Professional Certificate in Rural Nursing Practice

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Complete this Professional Certificate and earn credit towards La Trobe's Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma of Rural Nursing Practice

Develop your skills in health assessment for paediatric, adult and older patients and learn in-demand skills in digital health - all in the rural healthcare context. 

 

From $500.00

To $1,156.00

Key facts

Course category
Nursing and Midwifery, Nursing
Options
Option 1 Commonwealth Subsidised Domestic Partial Scholarship $500.00
Start any time before April 27 2025
Self-pacedOnline (On demand)
Option 2 Domestic Full Fee Place $1,156.00
Start any time before April 27 2025
Self-pacedOnline (On demand)
Duration
6 months from time of commencement
Group Bookings
Enquire now
Prerequisite/s
Current registration with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) as a Registered Nurse.
Certification
Digital Credential

Why do this Professional Certificate?

Whether you’re a new or established registered nurse, this flexible and self-paced online Professional Certificate (a suite of microcredentials) will advance or refresh your nursing assessment skills across the lifespan, while providing in-demand skills to design, implement and use digital health applications to improve patient-centred care.  All course content is designed to address the unique challenges of providing health care in rural areas.

 

The development of this course was funded by the Australian Commonwealth Government as part of the Microcredential Pilot program and in response to nursing care needs in rural health organisations as expressed by Bendigo Health, Echuca Regional Health and the Tasmanian Health Service. 

 

Microcredentials within the Professional Certificate can be considered for advanced standing for subjects in both the  Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma of Rural Nursing Practice. 

Why study a short course at La Trobe

Industry experience while you study

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Rising demand

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Powerful Collaborations

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Course content

Enrol once in the Professional Certificate, and you'll gain access to five shorter microcredentials  that focus on two topics that are highly relevant in the rural health setting:

  • Assessing the health of adult, older and paediatric patients and how to make evidence-based clinical decisions and prioritise care and management;
  • The latest trends, technologies and legal considerations in the digital health ecosystem, aimed at improving patient-centred care health outcomes.

The health assessment topics are delivered through the following microcredentials, which can be stacked for credit towards 'Comprehensive Health Assessment' (NRS4002), a core  subject with both the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma of Rural Nursing Practice.  

Topics covered include:

  • Conducting comprehensive health assessment of paediatric, adult and older adult patients and integrate with diagnostic findings to make informed clinical decisions
  • Prioritising care and management and complete appropriate documentation
  • Evaluation of risk and how to appropriately respond to deteriorating adult, older and paediatric patients
  • Adapting non-technical skills such as leadership, communication, teamwork, and situational awareness to provide effective collaborative nursing care. 

The digital health topics are delivered through the following microcrentials, which can be stacked for credit towards 'Digital Health for Rural Nursing Practice' (NRS4005), a core subject in the Graduate Diploma of Rural Nursing Practice. 

Topics covered include:

  • Designing and implementing digital health approaches and solutons across a range of healthcare settings, preserving patient confidentiality
  • Current digital health and telehealth guidelines and how to enhance culturally safe digital health and telehealth care
  • Analysing the use of digital health information, taking procedural, policy, legal, ethical, security and privacy requirements of nurses’ use of digital health into account
  • Evaluation of the benefits and risks associated with the application of digital health tools and strategies to improve care and support using digital health applications. 

 

Eligibility for discounted course fees

  • To qualify for the Commonwealth Supported Place course fee of $1,111.25, you must be an Australian Citizen, New Zealand Special Category Visa holder or Permanent Humanitarian Visa Holder.  This fee is subject to change. 
  • To qualify for the standard domestic course fee of $1,485.00, you must be an Australian Citizen, New Zealand Special Category Visa holder or Permanent Humanitarian Visa Holder.
  • The full course fee is $5,100. 

Please note this course is excluded from the alumni discount offer.

 

 

 

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You’ll learn:

After completing all five microcredentials, you will have developed skills in: 

  • Care planning
  • Risk screening
  • Health assessment and monitoring
  • ABG (Arterial Blood Gas) analysis
  • Chest X-ray analysis
  • ECG analysis
  • Assessing challenges in rural health care settings
  • Evaluating strategies to improve care and support using digital health applications
  • Digital health policy, technology, security and solutions

 

These skills map to the Australian Skills Classification ‘Health & Care’ and ‘Data Analytics and Databases’ Skills Clusters; within the following clusters of specialist skills:  

 

  • Collect, document, and communicate medical information
  • Develop, follow, and ensure compliance with health care quality and safety procedures
  • Perform medical tests, and physical examination of patients
  • Monitor and evaluate patient treatment
  • Enter information into databases or software programs
  • Communicate health and wellness information to the public
  • Direct medical science or health care programs
  • Direct health care delivery programs
  • Analyse operational data to evaluate operations, processes, or products
  • Plan programs to address community health issues
  • Collect information about community health needs.

