework in which the care of surgical patients takes place. Links to industry also ensures a high level of collaboration and support during your clinical practice. This means that while you study you can immerse yourself in your speciality practice area with one of our numerous metropolitan, rural and regional health partners across Australia.

This course develops your skills in:

• how to critically analyse and apply evidence-based practice to implement risk management strategies in the intraoperative context
• the concepts and principles of intraoperative techniques in assessment and management of elective and emergency patients undergoing complex and specialty surgical procedures
• understanding the role specialist intraoperative nurses play in managing surgical and/or procedural patients across infection prevention, surgical safety and environmental planning and preparation; surgical wound closure and management; and medico-legal requirements
• managing complex and special populations to identify risks and inform decisions that deliver safe, high-quality nursing care to promote optimal patient outcomes
• how to apply the core principles of intraoperative practice across a range of surgical specialities
• what role you will play in comprehensively managing patients through their surgical journey
• advancing your professional judgement, leadership and professionalism through reflection on, experiential learning in, and knowledge acquisition of, the contemporary healthcare practice environment.

Elective units available from your first year enable you to pursue specific areas of interest aligned to your career goals. You can choose from complementary areas of nursing practice to intraoperative nursing or undertake units that will further prepare you for roles in education, leadership or management. You will also have the opportunity to select a unit from anywhere across the University, further expanding your skill set.

Our innovative online program delivers a rich, interactive and empowering learning experience that is designed for postgraduate nursing students. 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.

With job growth of 12.2% projected for registered nurses and 12.1% for nurse managers by 2028~, there is an industry demand for nurses with sophisticated specialty skills. Intraoperative nurses are in strong demand as they are an integral part of the multidisciplinary teams that support patients through their surgical experience.

* 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.
~ Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections

With job growth of 12.2% projected for registered nurses and 12.1% for nurse managers by 2028*, there is an industry demand for nurses with sophisticated specialty skills. Our Graduate Diploma of Intraoperative Nursing will allow you to meet that demand in a variety of roles across advanced practice, leadership, management and education including:

• instrument nurse
• circulating nurse.

* Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections

To complete the Graduate Diploma of Intraoperative Nursing students must attain 8 credit points, comprising of 4 core units, plus 4 credit points of electives, of which 3 must be from the course electives, the remaining 1

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.

Note: Students wishing to complete a thesis at the masters level, must complete HNN730 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning and HNN749 Patient and Risk Management during their Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in order to gain the Intraoperative Nursing Specialisation at the masters level.