Credit points
20
Specialisation available at
- Online
Additional information
Patients in intensive care units (ICU) experience complex physiological instability, multiple comorbidities, and high risk of rapid deterioration across dynamic and high-acuity healthcare environments. Specialist ICU nurses play a pivotal role in delivering safe, high-quality, and people-centred care through advanced clinical decision-making, from early assessment and acute management to ongoing support, rehabilitation, and transition to step-down or community care.
The ICU specialisation units in the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Clinical Nursing (Intensive Care) support the development of advanced bioscience knowledge, clinical reasoning, and professional capability required for specialist ICU nursing practice. They prepare registered nurses to critically analyse the role and scope of the specialist ICU nurse in improving patient and family outcomes. Students integrate advanced bioscience concepts with evidence-based practice to inform complex clinical decisions, while examining the physical, psychosocial, and cultural impacts of critical illness and comorbidities on individuals and their families.
The units emphasise advanced clinical reasoning to design, justify, and evaluate evidence-based, people-centred care that responds to variations in ICU patients’ health status. Students critically apply principles of interprofessional collaboration and shared decision-making to deliver culturally safe, equitable, and responsive care to diverse populations. Through critical evaluation of complex ethical challenges and contemporary ICU nursing practices, and reflective examination of professional leadership, students are equipped to lead evidence-based practice, uphold professional standards, and advocate for safe and ethical care within complex critical care environments.
Admission requirements
Disclaimer: The course entry requirements above are for 2027 Admission.
Completion requirements
This Specialisation consists of 20cp.