Your study experience

This course is delivered fully online, so it easily fits in with your work and life commitments. Content is self-paced via La Trobe’s Learning Management System (LMS). You will receive support via webinars, Zoom drop-in sessions and email correspondence or online forums with academic leads.  

 

The total expected time commitment is 240 hours, which includes all coursework and assessment.

 

While you may choose your own pace to complete all 5 courses that comprise the Professional Certificate (a total of 30 credit points), our experience in working with busy professionals is that structuring your study commitment in three stages will help you complete all courses and assessment within the recommended 12 week timeframe.  

 

Recommended approach Theme 1 Theme 2
Stage 1 Comprehensive Assessment of the Adult Patient (5 credit points) Introduction to Digital Health for Rural Healthcare Professionals (10 credit points)
Stage 2

Comprehensive Assessment of the Older Patient (5 credit points)

 

Continue Digital Health 10 credit point course
Stage 3

Comprehensive Assessment of the Paediatric Patient (5 credit points)

 

Applications of Digital Health Solutions in Rural Healthcare (5 credit points)

 

 The assessment for this course includes:

•    Three case studies (1500 words);
•    Development of a digital health portfolio (2500 words);
•    Development of a pitch proposal (1500 words) for a digital health solution;
•    A reflective journal (1500 words).   

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

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Find out more about further education at La Trobe  View all FAQ

I would like information about a short course. Who can assist me?  

Email: LaTrobeProfessional@latrobe.edu.au 

Phone: 1300 135 045

I have paid the fee for a short course. When will I be able to access it?  

On completion of your registration, you'll be provided with an account on our Learning Management System (LMS) and the course material will be made available at the advertised date, or as outlined on your registration confirmation email.  For our on-demand courses, access will be immediate.

What payment options are there?

  • You may arrange to pay by BPAY or EFT
  • For group bookings, we encourage purchase orders.  Contact us for a quote, and upon receipt of your purchase order we can make the course available to you.
  • Unfortunately, we are not able to arrange instalment payments.

Contact us on LaTrobeProfessional@latrobe.edu.au for assistance. 

Can I arrange payment with a Purchase Order?

Yes, we accept Purchase Orders. Please email to LaTrobeProfessional@latrobe.edu.au and our La Trobe Professional team will provide you with payment details and access to your course. 

I am getting an error when I try to log into my LMS account. Can you help? 

  • The first thing to check is your order confirmation email - it will contain your Learning Management System (LMS) account and password.  Note that this account may not be the same as your staff, student or previous short course participant account. 
  • The second thing to check is that you're logging on as a short course participant and not as a student - choose 'Other Users' - select Short Course as your institution and use your account and password as provided.

If you need any assistance, contact us on LaTrobeProfessional@latrobe.edu.au. 

I want to enrol multiple staff in a short course. How do I go about this? 

Contact LaTrobeProfessional@latrobe.edu.au so that we can discuss options with you.  

What certification will I receive?

The type of certification depends on the assessment involved in the course. For example:

  • Microcredentials:  You will receive a digital credential that confirms the skills you’ve acquired, any assessments you’ve completed and potential pathways for credit or advanced standing towards a degree. 
  • Other assessed short courses:  This may include bridging programs or courses that prepare you for external certification from a professional body.  You might receive a certificate of achievement or a digital badge (a digital version of a certificate of achievement).
  • Non-assessed courses:  If a course doesn’t involve formal assessment, you’ll receive a certificate of attendance.
  • Single-subject enrolment: If you enrol in a single subject, you will receive an official transcript for that subject.

Please note that short courses or microcredentials are not formal qualifications under the Australian Qualifications Framework but may be eligible for consideration as advanced standing (credit) towards a degree.

What is a microcredential? 

Microcredentials are short courses that are assessed, carry academic credit, and to deliver specific skills or knowledge.  While they can be taken as standalone courses, many are designed to be combined or ‘stacked’ with other microcredentials to form the equivalent of a subject within a degree program.  Upon successful completion, you’ll earn a digital credential that outlines the skills and credit obtained, and any opportunities for stacking.

For La Trobe microcredentials, any advanced standing or stacking pathways are clearly expressed on the course page.   

What is advanced standing?

Advanced standing refers to credit for prior study or formal learning that can be credited towards a qualification, thereby reducing the number of subjects required to complete a course. For short courses or microcredentials (if these have been completed through recognised institutions or platforms and are deemed equivalent to La Trobe University subjects), credit may be granted either for specific La Trobe subjects or as unspecified credit towards elective requirements of a La Trobe course.

For La Trobe microcredentials, any advanced standing or stacking pathways are clearly expressed on the course page.   Upon successful completion of the course, you’ll receive a digital credential, which may be used when applying for credit for the relevant degree at La Trobe.

For more details, visit the University’s advanced standing web page.