Melbourne School of Health SciencesNursing

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The Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing Practice (PDNP) provides you with the opportunity to extend your nursing knowledge in an area of specialty nursing and to develop a level of clinical competence consistent with proficient specialty practice. You will develop a depth and complexity of knowledge that enhances your specialty nursing practice in a variety of contexts and nursing roles.

Enrolment in the PDNP is dependent on meeting the registration and clinical experience requirements outlined in the Admission requirements section. You must also have the support of your employer to facilitate completion of specialty clinical competencies.

If you do not meet the registration and clinical experience requirements for entry to the clinical diploma, you may be eligible for the theory-only Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing. In the theory-only diploma, clinical components are replaced with additional elective subjects. Please contact us for further details.

Admission requirements

Please refer to our Admission requirements page.

Duration

The PDNP is a flexible, mixed mode (on-campus, online and clinical practice) coursework program of one year's duration full time, or two years' duration part time.

Objectives

As a graduate of the PDNP you will have:

• the ability to apply theoretical knowledge to understand the practice of providing holistic nursing care to individuals experiencing a complex range of disturbances to health and wellbeing that require complex specialty nursing interventions
• an understanding of the professional issues impacting upon specialty nursing and the wider nursing profession
• a beginning understanding of the international context and sensitivities of the specialty area
• a capacity to engage where appropriate with issues in contemporary society that impact on and are impacted by specialty nursing practice
• an appreciation of the ways in which evidence based practice guides specialty practice and how specialty knowledge equips you to offer leadership in the specialty area
• an appreciation of the design, conduct and reporting of research as it relates to the development of evidence based practice
• a capacity to articulate knowledge and understanding of specialty practice in oral and written presentations
• a capacity to manage competing demands on time, including self-directed project work
• demonstrated clinical competencies in a workplace, assessed by clinical experts at a proficient level as benchmarked against Australian specialty practice competencies

Course structure

The PDNP is comprised of 100 credit points of coursework subjects. You will complete a mandated evidence-based subject and a range of clinical and theory coursework subjects. Course structures for the specialty areas are outlined below. Students may take up to 12.5 points of approved subjects from other disciplines. Please see the list of possible electives.

Students commencing in Semester 2 undertake an altered course plan due to subject availability.

Acute and Critical Care (Anaesthetics, Critical Care, Emergency, Perioperative, Rural Critical Care)

Cancer and Palliative Care

Mental Health

Paediatrics

Paediatric Critical Care

Semester 2 commencement

Students commencing the PDNP or first year of the Master of Advanced Nursing Practice in Semester 2 undertake an altered course plan due to subject availability. The course structures are outlined below.

Acute and Critical Care (Anaesthetics, Critical Care, Emergency, Perioperative, Rural Critical Care)

Mental Health

Paediatrics 

Paediatric Critical Care