Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing (Emergency)
Course code: GC-CCNEM
January, June
AUD $14,000 (2026 indicative first year fee). Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) are not available
January, June
AUD $14,000 (2026 indicative first year fee)
IELTS 6.5: with no band less than 6.0
Course structure
Overview
As a student of this course, you will:
Examine core pathophysiological concepts and scientific principles
Become qualified to enter into specialty emergency nursing practice by learning more about general and systemic pathology of organ systems. Understand the research and evidence underpinning clinical treatment and identify patients at risk of life-threatening complications.
Develop your assessment and management skills and understand immediate intervention methods
Learn to treat high-prevalence conditions, plan, manage and monitor emergency care interventions. Become familiar with interventions required to maintain patient stability including advanced life support techniques.
Be guided to confidently apply theory to practice
You will receive supported supervised training, be able to apply theory to practice, and incorporate knowledge and evidence in the planning and delivery of care.
On successful completion of the course, you will have specialised knowledge and skills and the ability to confidently apply these in the provision of critical care in emergency settings. You will be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the scientific and research-based evidence that underpins critical care and technical skills that align with the relevant practice standards for specialist emergency nurses
- Identify the contribution of nurses in interprofessional care across critical care services
- Assess, review and analyse patient health data to identify and explain the rationale for solutions to complex problems in emergency nursing
- Employ effective specialised technical skills in the delivery of specialist emergency nursing care
- Communicate effectively with other members of the interprofessional healthcare team and people who are acutely or critically ill to facilitate effective individualised plans for care
- Apply skills to critically appraise emergency nursing practice and to integrate relevant research evidence into effective individualised plans for people with undifferentiated illness or injury
- Apply knowledge of human pathophysiology across the continuum of care to safely and effectively provide specialist emergency nursing care that addresses actual and potential disease and treatment related health needs
- Conduct planning and delivery of specialist emergency nursing care that meets the specific supportive care needs and experiences of people affected by acute illness or trauma
- Initiate, plan, implement and evaluate individualised, patient-centred, comprehensive and coordinated care in collaboration with other members of the inter-professional healthcare team to achieve desired patient outcomes
- Act to promote teamwork, wellbeing and collaboration with the interprofessional team and to achieve desired patient outcomes.
Course structure
The Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing (Emergency) is a 50 credit-point clinical coursework program designed to be undertaken part-time over 12 months, delivered in a mixed-mode and through work integrated learning in supervised clinical practice at your employing hospital. You must complete:
Four or Five compulsory subjects - depending on intake and duration
Students will commence the course with a pre-requisite subject:
- NURS90076 Applied Pathophysiology [Mode - Online; Credit Points - 12.5 points]
On successful completion of Applied Pathophysiology, students undertake:
- NURS90122 Foundations of Critical Care Nursing [Mode - Online; Credit Points - 12.5 points]
Students then complete the following subjects:
- NURS90148 Emergency Nursing Practice [Mode - Off Campus; Credit Points - 12.5 points]
- NURS90149 Emergency Nursing [Mode - Online; Credit Points - 12.5 points]
Students undertaking Winter Intake (12-month duration) will enrol in the below two subjects in place of NURS90148 Emergency Nursing Practice:
- NURS90159 Emergency Nursing Practice 1 [Mode - Off Campus; Credit Points - 6.25 points]
- NURS90160 Emergency Nursing Practice 2 [Mode - Off Campus; Credit Points - 6.25 points]
Explore this course
Explore the subjects you could choose as part of this certificate.
Students must successfully complete the following subjects before progressing to the other core subjects.
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Applied Pathophysiology · 12.5 pts |
This subject provides a foundation for understanding the pathologic basis of disease across the lifespan. It equips learners with the knowledge and skills required to explain assessment data and prioritise patient care in a specialty area of practice based on scientific principles. Core pathophysiological concepts covered will include: cellular responses to stress; adaptation, injury and death; acute and chronic inflammation; tissue renewal and repair; infection; neoplasia; haemodynamic, genetic and immune system disorders and genetic predisposition to disease. Using a case study based approach, learners will be provided with opportunities to apply their knowledge
|
| Foundations of Critical Care Nursing · 12.5 pts |
This subject provides the theoretical foundation for entry into specialty critical care nursing including emergency and intensive care. Students will gain essential knowledge to plan, monitor and evaluate nursing interventions, including how to recognise and respond to clinical deterioration and medical emergencies. Students will integrate essential knowledge explored in this subject and its pre-requisite, Applied Pathophysiology, with principles of patient assessment, scientific advances in treatment and management strategies including pharmacotherapeutics. Patient and family perspectives of acute illness and disease will be considered in the development and implementation of nursing interventions and inter-disciplinary care planning. |
| Emergency Nursing Practice · 12.5 pts |
Emergency nursing practice is characterised by a diversity of clinical presentations which range from those requiring minimal care to those with complex or life-threatening clinical presentations or injury. This variation in clinical presentation requires emergency nurses to have a strong foundation in patient assessment and pathophysiology knowledge. In this subject, students will clinically apply the theoretical principles from this subject and subjects, Applied Pathophysiology, Foundations of Critical Care Nursing and Emergency Nursing. Students will demonstrate the ability to undertake and support comprehensive patient assessment, monitoring and evaluation and care planning in specialty nursing practice. Students will learn to incorporate and apply scientific knowledge and evidence-based treatment and nursing interventions to support a patient-centred approach to inform their clinical decision making in practice. |
| Emergency Nursing · 12.5 pts |
This subject provides the theoretical foundation for specialty emergency nursing practice. The concepts of assessment of the emergency department patient and the initial prioritising of care will be explored. In this subject, of study we will specifically examine the assessment and management of common illness or injuries seen in the emergency department, including those requiring resuscitation. In addition, the nursing and medical management of patients presenting with respiratory, cardiovascular or neurological dysfunction will be examined in detail. The theoretical concepts and knowledge gained will enable students to apply principles of assessment, triage and resuscitation in the emergency nursing context. The content will relate to management of paediatric and adult presentations with reference to physiological changes throughout the lifespan. Patient and family perspectives of illness will be considered in the development and implementation of multi-disciplinary care planning. Acknowledging the diversity of clinical presentations, emergency care will specifically focus on evidence-based interventions and their influence on patient outcomes. |
Intensive Care (Winter Intake 12 Month Duration)
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Emergency Nursing Practice 1 · 6.25 pts |
Emergency nursing practice is characterised by a diversity of clinical presentations which range from those requiring minimal care to those with complex or life-threatening clinical presentations or injury. This variation in clinical presentation requires emergency nurses to have a strong foundation in patient assessment and pathophysiology knowledge. In this subject, students will apply the theoretical principles from this subject and subjects, Applied Pathophysiology, Foundations of Critical Care Nursing and Emergency Nursing within the clinical area of their specialty practice. Students application of learning will be also evaluated in the clinical setting. Students will demonstrate the ability to undertake and support comprehensive patient assessment, monitoring and evaluation and care planning in specialty nursing practice. Students will learn to incorporate and apply scientific knowledge and evidence-based treatment and nursing interventions to support a patient centred approach to inform their clinical decision making in practice. |
| Emergency Nursing Practice 2 · 6.25 pts |
Please refer to Emergency Nursing Practice 1 |