Postgraduate Nursing Education

Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Clinical Nursing

St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne offers registered nurses the opportunity to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Clinical Nursing. The course gives students the chance to gain comprehensive theoretical knowledge combined with clinical exposure in a state-of-the-art major teaching hospital.

The course that is run in conjunction with the University of Melbourne School of Nursing.  

The Diploma is a fee paying course and St. Vincent's Hospital offers fee scholarships in a number of the streams. The hospital also provides generous paid study leave. 

Click here for more information from The University of Melbourne School of Nursing website. 

Specialty streams available at St. Vincent's:

• Cancer Nursing
• Renal
• Neurosciences
• Critical Care
• Emergency
• Perioperative
• Anaesthetics
• Psychiatric/Mental Health

Cancer Nursing

The Post Graduate Course in Cancer Nursing provides nurses with the opportunity to acquire skills necessary to care for cancer patients in a holistic way.  There will be a variety of opportunities to gain experience in chemotherapy, the care of febrile neutropaenic patients and stem cell transplantation.  Symptom management and support of the cancer patient with advanced disease is another important area developed during the course. Students will learn within a supportive and enthusiastic environment. 

For further information: contact Beth Emerson NUM 10 East on 9288 4855 

Renal Nursing

Studying renal nursing at St. Vincent’s provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills in the care of patients with acute, chronic and end stage renal failure.  Time will be spent between the inpatient ward area and the dialysis unit, learning skills such as haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.  Opportunities to work with renal transplant recipients and donors will also be provided within a supportive learning environment.

For further information: contact Beth Emerson NUM 10 East on 9288 4855 or Meredith Plummer (Dialysis unit) on 9288 4205

Neurosciences

Studying Neurosciences at St. Vincent's will enable the student to be part of an innovative, educated and supportive team. During this 12 month Graduate Diploma in Neurosciences the student acquires the theory and advanced nursing skills required to assess and care for neurological and neurosurgical patients. Students will learn to care for critically ill patients under the guidance of the clinical educator and supportive neurosciences team. St. Vincent's Neurosciences offers exposure to a wide variety of cases and technologies within the 26 bed unit in a modern setting including advanced monitoring systems and telemetry. Students will also experience observation time in the operating suite, ICU and angiogram.

For further information: contact Leanne Allen, Clinical Educator Neurosciences on 9288 4785

Critical Care

Critical care offers clinical rotations through three specialty areas of practice: Intensive Care, Coronary Care and Cardiothoracics.  Practical experience and clinical support is tailored to compliment the academic program and develop your knowledge and skills in all areas of critical care nursing.

For further information: contact Mandy Voss via the St. Vincent’s Hospital switchboard 9288 2211 (pager 339) or on 9288 4500 or by email: vossal@svhm.org.au  

Emergency

The Emergency Care Centre fosters a supportive and friendly learning environment whereby postgraduate nursing students are mentored and encouraged to develop specialist knowledge and skills.  In an environment of multidisciplinary teamwork and equality the Emergency Stream offers clinical experience and education in the areas of resuscitation, triage, acute cardiac care, and major and minor trauma care.

For further information: contact Andrew Pilgrim, via the St. Vincent’s Hospital switchboard 9288 2211 (pager 274) or by email: andrew.pilgrim@svhm.org.au

Perioperative

Nurses are provided with the opportunity to develop the clinical nursing skills to care for clients undergoing surgical and anaesthetic interventions in the Operating Room environment. Opportunities are provided throughout the course for participants to observe and participate in a wide range of general and specialist surgical procedures including cardiothoracic, vascular, orthopaedic, neurosurgery, microsurgery and reconstructive and plastic surgery.  Rotations to other hospitals provide experience in gynaecology, obstetrics and paediatric surgery.

For further information: contact Helen Barallon, Clinical Educator - Perioperative, on 9288 4529

Anaesthetics

Students undertaking the anaesthetic stream learn advanced nursing practice in caring for patients during their peri-anaesthetic and post-anaesthetic care period. St. Vincent's operating suite performs a wide variety of minor and major surgery including cardiac, neurosurgery, plastics and orthopaedics. Rotations to other hospitals exposes students to the care of both adult and paediatric patients in order to learn the clinical skills to complement their theoretical knowledge.

For more information: contact Ruth Crampton on 9288 4518

Psychiatric/Mental Health

The Psychiatric/Mental Health nursing stream aims to facilitate registered nurses in developing specialist nursing skills and knowledge required to be able to work effectively within the field of psychiatric nursing. The course leads to endorsement of registration as a Psychiatric Nurse with the Nurses Board of Victoria.

St. Vincent’s Mental Health Service incorporates:

• an in-patient unit at the main St. Vincent’s campus in Fitzroy

• Clarendon Clinic in East Melbourne

• Hawthorn Centre in Hawthorn, and

• The Footbridge Community Care Unit in North Fitzroy.

Students will gain clinical experience in a variety of acute and community settings, where they will be able to apply theoretical knowledge to assist clients towards growth outcomes.