Master of Mental Health Nursing (Nurse Practitioner)

This program is accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council and approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia as a program leading to endorsement as a nurse practitioner.

The Master of Mental Health Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) program is designed to prepare expert nurses for the autonomous role of the nurse practitioner in the speciality of mental health nursing. If you are already highly skilled then you may aspire to becoming a nurse practitioner in mental health. In this program, you will further develop your skills in health assessment and differential diagnosis within a holistic nursing model of care. You will undertake studies in pharmaco-therapeutics, research, contemporary nursing issues and leadership which will support you in your extended role. These studies will provide you with the confidence to work collaboratively as a valuable member of the healthcare team and to know that you are really making a vital contribution to your client's health outcome.

This program requires the successful completion of 120 units of study. The program is intended for registered nurses who wish to apply for endorsement by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) to work as a nurse practitioner, or who may wish to present the qualification to authorities in other states or countries. The program includes a minimum of 658 hours of embedded clinical practice in nursing, under the guidance of approved academic and clinical supervisors (approved by the Program Convenor). This clinical practice is undertaken in the student's normal place of work. It is expected that the student's employment is accredited with the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) or similar.

Mental health nurses experienced and qualified to work in advanced practice roles are in very short supply in Australia and many other countries at a time in which innovative models of care are being introduced in public and private health services. The career development prospects for this exciting specialist field of nursing are thus excellent. In line with these new developments in mental health care, the main focus of the Master of Mental Health Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) is on advanced clinical practice at nurse practitioner level. The intention is to produce graduates who will be able to work effectively as mental health nurse practitioners in any health care location.

The program is offered by the School of Nursing and Midwifery in partnership with the three other contributing Schools within the Faculty of Health - Medicine and Public Health, Health Sciences and Biomedical Sciences. This has allowed collaboration in the planning of the program and ensures that students have access to excellent resource materials and staff in the key areas of pathology, medical imaging, pharmacology and clinical nursing. Teaching is shared between academic staff from various disciplines within the Faculty and conjoint academic staff who are expert clinicians in their specialty area of practice.

The combination of on-line learning, embedded clinical practice and face-to-face workshops offers flexibility and accessibility enabling students from rural and remote areas to access this program.

The program is designed for expert Registered Nurses who aspire to Nurse Practitioner practice. You will further develop and refine your knowledge and clinical skills in comprehensive health assessment and diagnosis. At the completion of this program you will be able to demonstrate that you meet the Competency Standards for Nurse Practitioners as defined by the Nurses and Midwives Board of Australia. These attributes would be required for autonomous practice as a nurse practitioner but would also be useful in senior clinical nursing roles, nursing research and/or nursing education.

Mental health nurses work in a wide variety of service locations, in both the public and private sectors. The discipline is rapidly developing with opportunities for nurse practitioner positions being developed in areas such as rural mental health, child and adolescent mental health, mental health nursing in emergency departments and mental health nursing in primary care (general practice).

1. Current registration as a nurse in Australia

2. Completed Bachelor of Nursing degree (or equivalent)

3. Evidence of 5 years full time (or equivalent part time) experience as a registered nurse, minimum of 3 years full time (or equivalent part time) of speciality nursing experience, and minimum 1 year full time (or equivalent part time) experience at an advanced practice level in a specialist area of nursing as recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au.

4. Nomination of two clinical supervisors to be approved by the Program Convenor:

i. a nurse practitioner in the relevant speciality as the primary support team member and if not available a medical practitioner in that speciality

ii. a senior nurse clinician or director, nurse educator, nurse specialist in the specific speciality

5. Confirmed workplace support to complete all professional experience requirements of the course, including a minimum of 658 hours of embedded clinical practice in a specialist area of nursing. A template letter of support from your Director of Nursing and Head of Department is attached. Please note you employer is also required to provide corroborating evidence of how all professional experience requirements including role development support will be met.

6. English language skills commensurate with requirements of registration as a nurse (IELTS).

7. Active member of a professional nursing organisation(s) (e.g. Royal College of Nursing Australia, College of Emergency Nursing, College of Mental Health Nurses) and/or the applicant’s speciality nursing organisation

8. Demonstrated contribution to the ongoing development of the profession.

9. Access to a computer with high speed broadband or wireless access to the internet for a minimum of 20 hours per week.

• Completed Bachelor of Nursing degree or equivalent. Equivalence must include Introduction to Research, or Research Design (including quantitative and qualitative); and
• Evidence of 3 year full time (or equivalent part time) clinical practice in mental health nursing; and
• Evidence of 1 year full time (or equivalent part time) at an advanced practice level in mental health nursing practice.

A maximum of 30 Units for a Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nursing from the University of Newcastle OR up to a maximum of 60 Units for a Master of Mental Health Nursing (from the University of Newcastle) for courses completed that are common to the Master of Mental Health Nursing (Nurse Practitioner).

Credit for qualifications gained from other institutions will be assessed on an individual basis.

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.

Students must undertake a minimum of 658 hours of embedded clinical practice in a specialist area of nursing. This experience will be located at the student's regular place of work.

Graduates of the program are eligible to seek credentialling as mental health nurses under the Credentialing for Practice Program of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses.

Information on professional recognition can be found at the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners http://www.acnp.org.au/index.html

This program does not admit International students.

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 are required to nominate a minimum of two clinical supervisors with their application. These two clinical supervisors should be:

• A nurse practitioner in the relevant specialty as the primary support team member and if not available a medical practitioner in that specialty.
• A senior nurse clinician or director, nurse educator or nurse specialist in the specific specialty. A nurse unit manager is not usually considered to be an appropriate nursing supervisor unless the manager has specific clinical qualifications and recent experience in the specialty area of clinical practice.

The clinical supervisor/s should be colleagues of the student and be available to provide a minimum of one hour per week in focused supervision throughout the period of time in which the student is undertaking the core courses in the program (PUBH6210, NURS6160, NURS6620, NURS6621, NURS6622, NURS6623, PHAR 6701, PHAR6702). Clinical supervisors are also required to be readily available on the rostered shift each week when the student is undertaking the embedded clinical practice required for the program. Regular communication with the supervisor will include face to face, telephone and video conferencing depending upon the student’s clinical environment/location. The two primary supervisors will be required to assess the student’s competency on completion of each of the courses listed above using the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Council (ANMC) Nurse Practitioner Standards. They may also be invited to participate in the student’s final clinical viva examination.

Review after 60 units to assess academic and clinical progress and advise in regard to remediation needed to increase likelihood of successful completion of program.