*Available to International students only

The Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Primary Health Care) is a 36-unit program offered by the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.

Admission requirements

Applicants must normally hold an approved degree or equivalent qualification and must be registered nurses in their country of residence.

However, the Board may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature.

In addition applicants must provide a supporting statement nominating their area of clinical preference in acute care nursing for university sourced observational professional experience placement.  

Areas of clinical preference include:

  • Aged Care
  • Children and Family Health
  • Diabetes Management and Education
  • General Practice and Community

The course will not lead to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

Course aims

The Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Primary Health Care) aims to:

  • facilitate development of specialised knowledge, skills attributes for application in a range of primary health care nursing environments
  • extend student knowledge in research for practice development

Learning outcomes 

In addition to the Learning Outcomes of the Graduate Diploma in Nursing, on completion of this specialisation students will be able to:

  • critically analyse the concepts and theories underpinning the provision of Primary Health Care in a range of health care environments
  • identify and enact relevant international, national, state and territory strategic health care goals in Primary Health Care nursing environments
  • apply concepts and theories of Primary Health Care nursing in a simulated Primary Health Care setting

Program of study

To qualify for the Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Primary Health Care) a student must complete 36 units as specified below with a grade of Pass or NGP or better in each topic.

The award of a grade of Fail (F) in the same topic on more than one occasion or in 9 units or more, or failure to complete the course within four consecutive semesters may constitute prima facie evidence of unsatisfactory progress for the purposes of the University''s Policy on Student Progress.

Except with permission of the Faculty Board:

  • no topic may be attempted more than twice
  • a student may not include a topic which repeats work previously undertaken.

Not all topics will be available in any given year or semester.

Specialisation - Primary Health Care - Core topics

4.5 units comprising:

NURS8720  Primary Health Care Constructs and Contexts (4.5 units)

Core - Year 1 topics

18 units comprising:

NURS9123  Epidemiology and Population Studies for Health Care Practice (4.5 units)
NURS9124  Advanced Thinking, Communicating and Problem Solving for Health Professionals (4.5 units)
NURS9126  Leadership in Health Studies  (4.5 units)
NURS9219  Introduction to Research (4.5 units)

Option - Primary Health Care - Year 1 topics

13.5 units selected from non-PEP acute care nursing topics:

NURS8725  Primary Health Care Observational PEP (4.5 units)  
NURS8821  Health Management for Infants, Children and Young People (4.5 units)
NURS8824  Introduction to Working with Infants, Children and Families (4.5 units)
NURS8730  Diabetes Management (4.5 units)
NURS8733  Psychosocial Aspects of Diabetes Management (4.5 units)
NURS8721  Community and Primary Health Care Nursing (4.5 units)
MHSC8112  Perspectives on Chronic Diseases Management (4.5 units)
MHSC8114  The Persons’ Experiences of Self-Management (4.5 units)
NURS9708  Social Context of Health and Ageing (4.5 units)
NURS9710  The Three Ds - Dementia, Delirium and Depression (4.5 units)
PALL8436  Palliative Care in Aged care Setting (4.5 units)

Students may, in consultation with the Course Coordinator, select other postgraduate topics offered by the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences as their option topics.