Master of Nursing (Advanced Practice)

The Master of Nursing (Advanced Practice) program is intended for registered nurses who wish to prepare themselves for leadership in nursing practice and education. The focus is on clinical practice and the program allows for specialisation in selected areas of nursing, and in-depth study of a selected topic relevant to nursing practice. In particular, the program is designed for registered nurses who which to practice as clinical nurse specialists, clinical nurse consultants, or clinical nurse educators.

The program requires completion of 80 units and consists of Core Nursing and Directed Courses. The program has a clinical practice focus and allows for specialisation in selected areas of nursing. Streams and areas of specialisation are available in Acute Care (including Perioperative, Nephrology, Intensive Care, Emergency and Surgical Nursing), Older Person Nursing, and Child, Youth and Family Nursing. Students must complete the courses approved for each specialisation to ensure specialisation acknowledgement.

A number of the courses listed are offered in partnership with Hunter New England Area Health (including Mental Health and the Centre for Education and Nursing Research in Child Health [CENRiCH]).

PLEASE NOTE: Students enrolling in the Master of Nursing (Advanced Practice) program in 2013 will NOT be able to enrol in the Acute Care specialisation.

Teaching is shared between academic staff and conjoint staff who are clinical experts within their speciality areas.

The program is designed for registered nurses who wish to practice as clinical nurse specialists, clinical nurse consultants, or clinical nurse educators.

Applicants must be registered nurses with a Bachelor of Nursing degree or equivalent. If you do not have a Bachelors degree please contact the Program Convenor or the Program Officer to discuss this further.

Completed Bachelor of Nursing degree or equivalent and evidence of 1 year full time (or equivalent part time) of advanced clinical practice in a broad area of practice.

• Please note that courses in the Acute Care Specialisation are NOT currently available to international students.

  Students who choose to study NURS6772 & NURS6773 must have concurrent employment in a specialty area (minimum of 0.6 FTE per week).

  Students who choose to study NURS6816 must have experience in a special care nursery or level 2 nursery working with newborn infants or experience in paediatric intensive care.

University rules allow for a maximum of 50% of external credit. Up to 40 units of credit may be awarded to applicants who have completed postgraduate coursework provided by recognised institutions (including Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service and Hunter New England Area Health Service prior to 2002; the College of Nursing and Universities).

Credit may be available for previous studies on the basis of an individual assessment for each applicant. Credit will be awarded in accordance with University Policy and Faculty Guidelines. If you wish to apply for credit for studies completed at another institution or if you are changing programs within the University and wish to transfer your credit to new program go to http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/credit-transfer/ and click on How to apply for credit.

In NURS6772 & NURS6773, students need to have achieved a satisfactory clinical assessment (this includes meeting the required number of 288 hours within 12 weeks) and meet the clinical competencies as per the clinical specialty. Students must pass NURS6772 prior to enrolling in NURS6773.

This program is available to offshore International students only.

The Faculty accepts that it is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations for students with special needs, in liaison with the Student Support Unit, which offers practical assistance and advice to students with a disability or chronic illness. The Faculty will seek advice from the Student Support Unit as to what constitutes "reasonable accommodations" under Anti-Discrimination legislation.

Students can elect to exit with a Graduate Certificate in Nursing (Advanced Practice) after completing NURS6120 and 3 Directed courses.

Students wishing to have a specialisation recognised on their transcript must complete 40 units of one specialisation stream.

PLEASE NOTE: Students enrolling in the Master of Nursing (Advanced Practice) program in 2013 will NOT be able to enrol in the Acute Care specialisation.